Malaga, Caminito del Rey, Ronda

Malaga is a fun city, but a night was enough for me. I have to offer the caveat that my trip to Ronda was many years ago and some complain about crowds there, but I loved it--the only time i have seen a sunset get applause, so just an indelible memory. The countryside around it is beautiful also. I see no reason to backtrack to Malaga.
After a big hike, I like the idea of staying somewhere luxurious--maybe with a bath tub at least if you are not spa types.
I don;t know about what weather is like in February though, so I might dig into that a bit so you don't end up driving through rough conditions.

Thank you valadelphia, this is what I was thinking -- no need to backtrack to Malaga after the Caminito. I will definitely check out road conditions for February. Hope you have a great day!

It makes no sense to drive back to Malaga after the walk since you’d already be halfway to Ronda. You’d be adding two unnecessary hours of driving. You’d probably get into Ronda later in the day so you could see it in the evening when there are fewer people. Then, on your full day there you could drive to see another white village if you got bored with Ronda.

Agree that that it makes no sense to backtrack to Malaga after walking the Caminito del Rey. In September 2023, after the Caminito, we stayed in nearby Arriate which we very much enjoyed — the area is beautiful, town is lovely and food is great (Taberna Malacana). We found Ronda to be crowded and touristy to the point of unpleasantness so spent little time there. Conversely, we enjoyed Malaga. Walking the old city, the port, to the beach, and to good restaurants was easy and pleasant. For us, spending two nights in Malaga was perfect. Unlike Ronda, we would happily return. All that is to say my vote would be two nights Malaga prior to Caminito del Rey and one In Arriate, or Ronda, afterward.