Monday 26th March 2018
A place that has special memories for me is Mijas. I have spent a few holidays in different villas in the past and was interested to re-visit and see how Mijas had changed.
Rather than taking the A-7 motorway and heading up from the coast to Mijas we took the road closest to our campsite.
The road was one of those that Ray would loved to have driven on his motorcycle. It was full of twists and turns, with bends overhanging the valleys below and rock faces on the other.
We made our way along the A-404, we passed through Alhaurín el Grande, which seemed quite a large, busy town with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants.
Our approach into Mijas Pueblo took us below the Sierra de Mijas Mountains around the north of the town on A-387 following the sign post for the centre and car parking. (Ctra.Circuvalación Mijas).
As we approached the roundabout on the outskirts of the town a distant memory was jogged. I was positive that from here a road led to a holiday villa which I once enjoyed a visit to. I hoped to investigate later.
We made our way into the town which was relatively busy already. There was a coach and bus park and a well signposted public car park. Unfortunately with the top box on, the height restriction was too low on this occasion so we needed to seek somewhere else to park up.
A kind policeman signalled that there was free parking along Calle Canteras/ Arrabal Sector 56, below the Paseo de la Muralla and Mijas Park.
From here we made our way up the cliff via different flights of steps towards the town. The climb was rather steep but it did pass through a few cafes on the way.
Unbeknown to me there was now an extremely large tourist information centre which provides detailed maps of Mijas with suggested routes to follow. The recommended tourist route takes approximately 2 hours. (We didn’t find the office until later on during our visit.)
Mijas Pueblo had changed so much from what I could remember, but many places were familiar and the typical traditional Andalucian feel was still present.
We wandered along the Paseo de la Muralla, admiring the lovely streets taking in the views of the village below and those towards the Mediterranean in the botanical gardens of Mijas Park.
The park is situated on the grounds of the original fortress and has water features, flower beds, a wealth of beautiful trees and several places to sit.
We had lunch near the 100 year old Plaza de Torros, which thankfully doesn’t hold bull fights until the summer months and enjoyed watching the youngsters of the village busy preparing for the upcoming Semana Santa, going back and forth into the nearby church.
There are several Plazas in the village, although we only visited a couple. The Plaza de la Constitución had many shops, selling local ceramic wares and leather goods.
There were also several restaurants on a balcony which overlooked the square.
The much larger main Plaza Virgen de la Peña was very busy. Here the square is surrounded by cafes, bars and restaurants, spilling onto the pavements.
The lift from the underground car park is situated in the corner of the plaza and was new to me.
The famous Mijas burro taxi is also situated here. This too had grown in size and apparently there are now over 60 donkeys.
Some were housed above ground, under simple shelters, whilst a few were below the plaza level underground.
I guess in the popular months of the year the taxi business is very busy.
There were also horse and carriage rides around the village available from the plaza.
On the edge of the plaza was the large tourist information centre, with views across to the village below. The large bus and coach park is also situated here.
We decided to make our way out of the town, past the town hall and the tourists to try and find one of the villas that I had remembered spending a family holiday in, over 30 years ago!
It was actually a surprise that I could still remember the name of the villa, or so I hoped.
Our walk along the quieter Av. De Méjico, took us past some lovely white-washed houses and the Hotel Mijas.
On reaching the roundabout at the end of the road we made the steep ascent up the road to the Villa Cornisa! Although I can’t remember or have chosen to forget how steep the road was, the villa was just as I remembered it.
Reminisces over, it was time to head for home. Although there have been many changes since my last visit, Mijas is still a picturesque village to visit and is hoping to gain World Heritage Status soon.