Ronda, Spain

Since there are no direct flights from Mumbai to Spain we travelled to Madrid via Abu Dhabi. We landed early in the morning, obviously tired from our long travel. The route included a 5 hour layover in Abu Dhabi.

The first thing we learnt is that do not take a data or calling sim from Madrid airport. It is ridiculously priced. We left the airport for Ronda with a route map taken on the airport wifi and of course got lost within minutes of driving out. However, with the grace of God, we managed to reach a local shopping mall and here we were able to get a local sim with data for a very reasonable Euro 20. This data pack lasted us for the full four weeks that we were in Spain.

The drive to Ronda was very scenic but of course very long and being super tired from the flight it was a huge challenge for me. It took us over 6 hours as I had to take numerous coffee breaks and nap breaks. Lucky for my gorgeous wife as she was able to catch up on her sleep for most of the ride. As we pulled into the parking lot at our chosen hotel we saw the most breathtaking evening scene. My wife had discovered a most amazing boutique hotel on the outskirts of the town of Ronda. The best part from our perspective was that the property was run by a family of four and the hospitality was warm and gracious. Their son was the chef and he put together beyond Michelin star meals for us. We were quite intrigued by the idea of the honesty bar in the common area.

Our room was a one bedroom suite, intricately and perfectly decorated and immaculately maintained. And on our arrival we were greeted with a walkway of rose petals and a bed strewn with red hearts. I had informed them that we were in Spain for our 25th Wedding anniversary and they made us feel so special

Ronda was the first stop in our 4 week sojourn around Southern Spain. We were there from mid Jan to mid Feb. It did get a bit too cold in Madrid, which was the end of our trip. But the weather in Ronda, Estepona and Seville was wonderful. Only in the evenings we needed a light jacket. Till we reached Seville we kept a car and it was a joy driving around Andalucia. The white villages, the little eateries, the reasonable shopping and the lack of crowds was all perfect for us. It was the lowest season in terms of tourists and worked perfectly for us.

We discovered and had a completely local experience. In Ronda we managed to get a Spanish language class and a flamenco dancing class. Experiences that are firmly etched in our memories. In Ronda we met Alima in our one and only language class. And as fate would have it she went on to become part of our journey ahead. Even though we had visited the Costa Brava area in 2015 this was the real beginning for our love for Spain.