Upon arrival in Málaga we needed to register with the EES and had mixed results. There were plenty of registration kiosks and we walked right up to them; no line. The process only takes a few minutes when everything works as it should. My information was accepted, but the fingerprint reader couldn’t read my wife’s prints over three attempts so she was directed to an agent while I was able to use the e-gates. Since there was no line at either we got through immigration at the same time. When departing Málaga my wife had to go to the manned immigration booth while I used the e-gates. There were plenty of gates, no line, and I was through in a couple minutes.
While the rental car agency did not ask to see our IDPs, the agent asked if we had them. He stated that if stopped by the police and we didn’t have one the fine could be €200-€300. Our intermediate SUV rental car had a built in navigation system that was already set to English, so we used it almost exclusively. The vehicle we were given was a Renault Symbioz hybrid.
For the 21 days we had the rental car we spent €122.63/$151in fuel, used 77.02liters/20.3 gallons, and drove 1654km/993 miles. The total equivalent miles per gallon was 48.91.
I used a Deutsche Bank atm once; more to ensure I had sufficient cash for future trips than actually needing cash. The contactless pad worked with my card, so there was no need to insert it. Most places accepted credit cards, but some cash was needed. For example, at two establishments the wireless signal was too weak for the transaction to complete or the readers were legitimately acting up, the bus up to Almodóvar castle, one restroom, self-service laundry, small town admissions, and the city buses in Motril. Total cash needed for 22 days in country was €74. An additional €20 was used, but a card could have been used.
During the trip, where possible, I filled up the rental car at Carrefour stores since the fuel was €.06 per liter less than other stations. One station had a manned booth for payment. For another, my card wasn’t accepted at the pump using the contactless pad, but was when I inserted it.
On this trip we stayed almost exclusively at Parador hotels in Málaga, Ronda, Antequera, Córdoba, Jaén, Úbeda, Cazorla, Lorca, and Mojácar. The only non Parador hotel was in Motril.
During the entire trip there were only two days with some rain. The temperatures ranged between 40 degrees at night in the mountains to the mid-70s during the day. On most days the high temperature was in the upper 60s.
As our flight arrived in Málaga in the early evening, we spent the night at the Parador a few miles from the airport. It worked out well since we were only spending one night there and it was easy to get to. In the morning we departed for Ronda.
Ronda - Since we had visited Ronda a few times previously, we only walked down into the gorge and along the promenade that skirts the gorge. On our full day there we took a day trip to Setenil de las Bodegas and it was full of tourists, many of whom had no awareness of their surroundings with regard to others who wanted to take photos just like they did. Afterwards, we intended to visit Olvera, but about 2 miles from it the road was closed for repair work due to all the rain and floods over the past couple months. As there were no easy alternative routes we just went back to Ronda. While there were plenty of tourists in Ronda it wasn’t overwhelming. For those visiting with a rental car, the main street through town, by the 1793 constructed New Bridge, is a camera enforced restricted driving zone. If staying at a hotel in that area remember to provide your with your vehicle’s license plate number to avoid getting a ticket.