I don't know about you, but Food is a big part of my holiday. If I'm going to a country with its own wonderful cuisine then I'm guaranteed to gorge out on that cuisine for the amount of time that I'm visiting. This time around, it meant I was in for 2 weeks of Spanish food - one of my favourite cuisines out there. If you're visiting Nerja, here are the best places to visit for food and drink:

SEVILLANO VOLK'S BAR
Kicking off with this bar means that were kicking off with one of the best and most popular roof-top bars in town. Volk's Bar is part of the Sevillano's group (a restaurant that pretty much dominates Nerja town) and is based on the Volkswagen cars. The design is full of car-related objects - from tyres to canisters - and houses a beautiful lush green wall of tropical plants. Of course, the important part: the drinks. Cocktails are reasonably priced at around €6.50 and also come in generous sizes. The spirits too - watching a Gin and Tonic arrive was surprising because of the size and, apparently, the double gin is enough to have you spinning.

PARADISE COCKTAIL BAR
This bar is situated along Burriana Beach (the large, popular tourist beach) and gets pretty busy on a night. Jamie and I visited here after seeing how local it was and the great reviews on trip advisor. Cocktails in here are priced at around €6 and, again, come in great sizes with enough decoration for you to lose yourself in. With music and people walking past, it's a nice atmosphere and great for a bit of evening 'people watching'.

COCHRAN'S TERRACE-BAR
This one is an absolutely beautiful spot in the centre of town. Along from the Balcón de Europa, this Terrace-Bar is large and spacious enough for plenty of people to enjoy a drink while gazing out over the sea. The drinks in this place are enjoyable - a little pricey, but enjoyable. We visited twice and, coincidently on both occasions, there were weddings taking place. Seeing the beautiful Bride and Grooms, as well as the dressed up wedding guests all in cheerful moods, was enough to entertain the bar guests. It was especially nice to listen to the live music playing too. I would say though, with the business on an evening, the staff can become far too rushed off their feet and give off somewhat rude attitudes.

This post is somewhat a response to a comment that I received a while back. When discussing how delighted I was to have passed 650 followers on Bloglovin' in my Catch Up #6 post, I was asked to share some tips on how I actually grew my Bloglovin'. Of course, don't get me wrong, my little number of 650 is nothing compared to the numbers that some other bloggers have but, these days, it can be hard to pass 100 on that platform in the first place.

It is worth saying that, as I've been blogging a long time, and Bloglovin' was more prevalent when I started blogging, I have had a lot of time to grow on there. However, since I started recording my Bloglovin' figures in my planner in January, I've gained nearly 70 followers, in half a year, on a platform that isn't really used by the general public and remains fairly exclusive to bloggers and brands.

Nevertheless, gaining a lump sum followers in 6 months takes a little bit of care and attention but more-so just general things to keep up that will, hopefully, pay off. Here are some tips for growing your Bloglovin' page:

GET THE WIDGET
This one goes without saying, perhaps. If you don't know what-the-widget I mean when I say 'Get the Widget', then you can find it in my sidebar. The little black 'Bloglovin'' button that also displays my current follower count is situated in my sidebar - that's my Bloglovin' Widget. While it's also used to give your followers an insight into how many people are following your blog, but it's also an easy way for audiences to get following you. To be honest, if you're lucky enough to have a set theme which provides you and your blog with 'Social Buttons' (or if somehow you're an extraterrestrial that can figure out HTML and make your own 'social buttons') then you probably don't need it, but nevertheless, it's free and useful to have.

DIRECT YOUR FOLLOWERS
It's quite important that you use the right page on Bloglovin'. Don't panic - there's only two to choose from. There is your personal page in which you like and follow other bloggers, and there's your blog page that publishes the posts that you write. Your personal page owns your blog page through a process of 'claiming'. Anyhow, if you comment and like another blogger's content as a way of putting yourself out there, you're likely to be presenting people with your personal page - if they did want to pursue your links and follow you they'd be taken to the content that you like, and not the content that you make. Unfortunately, there's no way around that. The best way that I've found to direct audiences to the blog page (the page housing your content), is to politely ask them to click further and follow your blog. Like this:





