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moorish spain

Oscar has been all over the place, his brother Gustavo runs the hotel/restaurant up in the square in Canillas. We used to like it there but reckon it's gone downhill on the last few visits quality wise. Funny lads those two, jury has always been out for me about them.
 
There's a local travel agent too, Loymertours with an office in Competa. They do very cheap excursions to Morocco if you wanted to see where the Moorish influence came from.

We've done it a few times now as it's just a no brainer to try it. I reckon now it'll still be this side of 100e.

Included is the fast cat crossing from Tarrifa to Tangiers and 2 nights stay in a hotel there.

For a small supplement you can then book a tour or tours if you want. I'd urge you to do the Asilah visit.

A white washed village up the coast and on the sea front. The souk/medina there is fascinating to walk around with all the stalls selling everything you can think of, a mini Marakech really.

Tangiers can be a bit daunting for some but act sensible and it's fine. For the price of a meal in Ronda or Malaga it's a must do.
 
Frigiliana is a beautiful village , it's gets some coach parties but you wouldn't notice they were there , Hotel Frigiliana is where we stay , the village is a lot easier to get to than Competa and Nerja is about 15 mins away.

Photo from the hotel , they have a market on that open space .



The approach to the old town , numerous alleys and restaurants :

 
the balcon is quoting mid £40 per night B&B for 2 in mid march which seems very good to me. Maybe avoid the high summer?

The weekend of the 15th August is absolutely mad up in Competa, the festival of the virgin, goes on for an entire week then the place literally closes down.
 
Oscar has been all over the place, his brother Gustavo runs the hotel/restaurant up in the square in Canillas. We used to like it there but reckon it's gone downhill on the last few visits quality wise. Funny lads those two, jury has always been out for me about them.

I’m positive he was on the Columbian marching powder constantly.

Had a rib eye in his restaurant the last night we were in Competa, 1kg I think, 30 euros for two people, absolutely fantastic probably the best steak I’ve ever had.
 
The weekend of the 15th August is absolutely mad up in Competa, the festival of the virgin, goes on for an entire week then the place literally closes down.

That's the Noche del Vino........truly a manic couple of days and again if you've not done it it's worth it.

We collected all the posters over the years and had them framed for the house.

We brought a couple home to the UK for old times sake......here's one of them next to my favourite dried gourd we grew.

Yep, we left all the good stuff there/gave it away and brought the crap home:D Nice pics by the way of Friggi.

IMG-6840.jpg
 
That's the Noche del Vino........truly a manic couple of days and again if you've not done it it's worth it.

We collected all the posters over the years and had them framed for the house.

We brought a couple home to the UK for old times sake......here's one of them next to my favourite dried gourd we grew.

Yep, we left all the good stuff there/gave it away and brought the crap home:D Nice pics by the way of Friggi.

IMG-6840.jpg

My daughter's birthday is the 15th August, first year went after the fiesta was finished and the place was literally dead, the next two years we were there for the festival and it's no wonder people were shattered, absolutely manic, we had Frank Sinatra belting out My Way for hours during the night right up to about seven in the morning on one of the days. I was amazed at how so many people and equipment got up to Competa for that weekend.

BTW, Personally if I was going to 'Moorish' Spain then it would be Granada and the Alhambra for me. We loved Granada, we spent a weekend in a cave (not recommenced) in the Gypsy quarter right across from the Palace, the views of the palace from the patio are outstanding, people were paying fortunes for meals in restaurants to have the same view that we had all day, it was fascinating to watch the palace change colour during the day depending on how high the sun was.

We paid about 200 euros for the three nights, self catering, and was worth every penny for the views alone.
 
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Oscar has been all over the place, his brother Gustavo runs the hotel/restaurant up in the square in Canillas. We used to like it there but reckon it's gone downhill on the last few visits quality wise. Funny lads those two, jury has always been out for me about them.

I'm sure he told me that he lived in Maryhill for a few years when he was at uni here, now if you don't know Maryhill then it's not one of Glasgow's more genteel areas, I've lived in Glasgow my entire life and I wouldn't go into a pub in Maryhill without a local, place is bonkers.
 
Secundado.


You lot are making me feel all nostalgic!
Oscar and family are all very big characters, collectively owning huge amounts of properties and land, as do a few other big families there. IIRC Oscar's last stint in the UK was in the South West, Cullompton.
If you want to do a more intimate and knowledgeable trip over to Morocco I would highly recommend Kritz of https://www.facebook.com/hiddenmoroccotours/
She is a great guide and speaks fluent Arabic, getting you into places and experiences you could not enjoy on your own, plus being a nifty barterer.

All the places recommend so far I would heartily concur with.

The Mudejar was at its best when run by Cerafin, the owner. It was one of the first local restaurants we went to in the area.

Avenida bar, also Archez, used to do the best Serrano ham and coffee for miles, pleasant to sit outside in the spring and autumn, less so inside. Curros was always nice, many family meals had there. Archez restaurants were unique in all getting along well with and were patrons of each other, along with closing on different days so that never more than one was closed on any given day, good for the village and the restaurants.

Archez minaret https://imgur.com/gallery/BPqSYbd
 
unique in all getting along well with and were patrons of each other, along with closing on different days so that never more than one was closed on any given day, good for the village and the restaurants.
Not sure about Spain but in Italy they have local by laws that tell cafe A to close on Monday but cafe B to close on Tuesday for the same reason.
 
I'm sure he told me that he lived in Maryhill for a few years when he was at uni here, now if you don't know Maryhill then it's not one of Glasgow's more genteel areas, I've lived in Glasgow my entire life and I wouldn't go into a pub in Maryhill without a local, place is bonkers.
Have you heard of “Frampton’s” up there? It’s notorious
 
Not sure about Spain but in Italy they have local by laws that tell cafe A to close on Monday but cafe B to close on Tuesday for the same reason.

Isn't the law that restaurants must close at least 1 day in the week ? Excellent law IMO as it gives chefs/staff a day off and encourages proper food restaurants rather than fast food. The best restaurant I know in Italy closes every Tuesday and Wednesday.
 
Have you heard of “Frampton’s” up there? It’s notorious

I'm rarely in that part of Glasgow Dec, no not heard of it but I was doing a job in Milngavie around 12th July and drove via Maryhill and Possil, thought for a few days I was in Larne/the North of Ireland:D
 
Has the OP considered the parched white villages in the arid landscape of Extramedura west of Badajoz? The crucible of Bellota ham and other superb cuisine. Visit in Santa Semana for some truly jaw dropping displays of catholic nuttiness and some massive piss ups and really friendly locals. There is also still a lot of residual admiration for Franco in this lesser visited part of Spain, which can make for interesting conversation. Zero English spoken IME, though.

There used be a great garage punk club in Granada called Enano Rojo. Don't know if its still there.
 


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