Malaga in November - Day 10 Cueva del tesoro - Rincon de la Victoria

Thursday morning we start off briskly to Muelle Heredia where we buy a ticket at the Avanza kiosk to catch the M160 bus to Cala del Moral. Our stop is Cantal Bajo before the bus starts its descent towards Rincón de la Victoria but the lady bus driver anyway kindly tells us where to get off when we say we want to visit Cuevas del Tesoro. From the bus stop it's an easy ten minute walk up to the entrance to the caves.

Cuevas del Tesoro or Cuevas Cantal are the only Marine Caves in Europe which can be visited and one of three worldwide. The caves are Bene de Interés Cultural and therefore entry which normally costs less than 5€ per person for adults is free from Monday to Friday for the first hour of opening which in the winter season is from 10 until 11 o'clock.

We arrive too early and have a look around the nearby park which would normally be good for the views but today is uniformly cloudy and grey. By ten o'clock there's just a handful of other people waiting and we also get an audioguide. The visit to the caves is very pleasant, especially because there's hardly anyone and also because you can wander around as you wish, stop to take photos, push the appropriate button on the audioguide when you are ready, go back to have another look at things and generally enjoy the visit, very different from the rather exasperating experience in Nerja Caves. The caves themselves are beautiful, full of interesting forms and corners, colours and shapes and the lake in the last is a special touch.

The visit starts in the Virgin's cave, so-called because it was discovered on 12th October. The next area is Pozo del suizo or Swiss well where the Swiss Antonio de la Nari who spent thirty years of his life exploring the caves in the hope of finding the legendary treasure finally blew himself up with one of his own explosives. In the Eagle cave we spend some time debating on which of the forms represents the eagle and find at least three. Perhaps this is one!

The Noctiluca sanctuary is a mysterious place with a series of basins below what looks like the sculpture of a one eyed ghost. The Vulcano cave is the deepest part and legend has it that one can arrive directly from the sea to this cave and also hear the waves when the sea is rough. Going back to the Virgin's cave we go to the Lakes cave, which is very pretty. All together we spend over an hour looking around at our leisure. 

When we come out there's just a slight drizzle so we walk down to Rincón and along the promenade. The rain increases a little so we turn in towards the Ayuntamiento in search of a bar which according to TripAdvisor does rabo de toro. Unfortunately it has closed down but Bar Restaurant Dulcinea just in front promises a menu del día for 8 euros and rabo de toro for 12. It's still a little early so, armed with umbrellas, we go as far as Casa Fuerte Bezmiliana which is small but ok to shelter from the rain for a while. The ex-fort now houses temporary exhibitions, in this case photographs of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Back in the restaurant there's a wide choice of first and second dishes for the menu del día and we choose Migas,  a typical local dish based on fried breadcrumbs, and Puntillitas fritas, small fried squid. Both are freshly prepared and piping hot. We share them and then concentrate on the rabo de toro, just managing to remember to take a photo of it before devouring it. 

The food is good honest home cooking and there's a simple cheesecake to finish. The bill is a very fair 23€, amazingly good value and very honest because there were no hidden extras. We are pleased and decidedly full. There's a bus back to Málaga approximately every 15 minutes. The lady bus driver is really friendly and chatty with everyone. Back in Málaga it's drizzling but not much. We go back to El Jardín for coffee and then stroll around until the rain increases and we turn in for the night.