Costa del Sol

Amy and I just returned from our Easter Break trip to the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. We arrived just in time for the first spell of less than perfect weather they had all winter. In truth, it might as well have been called Costa del Overcast with Showers for the majority of the time we were there. That didn’t bother us since we are not particularly sun worshipers and just enjoyed the opportunity to unwind and relax away from the stress of job and teenagers.

We flew into Malaga in the heart of the Costa del Sol and picked up our rental car. Costa del Sol is the Spanish equivalent of the French or Italian Riviera. It was quite the place. On a clear day you can see forever, or at least to Africa. We never had that clear a day, but the weather was clear enough at times so we had a glimpse of what it could be. The temperatures were 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit lower than normal, but also a good 5- 10 degrees higher than what we left at home in Italy.

We eventually made our way to Marbella where we stayed in a Marriott Vacation Club timeshare exchange.

It fronted on the water and we took several long walks along the beach.

Most of the time we were basically alone, but on the last day, when the sun came out, there was quite a crowd. I don’t want to think about what it is like during the high season. Then again, Amy and I avoid the beaches in Italy during that period as well.

Northern Europeans flock to the Mediterranean coast at any time of year. That was nice since it meant that the hotel staff all spoke English, in part to deal with all of the timeshare owners from the UK. They also stocked a wide variety of foods. We had cheddar! You have no idea what it is like to live for a year with only Italian cheeses. There are only so many ways you can make pecorino and Italians have discovered all of them. We recently saw a book of 100 Italian cheeses and close to ¼ of them were variations of pecorino distinguished by being from differnt places!

The timeshare was a spacious, 2-bedroom affair which slept 6. We were only 2 so we bounced around in the emptiness. We had a nice view from our balcony.

A huge sitting room with TV (which had English channels!).

A very nice, fully equipped kitchen.

And last, but not least, a large bedroom with a very comfortable bed. You can just make out Amy’s hair on the pillow if you look closely enough. She wasn’t getting up for anything including a picture.