Daily expenses Merida holiday

Day one:

Sandwich, doughnuts and two soft drinks at Cancun bus terminus. 4.50
Two first class tickets to Merida...........................................................................64.00
Two tickets airport to bus terminal................................................................... 6.40

Day Two: (Mix of sun and cloud, breezy, chilly when not in the sun.)
Grocery shopping for bread, cookies, oatmeal, beans, rice, olives, vegetables ....... 21.00
Grocery shopping for beer, wine, cider, fish, avocados, cheese, etc etc.....................36.00.

Merida, Yucatan winter holiday 2010

Hola from the lovely colonial city of Merida, capital of the province of Yucatan. We arrived yesterday via Westjet from Ottawa to Cancun (airmiles paid for the flight which was pleasant and fast). Cancun airport was surprisingly efficient for a place that channels so many gringos into the country. We found the bus to the downtown bus station and bought a first class ticket to Merida which gave us entrance to the Platino lounge where we waited for an hour and then boarded our super swanky coach, all blue velour and pleated grey window curtains which make the inside look a bit like a plush coffin. Mexicans like to watch tv on the bus and of course since it is so hot most of the time, shutting out the sunlight is necessary. But, coming out of -22 temperatures in Ontario...we want light and sun and it wasn't particulary warm when we arrived with a reading of 0nly 16 for the day and a bit breezy. The driver, a tall handsome Latin gentleman in an impeccable starched blue suit, introduced himself and welcomed us and then shut himself into his curtained plexiglassed drivers cubicle and off we went. The seats fold out to make a very comfortable reclining bed and they provide pillows and blankets like you get (used to get and now pay for) on an aircraft. Each seat has a small screen tv with a choice of films and music. Free. Bottled water or softdrinks. Free. Price for a first class ticket on the ADO Platino is 438 pesos which is approx $32.oo per person. We glided along the straight highway and in what seemed like no time at all (but was indeed four hours and right on time) arrived at our stop at the Hotel Fiesta Americana. We could have travelled much more cheaply but the first class bus is the only one which stops at the Fiesta Americana which is near our rental casa.

Because our flight was half an hour late, and we had already arranged to meet Ruben at the casa, we wanted to get to Merida as fast as possible. We hailed a cab, or rather several cabbies hailed us, and off we went richocheting down the narrow streets while I prayed fervently to the Virgincita that we weren't being taken off to be robbed or murdered. We had been warned about getting into a cab on the street as it seems they can be fronts for criminals who have stolen or borrowed the cab from its presumably honest owner. Seemed a bit bizarre to me, but nevertheless, this driver didn't seem familiar with the streets which I had written on my sheet with the address and he hustled us into the car with unseeming haste and slammed our door shut, threw the luggage including my computer bag into the trunk, and off we went into the dim Merida night.

Just as I was contemplating our options in terms of escaping, he swerved into yet another narrow street and ground to a stop...just yards away from our casa where Rubin was waiting by the door.

Out on Playazo beach, which is the least busy beach to the west of Nerja, there are a number of big open-air restaurants called chiringuitos. By day they are full of sun-tanned tourists and Spaniards alike, drinking beer and sangria and enjoying delicious tapas. By night or on chillier days, they lower the plastic curtains and light the wood fire and the place fills up with people once again. There's often live music and its a very friendly and authentically Spanish ambiance as there are lots of Spanish families who enjoy these places...and I think almost all of them are family-run by local Spanish people. Our favorite is the Chiringuito Mauri which has the speediest young waiters you can imagine...and Mama is in the kitchen and Papa is grilling the sardinas in the boat by the entrance and the dog lies basking in the sun.

Shopping in Nerja is becoming increasingly sophisticated and varied. There are a number of good jewellery shops, some new and exciting clothing emporiums and of course, tons of places that sell touristy things including flamenco dresses and pottery and t shirts.

Leather is always a good buy here and there are tons of gorgeous jackets, coats, shoes and boots in all price ranges. The market vendors have some quality stuff too...not just cheap junk. Tom bought leather shoes for about $15 Canadian and he's still wearing them and they still look great.

The narrow streets of the old town are pleasant for exploring and wandering about in search of bargains or a meal or a drink. We spend hours walking around...it's good exercise and there's always some new nook or cranny to explore.

It is our pleasure to take the bus to Frigiliana for a leisurely lunch in one of the many small restaurants tucked into the whitewashed village streets.
The bus, which is a big airconditioned Euro-coach makes a number of round trips from the Nerja downtown to Frigiliana and is usually quite full of locals and visitors traipsing between the two villages. It's particularly busy on the day of the mercado in Frigiliana and if you can't get a seat on the bus, buy a ticket from the driver and wait for the second coach to arrive. Oddly enough you can't buy tickets from the second bus driver. I think the bus is generally only really full on the mid-morning (11 am) run to Frigiliana on market day.




