Wednesday, July 9 (Casares, Spain) – Neil and Dawn are two cousins who I don't get to see very often.  (Neil is my dad's first cousin and Dawn is his wife).  They have been living in Vienna for years, so when I passed through a few weeks ago, we all got together for a delicious dinner.  As if the gelato wasn't enough for dessert, I was invited to stay with them at their holiday home in Casares, Spain a few weeks later!  

Casares is a village in Malaga, about 25 minutes from Marbella, and their home is a beautiful beachfront property from which Morocco and Gibraltar are visible on a clear day.  Of course I couldn't say no to spending time with family or relaxing in Andalusia, so I was excited to come down for my visit.

One of the first things we did after my arrival was go to the local beach bar, the Chiringuito.  This is a very special place with very special mojitos.  Mojitos fantasticos!  The entire staff at the Chiringuito knows my cousins and knows to bring extra delicious - and extra strong - mojitos to the table as we sit down.  I don't know what they put in this refreshing and tasty delicacies, but I swear you feel a buzz after just a few sips!  Throughout my stay in Casares, the mojito fantastico became the mascot, the catchphrase and the theme song - yes, song.

After the mojito fantastico buzz was leveled out, the three of us went to the Riding Fun in the Sun ranch to go horseback riding - something I had somehow convinced them to do for their first time in over 30 years.  In fact, the last time my cousin Neil was on a horse, it spooked and there was a bad accident that left him with a broken shoulder.  So I was feeling extra proud and excited to share my favorite pastime with them... and they loved it!  The three of us were lucky to get a private hour-long ride through the mountains on wonderful horses, and now they both want to go back and go faster next time!

The barn has a lot of animal friends, such as Squiggy, the potbelly pig who thinks he's a dog!  Squiggy comes when called and rolls on his side for belly rubs.  Forget a pony... can I get one of these?

Monday, May 5 (Nerja & Frigiliana) - If I were home today, I would probably be celebrating one of the all-time best Americanized holidays:  Cinco de Mayo!  I mean really, what is better than a margarita and some guac?  Well, partly because the day didn’t really cross my mind, and partly because it is obviously not celebrated in Spain, I spent the day doing the opposite of what I normally would.  Instead of consuming a sick amount of calories on food and drink, I had one of my most active days yet!

My hosts in Malaga (and my mom) recommended visiting the picturesque town of Frigiliana one day while I’m in Nerja.  Frigiliana is one of Andalucia’s most beautiful pueblos blancos (white villages).  So to kick off my active day, two girls I met at the hostal and I decided to hike the hilly, backend route all the way to Frigiliana instead of taking a cab or bus.  There were two ways to go:  along the street (one hour) or through the mountain and along the river bed (around three hours).  We chose the latter.

After a lot of guesswork, tasting a kumquat-sized orange fruit off the side of the road, and getting pointers (along with surprised looks) from the few people we saw driving by, we were well on our way.  The trick to anyone attempting this:  walk away from the beach until you come to a stream that runs parallel to the sea.  Turn right and keep walking to the right until you come to an old-looking house with a blockade and sign that directs you to a natural preserve.  Take that road to the left which will be your first of many steep hills, and then keep going to your right for the next hour or two.  Finally you will arrive at a clearing where there is a tiny café where you can rest your feet and have a cold drink.  Then you are a steep 1km from the picture-perfect Frigiliana!

The second part of my active day was doing my favorite activity:  horseback riding.  I had (of course) done my research to find a place to ride while in Nerja, and I was able to join an hour-long trail ride with just one other guest.  I was picked up and driven to the barn which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, and really nothing more than a small stable and some paddocks.  I was warned that my mare “Futch” hadn’t been out in a while and is only for experienced riders…. Ok…  Long story short:  the ride was more of me schooling the unbalanced horse than actually sitting back and enjoying the ride and the scenery.  I’ve never ridden a horse that was so inconsistent with its gaits or felt so wobbly or unbalanced.  So, while I enjoyed being on horseback and exploring some of the countryside, this was not one of my favorite rides.

(Friday, May 2) – I tend to be a big planner when it comes to travel.  It’s not that I need every moment planned out; it is more that I don’t want to leave a place and then find out a week later that I missed something because I hadn’t done my homework.  I also like to know where I am going next and that I have a place to stay.  But on this trip, part of “Stacy taking flight” is that I want to be more flexible, take things as they come, and be okay with being a bit spontaneous or changing plans.  So I decided to switch up my Spain itinerary a bit after learning the easiest way to get from city to city wasn’t necessarily what I had thought.  However, this put me in a tough position in terms of where to stay. 

I found myself in Marbella on Thursday without having a place to stay for the next few nights.  I had planned to go on a day trip to Ronda on Friday and then find a hostel or cheaper hotel in Malaga for the weekend, but everything was completely booked.  So, I ended up spending a night in Ronda (which was great) and then taking a big risk in trying something brand new for the Saturday and Sunday in Malaga:  Airbnb. 

I have a few friends who have tried this service where people who have an extra bedroom (or an empty house) can rent it out to travelers, and they have had positive experiences.  But as a solo female in a new country, I was very hesitant.  Also, many hosts don’t actually live in the house.  They have an extra house that they turn into a mini hostel and rent out constantly - not really what I was hoping for.  So after being unsuccessful with Hostelworld and hotel sites, I finally decided I would Airbnb it in Malaga.  BEST DECISION EVER!

I found myself staying in an extra bedroom in the home of Eugenia, her husband Nacho and their dog Sacha.  They also had a friend, Romi, in town.  As I arrived I was greeted like family with double cheek kisses and a cold beer.  While I thought I would drop off my stuff and head into the city center to explore on my own (the only downfall of staying with them is that they live a good 30-40 minute walk from the center, but I could also take a cab or bus), I ended up staying in their home chatting (in Spanish!) for hours.  It was really great and before I knew it, it was about 8PM and I was starving.  The four of us went into the city center together and they took me to what they said is the best tapas spot in all of Malaga - Cortijo de Pepe.

Then we hopped around from bar to bar while they graciously showed me different sites along the way.  Staying with them was such a great way to get to know the city and the people and practice Spanish! Seriously, I am so happy that I was able to communicate and understand with only minimal – and I mean minimal – English.

I am now much more open to using Airbnb in the future (and won’t freak out if I don’t see any hostels or hotels available in a place that I want to visit).  There are just a few tips I have for anyone looking to try it out.