Ronda in Southern Spain

Hotels and Andalucia Tourism, News, Expat Guide

Cover of Emily's Ronda Romance

A Romance in Ronda, Andalucía

When a young woman in England wins a weekend away with her boyfriend to Ronda, things start to get a little crazy. She speaks some Spanish, and he speaks none - with hilarious results as she delights in causing him further embarrassment. Especially when he sprains his ankle in the gorge.

Emily's Ronda Romance is a romantic tour of Ronda, Setenil de las Bodegas, Acinipo, Grazalema, and Zahara de la Sierra. What Emily really wants is an engagement ring. Will she get it? Read more.

Ronda Tourism, Activities, Expat Guides, and News

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Lifting the lid on Tapas

A quick introduction to some of the tapas you’ll find in an Andalusian bar, what it is, and most importantly, a few translations of the most common tapas served.

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Malaga’s Alcazaba Fortress and Gibralfaro Castle

Considered the best preserved Moorish fortress and castle in Spain, Malaga’s Alcazaba is a must see site on your visit to the city. Entrance is just 2 euros per person making it one of the best value for money tourism activities you’ll experience.

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Albondigas Claras
Albóndigas Claras (“Pale” Meatballs)

Originally made from lamb during the Moorish times, modern Albondigas (Spanish meatballs) can be in pale or tomato sauce. Here is the pale sauce recipe.

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Opening a Bank Account in Spain

Getting started in Spain will undoubtedly involve opening a bank account, a process that is surprisingly easy despite the horror stories. Here’s our quick guide to helping you get started.

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Dave Bull’s Guide to Utility Companies in Spain

Dave Bull gives the lowdown on utility companies in Spain, just the sort of no nonsense guide you need to understand how phones, water, electricity and gas work in Spain.

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QROPS Offshore Pension Funds
QROPS: Manage your British Pension from Spain

Transfer your UK pension to an offshore provider recognised by the UK government and get access to your pension investment today and ensure your dependents inherit your hard-earned funds.

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Almenara Golf Course
Almenara Golf Course ****

18 holes, Par 72, and 6,168 metres at Sotogrande near San Roque. Almenara is set around two lakes and has enjoyed an excellent reputation for over 25 years.

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Recipe for Albondigas Spanish Meatballs
Albondigas – Spanish Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

A delicious tasty recipe for Spanish meatballs, known throughout Spain’s tapas bars as Albondigas. This recipe uses tomato in the sauce.

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Porra from Antequera
Traditional Antequera Porra (Southern Spain)

A delicious traditional thick soup recipe best served cold for those long hot summer days. Porra is similar to gazpacho, but thicker.

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Hotel Marques Santa Ana
Petit Palace Marques Santa Ana Hotel, Sevilla ****

A wonderful hotel in a renovated 19th century palace right in the centre of Sevilla’s old town. from 70€

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Spain Books

Book Review: Andalusian Sierras, from Malaga to Gibraltar (Crossbill Guides)

An excellent resource for the nature lover who enjoys trails through the bio-diversity of western Andalucía. The Crossbill Foundation have done an excellent job of introducing the wonder of Malaga and Cadiz provinces to the nature lover.

Book Review: Emily’s Ronda Romance by Michelle Cameron

When Emily wins a Valentine weekend in Ronda, she has no idea how much Spain can change a person in just two days. She’s about to find out. This is a sweet romantic comedy, with Ronda and the White Villages as backdrop.

Book Review: Seriously Mum, What’s an Alpaca? by Alan Parks

We’re delighted to review an expat romp set in Andalucía, “Seriouly Mum, What’s an Alpaca?” by Alan Parks. Giving up a life as a dance teacher for Lorna, Alan’s better half, seemed to have been an easy decision. [Get from Amazon UK: Seriously Mum, What's an Alpaca? - An Adventure in the Frying Pan of [...]

Book Review: Divulgence by Kate Nicol

Kate Nicol’s Divulgence takes us through the split lives of British expat Grace Marchant as she struggles to reconcile her conscience after committing adultery. An absorbing read.

Book Review: Loosely Translated, a Romance by Simon Hugh Wheeler

A review of Loosely Translated, a funny romance between an uncultured English writer, and his Spanish translator – who rewrote his book completely.

