Shopping

If you’re after a bit of retail therapy, you can certainly find that locally too, and it comes in lots of different forms.

First up, there’s the local markets. These tend to happen on Sunday mornings in Fuengirola and, as you might expect, you can find anything and everything on offer here.

The same might be said of the local malls. Miramar is a great local mall that’s open daily from 10am until 10pm, and has everything over 140 stores. From fashion to gaming to accessories and things for the kids, you’ll find everything here. There’s also a cinema for one of the very few times that the sun might not be shining brightly! It’s about 6 minutes away by car.

If you want a similar range, but in a more expansive area, Malaga has some great shopping streets and a number of huge malls too.

Looking for something more specific? The local area in Mijas is known for its leather and pottery, and a wander through the narrow streets of Mijas Pueblo is a good place to go searching for both.

As far as local produce goes, there’s a few things we think you should try.

The first is the fortified wines. Most restaurants serve a choice of red, Rioja or Ribera both of which are lovely, but neither of which comes from the area. What you will find locally is a sweet, fortified wine – Malaga Dulce. It can be drunk as an aperitif before dinner, or with dessert. The same goes for the local Vermouth, or Vermut, which you will find listed on most menus.

In a similar vein, the wider region is where sherry comes from, and we’d really recommend a trip to Jerez if time allows and, if not, just help yourself to some Oloroso, Fino and Pedro Ximinez to see which you prefer before committing to a bottle to take home! See here for more details on Jerez.

If you do take a road trip, you’ll find people selling honey and olive oil everywhere you look, and it’s all very good!

Finally, Spain wouldn’t be Spain without its sweets. You’ll find traditional Andalucian sweets of “mantecados” and “polvorones” depending on the time of year you visit, but whatever time it is you’ll be able to pick up some turron. This is a kind of nougat, made from nuts and sugar. It’s sometimes hard, and often flavoured, and you’ll see it on sale from stalls in most towns. Our favourite is the toasted egg yolk – but, don’t worry, you can always try it before you but it to see if it’s to your taste too.

If that’s not for you, the final recommendation should be – it’s our favourite cake shop that does the most delicious, and huge cakes you could ask for. And they’re really cheap too. We’re not sure why but you can find these lovely cakes, and the lovely staff who serve them at Tradicion Pan & Coffee. They also have a café next door so you can enjoy them with a Café con leche. Bliss.