A valentines treat was booked for me and my OH, to celebrate 20 years from the question popping day.  A night on the town, with our own little city pad to sleepover. PERFECTO  Malaga never fails to amaze and surprise.

We decided to catch the train from the Airport as we have parking there (OH job perks), and 8 minutes later and just 1.50eu lighter we were smack, bang on the flower filled Alameda.  A beautiful sunny afternoon greeted us, as we strolled to our accommodation.  We had booked to stay in the old town just off the main Calle Larios, in some fabulous apartments ‘Unisierra’.  Superb location, modern, exceptionally clean, and with every amenity. I enjoyed playing ‘City living’ for the night and made another addition to my dream list * Malaga apartment in the old town*

We had an afternoon amble, tipple and bite to eat, window shopping and menu browsing, stumbling over new places and areas that I’m glad I found.

Back to the apartment for a quick pre-evening spruce, and a sip of chilled Cartojal, before we headed out to paint the town red.

We met up with Victor from We love Malaga, for an evening of tapas, and insider secrets.  Victor who is so passionate of his wonderful city, it’s culture and  gourmet vibe, was a delight to spend time with and we shared our ‘Foodie’ love together. No matter how well you know, or think you know a city, it’s always fascinating to see it through someone else’s eyes.

Malaga was alive, the Carnaval lights were on, and the atmosphere in the streets was electric.  Bar after bar, filled to bursting, people of all ages, families, romantic soirees, groups of friends.  Chatting, sipping and sharing food.

Uve Doble was one of our stops of the night, a modern and vibrant tapas bar, here we savoured delights such as, black fried noodles with little squid, pumpkin vichyssoise with scallop and seaweed , mini beef and foie burger, home-made bread and chilled white were the perfect compliment.  Seeing people queuing for tables, and feeling comfortably fed and refreshed, we headed back into the night.

Los Patios de Beatas – Vinoteca.  This spectacular winery, is located in the heart of Malaga old town, the architecturally  protected buildings have been lovingly restored and offer a magnificent background to display the many wines from Spain and worldwide.  An innovative menu has been created to be enjoyed whilst sampling the wines on offer, using local market, seasonal ingredients to produce plates of outstanding taste and quality, from tapas to elaborate dishes to share.

On a popular Valentines eve, the Vinoteca was heaving and bustling, but we were professionally greeted by the Manager, and invited to have a glass of wine on the house, whilst browsing the wine selection and absorbing the feel of this unique and historical venue.  Sommeliers are on hand to advise and find a wine to suit any palate.  The tapas sampling area has a backdrop of 100’s of wines and a dramatic wooden paneled ceiling, the dining area has a stunning stained glass ceiling – A very beautiful location.  We relished in tasty delights such as Foie and hazlenut crocanti with a peach coule and Cod and violet potatoes in a coconut and coriander cream sauce.  With our tapas we treated ourselves to a fine wine by the Matsu vineyard.  The faces of grandfather, son and grandson are used on the labels of the wines , with the wine that  reflects each of the men’s personalities in Matsu’s El Pícaro (the rogue), El Recio (the tough) and El Viejo (the old) trilogy of wines.  We chose El Recio, a heady wine with tastes of chocolate, dark fruits and vanilla – Divine 🙂

Wandering back through the maze of streets, full of life late into the night, we headed to our love nest 😉 for a nightcap, and thoughts back over the new tastes and places we had experienced.

Thanks to Victor Garrido from WE LOVE MALAGA, for showing us the sights, and yes WE LOVE MALAGA too 😉