We've just returned from what was an amazing family holiday in Spain, where we stayed in a beautiful Spanish villa with the most breathtaking views. It was incredible on it's own to be able to go on such a holiday with - with the whole family and abroad (at last).
This holiday was actually booked for October last year, but was moved when the coronavirus outbreak and lockdowns prevented people from traveling. Getting back on a plane and leaving the country felt so far away last year, but having done it agin now, it really does feel like a lot has returned to normal again.
Of course, there were precautions and some rules in place, such as that adults had to wear masks on the plane and we had to fill out health forms, take a test on retuning to the UK and show evidence that we are double vaccinated. Then process was a bit confusing and required being organised, but it was all so worth it - the holiday was even better than we had imagined!
Flying with EasyJet was such a good experience - the staff were so helpful and nothing was too much trouble. They also allowed us to take our children's booster seats on for free so we didn't need to hire them the other end for using in the hire car.
We stayed in the Spanish town of Alhaurin el Grande in Malaga and this was the incredible villa we called home for 7 nights. It was incredibly spacious inside and out and so safe for the children too with a gated off swimming pool and gates in and out of the property grounds. As sides from a fantastic outdoor pool there were swings for the boys and a playhouse too. We had plenty of sun beds and towels and an amazing outdoor area with a BBQ and even an outdoor fridge. The rooms inside were spacious - we had plenty of space as a family of 10 and there were lots of bathrooms too. The views of the countryside, the mountains and the town were incredible, I already miss the views! We had a stunning terrace off of our bedroom which was just perfect for sitting and admiring the views or watching the sunset! As a whole the villa was perfect for us and very child-friendly!
The boys couldn't wait to jump in the pool as soon as we arrived!
Our first full day on holiday was actually Adam's 33rd birthday and I'd planned lots of surprises for him. We woke him up to pancakes, presents, balloons, decorations (personalised with Star Wars and his name on) and then later that day we took him for a surprise boat trip. I'd done lots of research on the area before hand and had seen that there were a few companies running boat trips to see wild dolphins from Benalmadena Marina and so I booked a trip and it turned out to be amazing. Sadly, we didn't see any dolphins (though the crew did look for them!), but even so it was so much fun and as there was 10 of us, we had the boat to ourselves. We even got a complimentary drink! It was a really nice surprise for Adam.
Afterwards, we had an ice cream on the marina followed by a visiting a few shops and then a cocktail bar before heading to a surprise dinner I'd booked at a lovely Italian right on the marina.
Throughout the rest of the week we chilled at the villa and we also took a couple of trips, one of the places we visited was Mijas Pueblo which was a really lovely village with pretty little shos, cafes and restaurants. We wanted around the shops and ate lunch/early dinner at a lovely restaurant with a stunning view over the ocean.
It was all so lovely, the only thing about Mijas Pueblo that I disliked was the poor donkeys and horses that were tied up in the sun being used as taxi's for tourists. It'd be incredible to see that stop, those beautiful animals deserve to be happy loved and free. But asides from that it was a lovely place to visit with gorgeous views and such pretty little spots to sit and take in.
Another lovely town that we visited was Marbella, which is a popular destination in Spain, so was much busier than anywhere else we went. It was definitely worth the visit though - it had lovely restaurants, shops, places to have a cocktail or a drink and also a lovely beach front too. We loved Marbella Old Town, with it's small winding pretty streets, full of flowers it had such a lovely historic Spanish feel to it. We had a lovely cocktail and some nibbles there and then dinner overlooking the seafront in the evening. We also did a bit of shopping and Adam bought a new coat which he fell in love with. The boys got play on the beach for a while and we also found a great bouncy castle for them to go on for a bit too.
The rest of our days were spent relaxing at the villa and those days were equally just as wonderful. I really miss laying on the sun bed, soaking up the sun, listening to music with a drink in my hand, watching the children playing, looking out to the mountains, surrounded by family. But then if we had it all of the time a family holiday wouldn't feel as special!
Thank you for reading. Alex xo
