Road Trip: Spain- Madrid & Marbella
- ItaliAndrea
- Apr 27
- 4 min read
Madrid certainly deserves a spot on anyone's European grand tour, but it's also worth revisiting again and again to experience the city like a Madrileño. We then headed south to Marbella which is no stranger to sun-seekers looking for fun in the sun on the Costa del Sol. Here are the highlights from our recent jaunt to Spain.
Madrid
Our favorite neighborhood to sleep and eat in is Salamanca, because it's removed from the tourist attractions and it's where people actually live- families with strollers, nonna marketing and old men chatting at the same watering hole they have been frequenting for decades. It's located just north of Retiro Park, and still close enough to walk to Plaza Mayor.
Of course, we had to check out the Ritz after its year's long renovation by Mandarin Oriental group. It's located right by Retiro Park and the Prado Muesum. It's stately with details befitting its illustruous past.
Madrid is a green city from the dozens of pocket parks to the centrally-located 350 acre Retiro complete with its own lake ready to host paddle boaters.
Dining
We opted to stay in the Salamanca neighborhood for our two big meals. Apparently, we did a good job finding places only locals go, because we were questioned about our booking at both spots even though they had our name scrawled in their reservation books. I guess they don't see many ItaliAndrea's speaking crummy (at best) Spanish!
Spain is renowned for its asadors serving up suckling pig and/or lamb. Horno San Juan did not disappoint, perfectly crisp outside with tender, juicy meat on the inside.
At La Trainera it was hard to choose from all the fresh fish on display!
For a more casual tapas crawl...
Mercado San Miguel mere steps from the Plaza Mayor is a must! It was hopping with spritzers and people sipping cava (us) even though the clock had yet to strike 11AM! It's fun and there is something for everyone. Seeing the appeal of the Spritzeria, Svein's busy calculating a business plan for a pop-up in Padova's Piazza Garibaldi. 🤣
Marbella
We headed south to visit Svein's brother and sister-in-law who live part-time in this sunny hotspot. We knew the town as a glam playground on the Costa del Sol, but we didn't anticipate it being so expansive. It's a large city in its own right, complete with high-rise buildings and expanding growth along the coast in both directions.
We visited in mid-April, just before the tourist season began. It was busy but not too crowded, making it ideal for sightseeing, though not for swimming in the sea. The compact old town is walkable to the sea but not directly on the sea, perfect for our hotel choice. Other options include hotels on the seafront near town and going west in the direction of Puerto Banús where the luxury shops are located. Incidentally, Marbella to Puerto Banús is not walkable, unless you're up for a 1.5 hour hike, one way. Our impression before seeing Marbella in person was that the international high-end retail was in Marbella proper which is not the case so if shopping is your thing, Puerto Banús is for you!
La Fonda Heritage (Relais & Chateaux) was charming, just 19 rooms. During renovation, they preserved the ancient elements from the 1600s including a chapel which now houses the dining room.
Dalí statues decorate the walkway from the old town to the beach. Old city walls and part of the ancient castle still stand.
Dining
DiBlu is located directly on the beach and it's all about the fish. It was so good that we went twice. The grilled sea bass and cevice were fresh and perfectly executed.
We also had an excellent meal at La Fonda's restaurant with the 17th century chapel as our wallpaper. Lively, yet spohisticated entertainment was provided nightly in the bar..
Cute alleyways remain uncrowded even when the main arteries are filled by day.
We were there during Holy Week and boy does Marbella put on a show. This was the second parade during our 4 night stay and the second lasted from 5PM to 11PM!
To Gibraltar or no? Our advice is a solid pass, unless you are looking to re-locate for tax purposes. Otherwise, the day trip offered little other than tacky souvenier shops and knock off versions of British pubs. Tour groups just off of their mega-sized cruise ship were there in droves and it's not even high season. The "rock" is quite stunning, but you can see that from Spain without the passport control queue.
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