SCHEDULE TWEETS
I tend to pop a scheduled tweet up twice a week to promote my Bloglovin' page. I'll usually say something along the lines of 'Follow me on Bloglovin'', followed by the link, with 3 or 4 RT accounts tagged at the end. You can read a bit more on how to effectively schedule tweets HERE. As I said, Bloglovin' isn't as popular these days as it was when I started blogging back in god-knows-when, so these tweets aren't likely to get as much engagement as the tweets promoting more popular platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram. For example, my previous Bloglovin' tweet received over 250 Impressions and 11 Engagements. Using these tweets might not always flood you with followers, but they're useful to have around.
Similarly, you can promote your posts by using their Bloglovin' links too. By viewing your own blog posts via Bloglovin, you can grab the link yourself - the link will include "frame_type" - and add it to your tweets. This is particularly useful if your audience is following your links on a desktop; the frame that is displayed at the top-bar of a Bloglovin' link includes a dozen buttons for your followers to follow, love, save, and share your content with complete ease. It'll look like this:


USE BLOGLOVIN'
It sounds SO obvious but SO many people have a tendency to want their platform following to grow despite giving it little-to-no attention. You need to build a presence on a platform if you want to draw people in. There's no use in using all of these tips if you aren't going to give other people a hand too or even know what the platform consists of. However, I'm not suggesting that you put all of your time and effort into Bloglovin' - as I keep mentioning, it's not the sort of platform that requires your maximum efforts these days. Despite this, it's helpful to put your name out there by liking and commenting on other people's content - not only that but being inspired by and enjoying other people's content. If you aren't going to pay attention to the blogging community around you then you are, in a way, excluding yourself. The blogging community moves and adapts and Bloglovin' is a great way to keep up to date with it. Usually, once a month, I'll sit down on an evening and have a scroll through Bloglovin' to see what's going on and to catch up with any posts that I've missed - it's quite enjoyable with a nice big cuppa tea too.

HOST A GIVEAWAY
I'm speaking of this last because it's completely optional, but it's something that helped me boost my follower count. After reaching 500 followers on Bloglovin, I hosted a giveaway on my social media. For a few weeks, as I was approaching 500 followers, I advertised what I was going to be giving away a 'Bloggers' Box', but alerted my followers that the giveaway wouldn't become active until that goal was reached. As expected, the number goal came around pretty quickly and I was able to release my giveaway which ended up great fun.
You can also use 'Follow me on Bloglovin'' as an extra entry for your Giveaways. For example: "To enter my Giveaway, you must be following me on Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin". It may be a bit more time consuming for a reader to do but, if you're giving away something pretty exciting, then there's a chance people will go that little extra mile.

My family and I had our holiday to Nerja, Spain booked for almost a full year before we actually went so, to sit here now writing this post, I have crazy holiday-blues. The build-up to this holiday meant that a lot of research, shopping, and excitement lead up to it and I am so glad to say that, it was all completely worth it. In fact, Jamie and I are already talking about going back on our own next year.

I guess, in hindsight, Nerja (pronounced: Ner-ha) was everything that I anticipated and more. I'd never been before and I expected a nice little Spanish town, that wasn't as busy as your typical Spanish holiday-locations, with nice beaches and tasty food but, looking back now, there was so much more.

NERJA TOWN
Our Air BnB apartment was a 25-minute walk from the centre of town which, while it meant there was a lot of walking to be done in the heat, also meant that we got lovely peace and quiet at night time. Although, in regards to that, the town wasn't particularly rowdy anyway - despite the odd nights when football matches were on.

I should clarify that the town is based around the main focal point which is 'Balcón de Europa' - a promenade leading up to a large balcony that looks over the sea and across the Costa Del Sol coastline. Around it is lots of hotels, restaurants, bars and shops so, while I said it's not 'rowdy', there's definitely a brilliant buzzing atmosphere. At night, there are lots of people about and on the 'Playa Balcon De Europa' there are buskers, artists, magicians, and more, all showcasing their work. I was so tempted to get a caricature drawn of Jamie and I but it turns out that tipsy-old-me wanted to by the album of a Spanish Guitarist instead... at least it's something to listen to on car journies back home, I guess.

In the daytime, you got to really see the town in all its glory. There are beautiful shops along the way such as a few Moroccan shops selling hand-painted, delicate goods from Moroccan and Arabic cultures. There are jewellery shops, food merchants, souvenir stores and one shop that caught my eye sold hundreds of hand-painted, colourful crockery and plant pots from local villages - as you can imagine, I was completely in my element (I couldn't decide which plant post design to buy and I'm sure that by the end of it my sister was just saying 'yes' to them all in a plea for me to leave the shop).



It wasn't only the plant pots that wowed me, the plants themselves were like something out of a dream of mine. If you know me well, you'll know that Jamie and I have a Monstera Deliciosa plant (typically known as a Swiss Cheese Plant) from IKEA and just casually dotted around the streets of Nerja were huge flamboyant Monsteras beaming in all their tropical wonder. Other plants that I saw along the way were all colours of Hibiscus, Banana Plants (with actual bananas on them - wow, I'm so British), a Sedum Burrito (another houseplant that's on my wishlist), Rubber Plants, and more. For any plant lover, this is a brilliant place to wander around.

