There’s much to see and enjoy in this beautiful area, from the small, whitewashed local villages to the spectacular fiestas. The Spanish certainly know how to throw a good party!
Starting close to Arthur’s Vineyard: Los Romanes. A typical Spanish village with steep, winding and very narrow streets. More suited to the mules of yesteryear than the four-wheel drives of today. In fact, you’ll see a lot of mules, donkeys and goats around the village. Mules are used to collect grapes from the mountainous terrain. They bring their loaded panniers from the steepest slopes to a collection point on a nearby track. When driving around the village, your only likely traffic jam will be caused by a large herd of goats, as the shepherd and his dogs scour the countryside for suitable grazing between this village and Benamargosa. In Los Romanes there is one bar (which doubles up as the local post office - collect your mail and have a beer - how civilized!!) one small supermarket, a co-operative olive oil producer and a good restaurant. In the springtime, the area is a tapestry of wild flowers and almond blossom; at the height of summer, you can join the village fiesta, dancing under the moonlight in the street; in the late summer see the grapes being harvested and then laid out to dry in concrete “bunkers” that litter the hillside to produce beautiful sun-ripened raisins. In the late autumn, the local farmers spread great nets under the olive trees to collect their bountiful harvest.
Nearby, La Vinuela is a slightly larger village, hugging a hillside, with its own spring. There are two bars here, one La Vina dates back to the eighteenth century, a bank and a couple of supermarkets. One of these is an Aladdin’s Cave down a steep flight of stairs.
Further along the valley is Puente don Manuel, with various bars, restaurants, an excellent butcher and a panaderia - a bakers which curiously also sells local ceramics. Further still are Periana and Alcaucin, both interesting and typically Spanish - definitely worth a visit.
From Arthur’s Vineyard, you have a spectacular view of Comares, which is reputed to have been the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. It’s a long and winding road to get there, but well worth the effort. It has tiny, narrow streets and fantastic views, a couple of bars, a ruined Moorish fort, built on Roman foundations and an interesting cemetery which feels a bit closer to heaven than usual!
Slightly further afield, along the autovia towards Nerja, is the pretty town of Firigiliana. It’s very touristy in the summer, so get there early before the tourist buses - and don’t try to park anywhere but outside the town! Frigiliana clings to the hillside with wonderful views down to the Mediterranean. There are lots of restaurants, bars and a little artisan shop. You can sample local wines or sit in a pretty square by the church.
Torre del Mar is the nearest seaside town to Arthur’s Vineyard. It’s a lively Spanish town, with a beautiful Paseo running alongside the beach. You can walk from one end of Torre (near the lighthouse) a couple of kilometers to Caleta de Velez, the local fishing and leisure port. You’ll find every possible kind of restaurant and bar en route, and there are two or three good restaurants at Caleta. Torre del Mar offers you good shopping, especially on market days. (Thursdays), with plenty of clothes, earthenware, jewellery and ceramics. There’s also an English bookshop where you can pick up newspapers. There are several fiestas here every year. If you are here in august, you can enjoy the wonderful Virgin de la Carmen, where the statue is carried on a large “float”, surrounded by lots of candles and flowers, by the barefooted youth of the town. She is paraded through the town, accompanied by bands and hundreds of flowers, and taken to the beach, where she is set upon a small boat and towed out to sea. The ceremony finishes several hours later, when she is returned to the church, and a large firework display on the beach lights up the night sky.
Just a short drive from Torre del Mar is the El Ingenio shopping centre. This offers a large mall with a good range of shops, and a multi-screen cinema. There are a number of eateries here for a quick meal before or after the cinema.
The oldest capital of the Axarquia region, is Velez Malaga. There are good shops here too, scattered around its myriad of narrow streets and alleyways. The highlight here is Semana Santa (Holy Week) when huge floats are carried through the town, taking several hours to complete its circuitous route. Thousands of people gather to witness this spectacle, wandering from tapas bar to tapas bar to enjoy the unique atmosphere. Highly recommended!
The majority of towns in this area have their own Semana Santa parades and festivals, and each one will bring a tingle to your heart and a tear to your eyes.
Malaga itself is approximately 45 minutes away. The easiest way to travel is by bus, and you can catch this at the bus station at Torre del Mar. Parking is easy nearby, and it costs less than a couple of euros. You can alight at the port, and walk through the old town; or go to the terminus and wander through the newer shopping malls. There’s a wonderful cathedral, an ancient castle, busy squares and peaceful gardens all waiting to be explored. As a cultural centre, it offers galleries and exhibitions. And the port itself is visited by the huge commercial liners, including the new Queen Mary.
