With Morocco still being closed and off-limits for this winter, we decided to head south with our best mates, Pip & Karen. After surviving the freezing cold of the first 800km in France then the blistering heat of Mérida (29° mid-February), we finally reached Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol. To be honest, the beach district of the town, known as Arroyo de la miel, is a bit busy for my liking and would be unbearable during the summer months but there are plenty of places to eat and drink amongst its narrow streets and pretty plazas. One of the most popular tourist destinations is the secluded Plaza de España, a delightful square that is entered through the 18th century Portal de San Carlos.

I highly recommend walking up the hill to Benalmádena pueblo (7€ in a taxi, the easier option). A quick beer, a stroll around the narrow streets, a look at the Tibetan Stupa temple and then back down before sunset. A great way to spend a few hours! I’ve seen a different side to Benalmádena this visit and I really like it!

The time to move on finally arrived and we found ourselves only an hour along the coast at Torrox pueblo, a gorgeous little Andalucian town set in the hills a few kilometres back from the sea. The word Torrox comes from Arab, and it means “tower”. It’s a great little village to stroll around. Lots of umbrellas and delicious cakes! The town recently won the “prize” of Europe’s best climate, with an average temperature of 18ºC. Shorts weather!

Sat chatting with a local when he mentioned a little village, a bit further east of Torrox, called Itrabo, so we just had to visit and spend the night. Great tapas at bar Selva. Flip flops off, shoes on and we made our way through the main square and down to the old Moorish flour mill. It’s in ruins now but brilliant for a photo or two! The town hasn’t really changed much over the last 500 years and studies have proved that the first inhabitants of this area were the Phoenicians. Fascinating!

Tip – If you want to take time out to follow your dreams, DO IT.  Don’t wait until retirement…LIFE IS SHORT. Slow down, enjoy each other and don’t worry about the small stuff. Most importantly, if you haven’t told your other half that you love them recently, then stop reading this and do it now!

We’ve plenty of adventures ahead of us and we’ll be sharing lots of tips + info along the way. So keep reading and feel free to ask any question you like!

Tomorrow, we head further east. Our only problem now being the horrendous price of fuel 🙁

Safe travels Andy 🚐🚐🚐

Andy Mckettrick is the best selling author of Flip-flops & Falafel – A handy guide to visiting Morocco in a motorhome and also Go West – A handy guide to visiting Northern Spain in a motorhome. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andy-Mckettrick/e/B07YNKY4ZC/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

You can also follow him at AndyTravelWriter on Facebook.