I was pretty astonished at the cleanliness of Nerja too. Considering all of the dry land - meaning a lot of dust - a lot of the houses are immaculate. The doors are polished, the streets are cobbled with clean, cared-for, mosaic tiles, and there are bins on every street which means very little litter dotted around. The cleanliness helped me feel safe in this environment but it was also the really friendly local people that helped me feel comfortable.

Lastly, it's worth mentioning that the food across this town is of great value. Considering how busy the restaurants and bars can be late at night, the food is great value in a lot of places. I am going to be publishing a blog post soon on The Best Places to Eat in Nerja so keep an eye out!





VISITS OUTSIDE OF NERJA
The previous four images are from a little town up in the Andalucian Mountains that is renowned for being one of the most beautiful places to visit in Southern Spain: Frigiliana. And it certainly didn't disappoint. My family had hired a car so one day we set off for brunch in Frigiliana and a wander around to see what everyone was praising it for. The streets are all whitewashed, the street cobbles mosaiced, and the buildings sprinkled with hundreds and hundreds of stunning plants and flowers. It felt like something out of a fairytale. They even have a famous cart-donkey that was helping carry some goods up the hill. As historical and traditional as it all was, everything looked so fresh and clean. The shop that I mentioned previously that sold colourful crockery and plant pots included a lot of handmade pottery for Frigiliana and the town itself is full of them. Frigiliana is also known for its honey and olive oil - apparently some of the best in the area.

As well as that little trip out, we also took the car to visit the Cuevas de Nerja one evening. The Cuevas de Nerja (or The Nerja Caves to you and I) were just over a mile drive from our accommodation and situated almost literally in the middle of nowhere, just North of the village: Maro (which I'll speak a little more about soon). You can go here anytime and learn about the history and facts of them but we decided that, as this was our first time visiting Nerja and their Caves, we would pay a little bit extra to go on an exclusive 'Secrets of the Caves' tour. This tour started at 7:30PM and took place when the caves were shut to the public. With around 30 other English-speaking tourists, we were guided around the enormous caves by a fantastically enthusiastic tour guide and got to see parts of the caves that day-time visitors don't get to experience. The whole experience was completely out-of-this-world; I would 100% recommend to anyone that you pay that little bit extra for the exclusive tour, it's so so worth it.




Now the pictures above are of Granada - a major, Madrid-like city which is an hour drive North-East of Nerja. Once ruled by the Islamic community, 'Moors', in the middle ages, today it still bursts with relics of history and thrilling Arabic legacies. To get to Granada, you pass the stunning Sierra Nevada - a famous mountain range in Andalucia. The mountains are so high that, even on a day with 30-degree heat, they still have snow on their peaks. Nevertheless, Granada is a hustling city - still mountainous, but with a centre full of well-known shops and lots of global tourists. I would warn anyone wanting to visit here that Granada is particularly hot in comparison to the coastline and, with what feels like only ever uphill walking, it can be quite strenuous. However, I did love the little sidestreets hidden behind the hustle and bustle which had little quirky shops selling intricate Arabic goods, souvenirs with the famous Andalucian colourful tiles, a perfume museum, and spices and foods from the Eastern culture.

Last but not least, there's Maro. This tiny little village that was homeplace of the Caves discoverers but it's also pretty popular for its beach. Despite the fact that the beach is a very long, steep walk downhill, it's totally worth a visit to. Usually quieter than the other Nerja beaches, and a lot smaller, it is also a fantastic place to see the sea life. Even just a quick paddle out a few metres on your lilo and you can see schools of fish swimming below (considering you stay quite still). I saw a big crowd of black-and-white striped fish at one point; I didn't need goggles either, the water is so clear at Maro beach that you can simply just look down. Here I am on my doughnut rubber-ring in the waves:



THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU VISIT NERJA
If you're anything like me and you do lots of research on a place before you go then you might have visited this page to get to know more about Nerja before your summer holiday or maybe it's on the cards for your next destination to visit. Like any location, there are a few things that I would recommend you to avoid or don't do just to make sure you have the best possible time out there.

  - Firstly, like many places, I figure, there are cockroaches. The cockroaches that we encountered were a pretty big 2-3inches long and, while I somehow managed to keep my cool, my Mum and my sister were terrified of them. Ultimately, they're pretty harmless but the way they scurry away is enough to make anyone squirm.

