Wined, dined and rested.

The name of Marbella conjures up so many images and ideas. You would quite rightly think that these images and ideas do not fit in this blog. I am not a “luxury travel” blogger, I don’t write about an aspirational lifestyle in that sense. I write about what is possible for a “normal” person (whatever that is), and about the beautiful things that are just there for us to find and explore WITHOUT spending vast sums.
For the price of a relatively reasonable air ticket to Málaga or to Gibraltar, and the cost of a hire car, you can find yourself minutes after leaving the airport in mountain Spain, wild Andalucía, which still exists in its warm, pine-scented tranquillity. (This exists, I should say, despite the sometimes strange decisions of the authorities here as they allow yet more building in areas that are supposedly “national parks”.)
However, around the little “pueblo blanco” of Istán the hills are still pine-covered and largely undeveloped. It takes no more than 25 minutes to drive up the winding road from Marbella to the village which calls itself the “manantial de la Costa del Sol”, the spring from which burbles the water, filtered by the sponge-like rock of the Sierra Blanca, which chuckles its way into the vast reservoir lake that fills the valley above this part of the Costa del Sol. There are taps in and around the village with spring water tumbling out, including the old communal washing -area….

At the moment it is spring, and although the weather today was warm and sunny it was not the breath-stealing wall of heat that it can be in July and August, but whatever the season the sound of trickling water accompanies you round these white-walled streets.

You can park on the outskirts of the village, then follow the signs up and down the narrow streets, and out the other side….

… to the mirador, or look-out, from which you can see the hills, then the lake, then the sea and then often the coastline of Africa beyond. From up here the mass of concrete and buildings that form the ugly strip of the Costa del Sol are invisible; you see and smell the pine trees around you and even though you know you’ve just climbed up here along a beautifully maintained path created by the council of Istán it takes only a little imagination to believe that you’ve struck out into virgin Mediterranean hillside and are the first to enjoy this view (tbh I do have quite a fertile imagination – in my mind, that rustic safety barrier is but a figment of someone else’s invention).

There are several look-out points along the gently climbing path, each one produces a prettier view than the last one, but the most striking one comes right at the top…..

Oh, and on the way up there you will pass what must be the most beautifully-located children’s playground in Spain……

… but wouldn’t you be gutted if your favourite toy was the blue chicken WHICH IS FACING AWAY FROM THE VIEW???

Anyway, there are mountain retreats and small rural hotels dotted around this beautiful region, but even if you are for some reason staying on the costa itself (sorry, how awful for you) you can either drive up here or take the Transandalucia bus that goes up and down 3 times a day. You will be surprised how buzzy Istán is, it is not a theme park like some of the pueblos blancos, it is a real living village full of real people, with some very good bars and tapas cafés – there is El Barón, with its dizzying view down into the valley, or los Rojillos whose name refers back to its allegiance in the Spanish Civil War, or Troyano and Sudamérica in the square by the church, the former currently run by a Frenchman who, the word is, produces very good bistro food (I haven’t tried it yet).

One of the key experiences of sitting in that main square is making sure your chair is JUST far enough away from the path of the cars and vans that occasionally meander through making a token attempt to avoid pedestrians, chairs, tables etc. See that picture above?  The far corner, on the left, is not for the fainthearted, but it is a marvellous sight to see the vans turn that corner, down a narrow alley about the width of a van plus half a centimetre, the driver cheerfully waving to his mates in the bar on the right as the vehicle clearly steers itself round that corner never once hitting either the side or, as far as I know, any of the punters sitting at that table.

But oh, the caña of beer tastes so good as you sit lazily in the sun imagining the grey clouds of England….. Yes, you should visit Istán but you know what – please don’t all go at the same time, we don’t want it turning into Mijas. And don’t forget to mention this blog as you enjoy Real Spain in one of my favourite places!