A weekend in Malaga
At the beginning of November 2025, I spent a solo weekend in Malaga, Spain. It had been a bucket list destination for a while after reading The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley which is set predominantly near the Alhambra. It may sound a little bit cringey to some readers, however, Lucinda Rileys “The Seven Sisters” books provided me with a lot of travel inspiration.
At the time I went, the flights were quite cheap from London, so I left late afternoon on a Friday and returned Sunday evening. I didn’t know what to expect from Malaga but I certainly didn’t know it was going to be such a vibrant city. When I arrived in the city centre around 9 PM, it was buzzing.
I stayed at Coco Hernan Ruis Rooftop Pool Hostel in hub room with shared bathrooms. The location was perfect, it was a little bit of a walk from the beach, however, it meant we weren’t 100% in the hustle and bustle of everything which I do like. The beds were comfy; however this is definitely a hostel in which you need ear plugs. I could hear a lot throughout the night.
Breakfast was included in the price and was À la carte – with some great options. Most mornings I went with the peanut butter and banana toast. You could also get a pastry with the breakfast; however, I find them a little bit too sickly to start my morning so opted out.
On Saturday, I had booked myself on a tour to visit The Alhambra and Granada through GetYourGuide. The tour was all day and roughly took 10 hours as you the drive to Granada is about 2 - 2.5 hours. You do stop along the way though for a break.
Once you reach The Alhambra you change guides to an official guide from The Alhambra and this takes about 3 hours. The guide was amazing and told us about each room in great detail, as well as the history of the region. It didn’t feel rushed and we were given opportunities to go off and take some photos along the way. One thing to note was that it was quite a while to be on your feet in the sun, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
After the tour is finished, your then meet your main guide again to walk about 20 minutes into the centre of Granada. Yes, it is more walking but it is all down-hill and luckily the bus then meets you in the city centre not back at The Alhambra. Your tour guide shows you a little bit of Granada but for the most part you have free time to wander around yourself/eat lunch if you fancy. This time was nice to be able to sit for a little bit and explore.
At the time we went, it was really busy in the city which I found slightly overwhelming being by myself so I ended up stopping by a very small window for some empanadas near Plaza di Bib-Rambla. They weren’t fantastic, but I ate them in the Plaza which was fun to people watch. It was a nice way to finish the day as well, as you then have the long bus journey ahead of you back to Malaga. BUT, all in all the tour is very much worth it and you gain amazing insights into different cultures.
