Málaga today
Short notes from my walks around Málaga and my adventures further afield. Something I came across, what was going on, and the address in case you want to see it yourself. Newest first.
LA Almazara near Ronda: honestly, I expected more
After four years living in Málaga, today was my first visit to LA Almazara, the olive oil mill outside Ronda designed by Philippe Starck. It opened in October 2024, and TIME put it on its World's Greatest Places list for 2025, so I went in with high hopes.
I bought the museum ticket for €15. It includes a tasting of two olive oils in the shop and access to the mirador, which is where I took this photo of the red cube and its steel bull's horn. The museum itself is small. We were through it in about five minutes, and after that we felt there was nothing left to do.
There are bigger tickets. The guided Premium visit starts from €25 for about an hour and a half, with a guide, a walk through the working mill and a proper olive oil tasting with mollete bread. Wine tasting is only offered as an option on the top Exclusive visit, and the booking site doesn't show that price. I haven't done the official tasting myself, and I've heard from others who did the group tour of the mill that it was pretty boring too.
So would I drive all the way out there again just for this? Honestly, no, not unless I had something else planned nearby. Sorry to say it, but I was expecting more. If you're already spending a day in Ronda, it's on the A-367, the Ardales road just outside town, and the mirador does give you a great photo. Read where to park in Ronda before you head into the old town.
Carretera Ardales–Ronda A-367, km 39.5, 29400 Ronda, Málaga
Read more: Things to do in Ronda, The best month to visit Ronda
The chestnut stands are back in Málaga
The castañas asadas stands are out on the streets again. This one is El puesto de La Mama Nieves, at the foot of the Tribuna de los Pobres steps where Calle Carretería meets the river, with the roasting drums standing ready beside the cart and chestnuts piled high on top. For me, that can only mean one thing: autumn is almost here in southern Spain.
I love walking past these stands in the middle of winter and catching the smell of the smoke.
And here's my confession: I've never actually tried them. I never have cash on me, and they don't take cards.
So if you want a cone of roasted chestnuts while you're here this autumn or winter, keep a few euros in coins in your pocket.
Tribuna de los Pobres, Calle Carretería (corner of Avenida de la Rosaleda), 29008 Málaga
Read more: What's on in Málaga in October, What's on in Málaga in November
The burnt-out Ibis hotel by the river is nearly gone
The Ibis hotel on Pasillo de Guimbarda, the one right on the Guadalmedina riverbed, is almost gone. I took this from the riverbed this morning. The front with the ibis sign and the Grand Café is still standing, and the diggers are working through what's left behind it.
I live three blocks away. In May I saw the smoke, and we could smell it from our home.
The fire started in the early hours of 25 May in the café on the ground floor and spread into the hotel. Around 100 people were evacuated and nobody was hurt. It took weeks to put out completely. Firefighters only ended their watch on the site on 11 July.
Demolition started at the beginning of September and was planned to take about two months. If you stayed at the ibis Málaga Centro Ciudad, this was it, all 189 rooms.
If you're driving, the bus lane in the Pasillo de Guimbarda tunnel next to the hotel is closed while the work goes on. The car lane is open.
Pasillo de Guimbarda 5 (corner of Calle Cerrojo), 29007 Málaga
Read more: Where to stay in Málaga
Tents in Plaza de la Constitución: what's going on
If you're wondering about the tents in Plaza de la Constitución, it's a housing protest. People have been camping in the square since the evening of Monday 28 September, after a march through the centre ended there.
It's organised by the Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos, the tenants' union, whose red banner is up in the photo, together with the platform Un Techo por Derecho. The signs are about what people can afford to pay for a home. One on a tent says the banner is the square metres the writer can afford.
Organisers have said there's no end date and that they're deciding day by day.
The plaza is at the end of Calle Larios, so if you're walking the old town you'll almost certainly pass it.
Plaza de la Constitución, 29015 Málaga
Read more: Málaga old town guide
The queue at El Gato Negro for the Christmas lottery
El Gato Negro on Calle Granada is one of the most popular places in Málaga to buy lottery tickets. There's nearly always a little crowd outside.
It has been selling tickets in Málaga for over 100 years and has sold winning Christmas lottery tickets before. In Spain, a shop's luck counts for a lot.
From now until December the queues get longer. Everyone wants a décimo for the Christmas lottery, El Gordo, drawn on 22 December. A décimo is a tenth of a full ticket and costs €20. You don't pick your own numbers. You choose from the ones the shop has.
Families, friends, workmates and even the local bar often share tickets, so the whole office can win together.
The sign by the door gives the opening hours as Monday to Saturday, 9:30 to 21:00.
Read more: Christmas in Málaga, Málaga old town guide