East of Malaga: Essential Guide to the Axarquia and Costa Tropical (Santana Guides) [Paperback]

I am a great admirer of David Baird's award-winning works, but this is his best presentation so far. Not knowing as much as I should about the area but being a distant admirer of it too, I found East of Malaga not just helpful in practical terms but deeply fascinating in its depth of knowledge. As far as I know there is no other English guide of this quality covering the Axarquia, nor the Costa Tropical, nor the Lecrin valley. How anyone can suggest that such originally researched material could be acquired on the internet just baffles me. The accuser is plainly a banker.

David Baird has written a number of history and travel books about the area covered in East of Malaga. I'm happy to say that I own several, but this is one of the best. There is scarcely a corner of the Axarquia and the Costa Tropical that is not covered in this very thorough and very readable guide. Architectural references, historical context--it's all there. So are the bars and restaurants. What's more you can rely on the detail. Baird has lived in the area for half a lifetime and covered every part of his territory by car, and on foot, in that time.

What impressed me most about David Baird's latest book, "East of Málaga-Essential Guide to the Axarquía and Costa Tropical," is the air of authority which belies the author's longtime association with the area. Baird has lived in one of the Axarquía villages for 30 years--including absences for wanderlust and editing jobs in far-off places--and during that time has written everything from prize-winning travel books to historico-anthropological studies. So he knows his stuff, and he writes about it with frankness and aplomb, even when it comes to telling some awkward truths about towns where he's on a first-name basis with the municipal authorities.

This book also appeals for its choice of subject--the relatively pristine mountainous region east of Málaga, the capital of the Costa del Sol. OK, "pristine" it may not be, but compared to victims of the onslaught of "urbanismo" which defiled the rest of the Andalusian coasts and hinterlands, the Axarquía and Costa Tropical are surprisingly unspoiled. While the towns and villages to the west--Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Marbella, San Pedro--threw up veritable tectonic movements of tower blocks and municipal real-estate scandals, those to the east developed later and slower. So some of them--especially those of the interior--actually retain a bit of their original flavor, mixed nowadays with that of foreign bohemians, artists and retirees who don't need to overlook golf courses.

Baird's excellent historic introduction actually taught me something I didn't know about my own adopted city. He says: "In 313 the Council of Iliberri (Granada), attended by 19 bishops and 24 presbyters, decreed that priests should be celibate." Thus was born the time-honored custom of Spanish priests keeping "housekeepers" who were referred to euphemistically as "sobrinas," "nieces." Baird also brings the Axarquía's Moorish legacy home to us succinctly and eloquently: "An intense belief in human contact, the love of flowery language, a flair for flamboyance, the lack of inhibition about enjoying the moment, a cavalier attitude towards time, all can probably be traced to the Moorish heritage."

After a summary review of the geography, food, wine, village fiestas and folklore of the region, the author introduces us succesively to each of the towns and villages of this 1,000-kilometer-square area of the provinces of Málaga and Granada, including some tempting tidbits in his descriptions. This, for example:

"Nerja remains one of the Costa del Sol's more charming spots with a somewhat upmarket image. However, attempts to build a local golf course have so far been frustrated (and, more importantly, a long-delayed sewage treatment plant is still on the drawing board--wash out eyes and ears well after bathing)."

Or this, on the town of Frigiliana:

"The downside is that its proximity to the coast--Nerja is just six kilometers away--has brought a deluge of tourist groups, sometimes jamming the narrow byways. Parking is difficult, even with a new five-storey parking area, part of a blizzard of construction which has not added any charm."

This excellent guidebook wraps up with a nuts-and-bolts section which the author calls "Practicalities," followed by a nice selection of maps and a proper index, always a good sign.

I enthusiastically recommend this book as a sympathetic and authoritative introduction to anyone wishing to approach the Axarquía and Costa Tropical equipped with valuable background and insights, information which is guaranteed to make the visit to this still-Spanish corner of Andalusia much more rewarding.