Last Monday 23rd February 2026, the Macarfi guide presented its latest entries featuring the best restaurants in Spain, at a gala held at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. In this 11th edition, Málaga leads the ranking of the Top 15 in Andalusia with Bardal, helmed by Benito Gómez in Ronda. Furthermore, a third of the regional list is comprised of establishments from the province of Málaga.

In addition to Bardal, the list includes Kaleja (6) and Palodú (13), both in Málaga city; Skina (10), in Marbella; and Los Marinos José (15), in Fuengirola. Rounding out the Andalusian top 15 are Noor (2), Aponiente (3), Lú Cocina y Alma (4), Bagá (5), Mesón Sabor Andaluz (7), Dama Juana (8), Vandelvira (9), Cañabota (11), La Costa (12), and Choco (14).

The Macarfi Guide, created by Manuel Carreras Fisas, was launched in October 2015 as an urban project focused on Barcelona, ​​highlighting the city’s most interesting restaurants. Eleven years later, the guide has evolved to cover all of mainland Spain for the first time, expanding its reach from 8 to 15 autonomous communities.

This is one of the predictions of airport operator Aena’s new Dora III regulation document for the 2027-2031 period, due to be ratified by the Spanish cabinet in September.

Dora III foresees a growth in passenger numbers at all of Spain’s biggest airports, considering that the country has the highest air traffic in Europe.

The Dora III document contemplates an investment of 1.5 billion euros for the expansion of Malaga Airport, which has improvement contracts worth 90 million euros already approved.

In figures, the security screening area will increase by 112%, passport control for departures by 515%, the non-Schengen/flexible waiting and boarding area by 381% and the Schengen (EU) flights area by 126%. Commercial areas and retail space will also increase by 41%.

Nerja town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol has approved plans to reopen the viewpoint below its iconic Balcón de Europa, known locally as ‘La Reola’, to the public. The town hall has approved a draft project, valued at 291,000 euros, designed by the municipal architect, Beatriz Pérez. Mayor of Nerja José Alberto Armijo said that this would be “one of the most important projects carried out in recent years at the Balcón de Europa,” as it will allow “the recovery of public use of the lower La Reola viewpoint and return it to its original configuration.”

Snow forced the closure of road access to the Torcal de Antequera nature reserve, in the centre-north of Malaga province, on Monday 2 February. The site, famous for its unique karst limestone formations, was covered in snow following a sharp drop in temperatures across the region. After assessing the treacherous conditions of the mountain passes and consulting the latest weather forecasts, management decided to close the reserve to the public and block access at the main entrance.

While modernisation takes place in Marbella’s Orange Square, meetings of the full council will be held in San Pedro de Alcantara. Speaking about the 3.6-million-euro overhaul, which began earlier this month, mayor Ángeles Muñoz said “the historic building needs to be adapted to the demands of a modern administration.” Muñoz explained that the renovation will mean “more available space” and “more open-plan areas”, making the most of “all the possibilities” offered by the town hall, where 300 public employees work. Councillor for works Diego López explained that the town hall project includes updating plumbing and drainage systems.

The snowfall has mainly affected the main mountain ranges in inland and west of the province of Malaga. Snowfall has also been recorded in the Sierra de las Nieves, Sierra Blanca, Sierra Bermeja, especially in the area of Los Reales behind Estepona, as well as in high sectors of the Sierra de Marbella, starting from around 800m altitude. Although the probability of more snow is decreasing as the atmosphere stabilises, the snow that fell during the early hours of the morning has left one of the most outstanding wintry scenes of recent years in the Malaga mountain ranges.

An investment of almost six million euros, aims to prevent flooding and includes a 1.5-kilometre walkway along the Benabolá stream. It is equipped with sitting areas, lighting, benches, fountains, meadows and large green areas. Hydraulic safety has been guaranteed against river floods of average frequency 1 per 500 years, and the drainage network has been completely improved. A storm tank with a capacity of over 60,000 litres has also been installed, preventing flooding and guaranteeing the safety of both road traffic and pedestrians.

The province of Malaga closed 2025 with strong advances in employment growth, making it one of Spain’s top performers in job creation. According to data from the Social Security system, the average number of workers signed on with the Social Security system in December reached a historic maximum record of 738,958.

This counts as a 3.46 per cent year-on-year growth, the fourth highest in Spain, behind only Melilla, Ceuta, and Valencia. Within Andalucia, Malaga far outpaced the regional average of 2.03 per cent.

The Málaga TechPark (PTA) has established itself as one of the most dynamic technology ecosystems in Spain. In the 2025 edition of the annual ranking by the Spanish Association of Science and Technology Parks (APTE), three Málaga-based startups—Cloud y Olé (Cybersecurity and Digitalization), Innova IRV Microelectronics (Engineering and Microelectronics), and Ubora Solar (Energy and Sustainability) – have entered the select group of the top 100 startups in the country. This achievement highlights Málaga’s ability to attract and foster high-impact talent and businesses in strategic sectors.

Competitive public transport fares will continue from January 1st. Policies implemented during the pandemic to support operators and household budgets are proving successful and are resulting in an increase in passenger numbers. “Andalusia will not only apply the subsidies from the Ministry of Transport, but we will also add an additional 20% discount, so that public transport continues to be the option chosen by Andalusians for their journeys,” assured the Minister of Public Works, Rocío Díaz. Tariff policies, beyond demographic and socioeconomic factors and the rise of Malaga as a major metropolis, are an important key in its success and quality of life.