Here we are looking over the mountains and the National Park at the east side of Frigiliana village. These mountains are all protected and are criss-crossed with hiking and walking trails. This truly is a glorious part of Andalucia...moments from the Mediterranean and the unspoiled countryside.
This is a view of various sea-front apartments perched over Carabeo beach. There are a lot of marvellous accommodations in Nerja and this year, I had a lovely time looking for a potential home in Nerja. Haven't found quite the right one yet, but I'm sure it will happen.

Nerja 2008

Our winter holiday this year was only a month long but what a month!
We found a wonderful airfare deal through Air Transat from Montreal directly to Malaga for just over 500.00 return with taxes included. I couldn't believe my good fortune. We took the Greyhound from Ottawa bus terminal to Pierre Elliot Trudeau airport, flew directly to Malaga (just over six hour flight) and landed at 6:30 a.m. Customs and baggage was a breeze and by ten a.m we were having breakfast at our favorite outdoor cafe in Nerja. The return trip a month later was just as simple...left Malaga at 8 am, landed in Paris where we picked up some other passengers and then continued on to Montreal. Our best and easiest flights to Europe ever.
Our apartment was a two bedroom on Calle Merida which is the first street back from Torrecilla beach. The terrace faced south and we could see the sparkling Med. Best location yet, very quiet and only a moment's walk to the promenade and equally convenient for the old town.

Weather this year was incredible. We arrived on Jan 16 and had an endless month of blue skies and sunshine. Never touched our umbrellas. There were a couple of breezy days at the end of the stay...some cloud once in awhile...it never even rained. (not good for Spain which needs some moisture in the winter.)

Our recommendations in Nerja

According to one of the area's newspapers, Nerja continually receives the highest marks for overall tourism satisfaction on the Costa del Sol. And no wonder, given the clean, safe, more or less authentically Spanish (as much as you can get on the coast) absence of those horrid high-rise barracks housing Eastern European discount tourists, low crime rate, excellent prices and as we have discovered, a great selection of places to eat of all descriptions. Being restauranteurs and cooks ourselves, we do know good food when we encounter it, and equally important, recognize value for money and all those factors that go into making a decent restaurant experience. And so here are our recommendations thus far....(and we are far from finished doing our research!).

Breakfast: Many restaurants advertise the "Big British Breakfast" which is essentially a classic bacon/sausage/ham and two eggs/toast combination. What makes it British is the addition of fried tomato and (canned) baked beans. Prices range from 3 Euros to about 8 Euros. The cheaper ones don't include the juice and coffee so you'll still end up paying about 7 Euros once they tack that on. Best deal AND best breakfast for our money is the Jamaica Cafe on calle Manuel Marin down by the Hotel Monica near Torrecilla Playa. Total cost for two breakfasts with juice and coffees was 8 Euros. And they throw in all the extras such as jam and butter which a lot of the other places skip. We've also had supper at the Jamaica and although it was nothing noteworthy, it was good value for the money and the food (thin crust pizza in this case) was tasty enough. It's a tremendously popular place with Spanish families and it's always busy and lively, both indoors and on the enclosed terrace.

On the subject of pizza, the Bella Roma, down near the Plaza Cavana does nice thin-crust and they are also very popular and very busy. We were disappointed with the fish we had there one evening as it was non-descript and served with some really boring french fries and nothing else. They have a pleasant atmosphere and a nice terrace and are generally packed in the evenings.

We've eaten paella at Ayo's much touted place on Burriana and found it a greasy disappointment despite the rave reviews some other people give it. I think they turn out such vast quantities of it that any finesse goes right down the drain. You can however, eat as much as you want of it for about 8 Euros...sooo...

There's a little corner place open for lunch almost beside the Bella Roma called The Mandarina and we like going there for lunch. It's a little place with some well-placed tables in the sunny square (almost too sunny on hot days as it has no canopy or umbrellas) and they make a lovely tapas plate for 3 Euros. They also have nice fresh baguettes with ham and cheese and other goodies for 3 Euros. Good budget food, freshly made.

Last winter we had a great dinner at El Encanto, which is tucked into a narrow street downtown. I had rabbit and Tom, again, had lamb. Good food, freshly and creatively cooked and a pleasant atmosphere. Well recommended.

We may not have time to try these others on this trip but if anyone has eaten there, please let us know what you think of Sollun (new and impressed by their menu and by the fresh herbs growing in the window boxes), Casa Luque??? Sloans and Langhams. Happy eating!!!