  - Something that scouring the lengths and breadths of Google Maps doesn't quite clear up is how very hilly Nerja is. Unlike the next big 'holiday' resort, West of Nerja, Malaga, the mountains of Nerja come straight up from the sea - there is very little flat land before a harsher incline comes about. This is something that I'm sure my Mum would've liked to have known prior to our visit as she suffers from bad 'prickly heat' that gets worse with strenuous walking.

  - Lastly, if you're looking for the good value food that I mentioned earlier, seek it in the town. The restaurants on the Burianna Beach (Nerja's largest tourist beach) do serve up good food, but not always the best value. The shops, bars and restaurants along here do seem to get away with charging more for what you get because of the number of tourists that can be there throughout high-season. If you're looking for really delicious and good value food, get yourself up into the town.

I guess a lot of people will already know that 'Micellar Water' kind of became all the rage in the past few years for being the miracle make-up remover. A lot of brands jumped on the Micellar band-wagon but I think the one brand that really served it up for me was Garnier. I've tried a few different Micellar Cleansing Waters for different types of skin but it's the Garnier Sensitive that really works for me.

There are 3 products in this sensitive range; the Gel Wash, the Facial Wipes, and the Cleansing Water itself. I've tried and finished a full product of each of these over time; in fact I've already repurchased a bottle of the Cleansing Water but, before I spoil it, I'll give you a quick rundown on what I thought of each of the products.

MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER
The water comes in two main sizes, 400ml and 125ml. I have both bottles because the littler one is perfect for taking in my wash-bag and off on holiday. The 400ml bottle is a lot bigger but lasts a pretty long time. At each use, I generally half soak one cotton pad - if I completely soak it, I end up with too much residue on my face which can sometimes produce little suds. It will also depend on how much makeup I'm wearing for how many cotton pads I'll require - if I'm wearing a full face of makeup (which includes foundation, powders, eye-makeup etc.) I can probably get away with 2 or 3 cotton pads of Micellar Water. However, here's the thing: because I do have sensitive skin, I can't just use the micellar water, I have to cleanse my face with water and moisturise after (FYI, I'm one of those people that couldn't dream of going to bed after a night out with my makeup still on - no matter how much I'd had to drink. Sleeping in makeup is a NO for me!). This means that I can use 2 cotton pads to get my full-face-of-makeup off, but I'd always wash away any streaks of mascara or residue with water.
I love how it picks up all of the makeup on your face - even the stubborn stuff. I can scrub away at my eyes and it won't sting or burn at all. The only downside for me would be that there is definitely a sticky feeling on your face afterwards - there's no way I could lay on my pillows with my face feeling that sticky. Similarly, I do sometimes look at myself in the mirror and realise that I've actually just smudged the makeup around my face - I've often wondered how the mascara got on my chin. I do appreciate that this can be avoided by using more cotton pads and not overusing the same one for too long, though.


MICELLAR CLEANSING GEL WASH
If I'm honest, part of me feels as though having the gel wash leaves no real purpose behind for the water to exist. All that is required for makeup removal with the gel wash is a splash of water and perhaps a flannel if you're feeling wild. For me though, I was always instructed by my doctor to wash my face with only water so when it comes to removing makeup I want a gel wash with a light, thin consistency but still something effective so that I never have to scrub at my face. This Micellar Gel wash is perfect for this! It's light and easy to slide over and around your face with no riff-raff. No unnecessary beads, no overpowering scents and no fiddling around.
A basic, very gentle and kind gel wash: definitely a complete staple to have in the bathroom. Oh, and to top it all off, it's cheap. Currently only £3.99 in Superdrug, it's a steal!

MICELLAR EXTRA-GENTLE CLEANSING WIPES
These 'extra-gentle' cleansing wipes are really, really soft; they contain thin silk fibres and are pliable and easy to move around the contours of your face. The size of the wipes is great too - they fold out to a large square and are packed in stacks of 25, so there's plenty to go around. For me, these were perfect for popping in my travel bag. I preferred travelling with these as opposed to the Micellar Water which requires me to bring along cotton pads, or the Gel Wash that provides the inevitable worry of leakage. The wipes aren't swimming in Micellar Water so there's no worry that they'd 'leak' in my travel bag.
These wipes did disappoint me a little bit though after they did dry up towards the end. I always make sure the seal on my cleansing wipes is properly sealed after use but, despite that, when I was coming to the end of the packet, I did find that the wipes were almost bone dry and weren't as pleasant to use. It's a shame because even though they created the little annoying suds that the Micellar Water also did, they were so handy to have and I could probably just use 1 wipe for a face of every day, base-free makeup.