Spain: Granada

After our adventure in Ronda, we made our way to Granada, a city I had been looking forward to for a while. Everywhere we went in Spain, people told us the same thing—Granada was their favorite city. Tour guides, locals, and even other travelers all raved about it. By the time we arrived, my expectations were pretty high.

I’ll be honest…at first, I was a little disappointed. Maybe I had built it up too much in my head, but I expected it to feel more unique. As we spent more time there, though, Granada slowly started to win me over.

Since we didn’t have anything planned that afternoon, we wandered through the streets, exploring at our own pace. One of my favorite surprises was coming across flamenco performers dancing in the streets. There’s just something about hearing the music echo through the old city that makes Spain feel so alive.

so Beautiful!

Now, let’s talk about the hills. 😂 Our Airbnb was tucked away in the old town where cars aren’t allowed, which meant lots of walking…and lots of climbing. By this point in our trip, my legs had definitely logged enough miles!

Thankfully, our Airbnb made every uphill step worth it. It was one of my favorite places we stayed—three stories with a balcony that looked straight at the Alhambra. I could have sat out there for hours just taking in the view.

Another fun part of being in Granada was knowing that the Sierra Nevada mountains just outside the city were where cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar was training for the Tour de France. Brad is a huge fan, so we spent the day joking that we needed to keep our eyes peeled for a rider in a yellow jersey. We never did spot him, but it made exploring the city even more fun.

After eating tapas for what felt like every meal, we decided to switch things up and found a little pizza place for dinner. It ended up being one of my favorite meals of the entire trip! Sometimes a really good pizza just hits the spot. It was almost as good (if not better) then Italy!

To finish the evening, we hiked up to one of Granada’s famous lookout points to watch the sun go down over the city. It was beautiful, but we couldn’t help laughing because we honestly thought the view from our own Airbnb balcony was even better.

After 17+ years he's finally willing to pose for pictures...

the view from our balcony 

By the end of the day, Granada had definitely started to grow on me. It may not have been exactly what I expected when we first arrived, but slowing down, wandering the streets, enjoying great food, and taking in those incredible views made for a pretty good first day. And with the Alhambra waiting for us the next morning, I couldn’t wait to see what everyone had been talking about.

Spain: Setenil de Las Bodegas (the Cliff Village)

After several busy days of sightseeing, we finally got to stay at the airbnb that I was most excited to stay at. The cliff village of Setenil de las Bodegas. We only spent about half a day and one night there, but it ended up being one of the most memorable stops of our entire trip.

This Airbnb was easily the coolest place we stayed on our trip. Built directly into the cliffside, it felt like we were living inside the mountain itself. Setenil is famous for homes, shops, and restaurants that are tucked beneath enormous rock overhangs. Rather than carving caves into the rock, many of the buildings were constructed by simply enclosing the natural spaces created by the cliffs. It made for an incredibly unique place to stay and one we’ll never forget.

(our airbnb was the one at the end with the balcany)

After settling in, Brad and I slipped away for a little afternoon date while the boys relaxed. We wandered through the narrow streets, admired the whitewashed buildings tucked beneath the massive stone cliffs, and stopped to enjoy a refreshing sangria. There wasn’t any agenda or checklist just the simple joy of exploring somewhere completely different together.

Setenil has a fascinating history dating back to Moorish rule. Its dramatic cliffs and natural caves made it an ideal fortress, and the town was one of the last Muslim strongholds in Spain before it was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1484.

That evening we walked across the street from our Airbnb to a restaurant overlooking the town. Between the incredible view and one of the best meals we had during our entire trip, it was one of those evenings we’ll always remember. Great food somehow tastes even better when you’re watching the sun settle over a centuries-old village built into the rocks with the mosque/cathedral in the background.

The kids beat us home after dinner and thought it would be funny to lock us out...

Logan had one of the coolest rooms all to himself.  He deserved it after usually getting the bed/room that no one else wants.

We didn’t need spend a lot of time here to all in love with it, sometimes it’s the places you've never heard about before, and has the least amount of tourism that leave the biggest impression. This tiny cliffside town was full of charm, incredible scenery, and a slower pace that invited us to simply wander and soak it all in.

Exploring places like this is one of our favorite parts of traveling. It’s not always about checking off famous landmarks. Sometimes it’s about finding a hidden gem, sharing a sangria with your favorite person, enjoying an unforgettable meal, and experiencing a town unlike anywhere else in the world.

Spain: Ronda

We woke up early and headed to our next adventure. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far from our amazing cliffside Airbnb in Setenil, so we were able to ease into the morning before what ended up being one of the biggest highlights of our entire Spain trip.

We had signed up to do a via ferrata along the cliffs beneath Ronda’s famous bridge, and I honestly couldn’t wait. A via ferrata is a protected climbing route built into the side of a mountain using cables, ladders, and metal steps. It was originally created for soldiers during World War I to help them safely travel through the mountains, so it was really cool to experience something with so much history behind it.

The climb was incredible. As we made our way across the cliffside, I kept looking around thinking, How is this real? The views were absolutely breathtaking. Standing on the side of the cliff with the famous Ronda bridge towering above us and the gorge stretching below was something I’ll never forget.

There was one moment where I just stopped. I wasn’t in a hurry to keep climbing because I wanted to soak it all in. The beauty of that place was almost overwhelming in the best way. Sometimes you’re so focused on getting to the next thing that you forget to simply pause, and this was one of those moments where I was so grateful I did.

After our adventure, we wandered through the streets of Ronda for a bit and grabbed a bite to eat. It was fun to slow down after the adrenaline rush and explore another beautiful Spanish town before hitting the road again.

Ronda ended up being one of my favorite stops of the entire trip. It had the perfect mix of adventure and incredible scenery. As much as I loved exploring the cities, experiences like this are the ones I’ll remember.

With one more stop left on our Spain adventure, we climbed back in the car excited to see what was next!