17-21 Apr: Marbella/La Quinta-Ronda

Hi All,

17 Apr (Thu)- after a very difficult time getting the car out of the garage, we were on to the Westin La Quinta. From Cordoba we went south through Malaga and Marbella to a Westin Hotels golf resort. We got a special deal through the Starwood membership, so are now in the lap of luxury after the nice but somewhat spartan accommodations of the past days. The GPS knew the way, once I figured out the address of the Westin, and once off the highway there were signs posting the direction. The hotel is quite nice, about seven years old, and our room has a terrace overlooking the pool and a lovely view to the east of hills and villas and the Mediterranean in the distance. For dinner we had Shrimp pil pil; it's cooked in oil with garlic and served in a hot iron dish with the oil still bubbling. Then a regional omlette with ham and mushroom, and spaghetti with garlic oil sauce. We over-ate again.

18 Apr (Fri)- we went to Marbella to see the old town and gardens, after a delicious Westin buffet breakfast. The day was windy and cool, after morning showers, so there were no bathers on the Playa de Venus. The old town was a tourist mecca, with dozens of upscale shops for shoes, ladies clothes, jewelery, and expensive tourist restaurants. The Bonsai Garden was a disappointment, just a display of miniature plants, not an interesting garden. The other garden has been closed to the public. We had a great lunch at a little "hole in the wall" shopl - a combo tapas plate with many interesting and tasty items, friendly staff, and inexpensive too!

19 Apr (Sat)- rain in Spain! morning rain, cool and windy. We left for Ronda about 2 pm, crossing over a mountain range that peaked at 3800 feet. We were actually driving in the clouds, and visibility got very low. We were glad to arrive at the Hotel San Gabriel and check into our warm room. The San Gabriel dates back to 1736, as the inscription over the door indicates, but the rooms are modern, with bath and toilet and bidet (we've had a bidet at all of our hotels so far), It's located in the heart of the interesting part of town - all the historical sites are within walking distance. We had lunch at the Almocabar Restaurant, named after the gate and wall remaining from the Moorish days that it faces. We had a draft beer, delicious tender artichoke salad and broiled Iberian pork loin. We've found that sharing a hot appetizer and a main dish fills us pretty well. The restaurant was very friendly, homey, and the staff was singing while they worked (this was not a tourist place, but one recommended by the hotel staff as where they go).

20 Apr (Sun)- still raining and cold, windy. We had a salad lunch in the room with a sweet wine called Kibo, a kind of plum or cherry flavored wine. We had a delicious supper at the Restaurant Duquesa de Parcent, which has a great view of the surrounding area: sauteed beansin garlic oil with Catalan Sausage and Countryside garlic rabbit with little livers in Jerez style and foie gras. The rabbit was uniquely spiced and covered in a rich gravy; the sauteed beans were served in a hot iron dish and were delicious.

21 Apr (Mon)- no rain, but still cold and windy; we visited the House of the Moorish King, but it was closed for renovation, then the Mondragon Palace, which had a museum showing the history from the pre-Roman times to the recent times. The garden was quite nice, not large, but with interesting elements. . The Giant's House (Nazari Palace) wasn't so interesting. We had lunch behind the bullring at the Restaurant Escudero: cotton thistle with mushroom and shrimp and glazed suckling pork chops. I don't know about the translation - the cotton thistle was like celery, and the bill said we had 'cardos naturales' 'cerveza especial' and 'chulatitas cochinillo'; but the dish was cooked in a rich delicious cream sauce and was really good. After lunch we walked around, had a drink at Almocabar, picked up some food at a small store and headed back to the room. We leave tomorrow for Arcos de la Frontera, and hopefully warmer, dryer weather.