Birds of the Serrania de Ronda, A Systematic List

A complete expert checked list of birds endemic to the Serrania de Ronda, and those that follow migratory paths between Northern Europe and Africa. With a list of special interest sites to view birds of Ronda.

Book Review: Chickens, Mules, and Two Old Fools by Victoria Twead

Fantastically funny book about life in a small village of the Alpujarras in Almería province. This is the real Spain as experienced by inexperienced English expats who really believed retired life in the Spanish countryside would be perfect.


Ronda

Ronda is one of Spain's most visited cities for good reason, our little city is very compact, in fact from arriving in Ronda, to seeing the Real Maestranza bullring, the Puente Nuevo and El Tajo gorge, the many beautiful churches, our museums, or the wonderful coffee shops and tapas bars, we have it all within a short 30 minute walk.

If you're only in Ronda for one day be sure to read our Michelle Obama tour of Ronda, but if you're likely to be here for two days or more, then our most popular walks include the walk to the Virgen de la Cabeza, or Mr Henderson's Railway Walk.

Of course, most visitors need at least 2 or 3 days to see everything because a lot can be packed into your time in Ronda. A walking tour of Ronda is a pleasant and enjoyable way to spend a lazy few hours, almost everything you could want to see in Ronda is no more than 200-300 metres from the new bridge.

Ronda Hotels

As well as being blessed with some of Spain's most impressive nature and historic monuments, so too are Ronda hotels special, not least because several offer views of the Tajo gorge from their windows, or views of the mountains surounding the city.

Our four star hotels include the Parador, Molino del Arco, Reina Victoria, Montelirio, Maestranza, Acinipo, Don Benito, and Hotel San Gabriel.

As one of the most visited cities in Spain, Ronda has a fantastic selection of hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and self-catered accommodation guaranteed to suit all tastes.

Whether it's just one night, or several weeks that you need we can help you find somewhere to rest your weary bones while you're in the city of dreams - La Ciudad Soñada.

Join great names like Orson Welles, Earnest Hemingway, Rainer Rilke, James Joyce, Jorge Luis Borges, Madonna, or Jamie Oliver who have enjoyed their time in Ronda.

Why Visit Ronda

A small city perched on a seemingly precarious platform of rock, Ronda is in fact an impregnable fortress only defeated in battle through trickery, and during the reconquest with modern (for the era) rock blasting cannon.

The mountains and valleys of the Serranía de Ronda are home to a tough breed of people, yet in Ronda these people are refined, some are gentry, some gypsies, others are just common folk, but all proudly call themselves Rondeños.

These days the population of Ronda is a little over 35,000 souls; big enough to offer all the essential services, but not big enough to suffer traffic problems or big city woes.

Rondeños have played a pivotal role in shaping Andalucía and modern Spain, and the city has hosted some of the great names of politics, the arts, education, and played her role in military events.

An hour from the Costa del Sol, Ronda is too far away to be heavily influenced by events on the coast, yet still close enough to benefit from the economic strength that tourism brings to Southern Spain. At a height of 723m in the Ronda mountains, the city has a cooler year round temperature than the coast, making life in Ronda altogether more agreeable than other Andalucían cities.

Ronda is also the perfect base to explore other cities such as Sevilla, Granada, Córdoba, Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, Antequera, or Malaga.

Serranía de Ronda

Ronda is the biggest city in northern Malaga province, and the closest city to many of the smaller villages in Cadiz province, making Ronda an ideal base for exploring the Serrania.

Within a few kilometres of Ronda are some of the most visited Pueblos Blancos, the famous white villages of Andalucia, Setenil de las Bodegas, Grazalema, Gaucín, Juzcar, Benalauria, Montejaque, Teba, Cortes de la Frontera, Igualeja, the list goes on...

As well, Ronda is close to three natural parques, the Grazalema park, Alcornocales park, and the Sierra de las Nieves park. The Serranía is also home to pre-historic cave paintings at Benaojan, Neolithic dolmens at Montecorto, and of course, the Roman city of Acinipo.

The countryside of the Serranía is described as unique, in fact universally important. Many endemic species make their home here, including the pre ice age Pinsapa pine tree, and numerous orchids only found on our mountains.