Having lived on the Costa del Sol for 14 years, I have probably tried and tested hundreds of watering holes in the process, but nothing compares to El Esparragal - ´the pub in the park´ near Mijas-Golf.

This hidden gem of a bar is situated in open parkland about 1km past the Tamisa Golf Hotel in the direction of Coin/Alhaurin, and plays host to hundreds of Spanish and English families at the weekends and a more motley crew during the week.
Me and my mate Dave (definitely part of the motley crew) have been known to enjoy a beverage or twelve until well after midnight at this popular joint, and you can spend far less in an evening here than you would spend in an hour or two elsewhere (depending how thirsty Dave is obviously).

Draught Cruzcampo (it does taste better after the first 3) is €1 for a half pint, and a spirit and mixer is €3.50. The bar offers a simple menu, but everything is cooked to perfection, and the prices are unbeatable. Try the tomatoes with garlic and olive oil for €2 or the chicken wings for the same price. A selection of ´bocadillos´ and toasties is also available from €2.50, plus some of the best Manchego cheese you will taste at €6 a plate.

I last visited recently with 4 friends, and we enjoyed toasties, pork fillet, fishfingers, chips, a plate of garlic tomatoes, two bottles of wine, two gin and tonics, 4 pints of beer and 3 orange juices. Four hours after arriving (hic!) the bill worked out at €10 a head. Not bad for an afternoon´s eating, drinking and merrymaking – not to mention a free suntan.

What you will find here is that although the drinks are cheap, the brands are not. No sign here of the infamous, hangover-from-hell inducing brands, which are popular in many bars on the coast. The vodka brands which usually end in the letters ´ov´ should carry government health warnings, and don´t be fooled by lots of bars advertising coffee and brandy for €2. The last time I was duped into this, the brandy tasted like ethanol (a popular tipple when I was in the Middle East, but hey, I had no choice there).

It works out brilliantly for me as I live locally and can stagger home with my dog, Barney , without having to worry about driving. Barney sometimes has to worry about the staggering, especially when my mate Dave decides to wrestle with him on the way home – but he always arrives back with his tail wagging and none the worse for wear (Barney not Dave).

If you do need to take your car, there is plenty of parking at the side of the park, and along the nearby road (note that Sundays can be very busy, particularly in the springtime).
The adjoining park has 20 built-in brick barbecues which anyone can use. These prove particularly popular with Spanish families during the weekends, and you need to get there early if you want to use one. This is also a popular venue for kid´s birthday parties and social gatherings of every kind.

Or indeed, adult birthday parties. One particularly joyous occasion turned into a riot of fun and laughter (or was it just a riot?) when 6 of us celebrated my friend Jayne´s 40th (??) birthday party in the park, and ended up singing ´Flower of Scotland´ in a very drunken fashion to the horses gathered at the water trough. Jayne isn´t Scottish and neither were the horses but everyone had a damn good time. (neigh lassie it was brilliant). We are the sort of people I hate to sit next to when sober. (Luckily those times are few and far between).
The best day we ever spent at the ´Esparragal´, was during the annual `Romeria de Las Lagunas ´ in June. After mass, the statue of The Virgin, Our Lady of Peace (Virgen de la Paz) was carried up the dry river bed from Las Lagunas, in a colourful procession of horses and oxen, and placed in the shrine at the park until later in the evening when the return trip was made. As with many festivals in Spain, the religious ceremony is followed by much fun and revelry, which continued long into the evening.

Live Spanish music was performed on a specially erected stage near the bar area, and by mid-afternoon, hundreds of residents and tourists alike were strutting their stuff (including yours truly, which is something of a miracle). Local horsemen rode proudly around the park, often wearing traditional Spanish dress, while the girls donned flamboyant flamenco frocks. The passion, noise and colour of a typical Andalucian festival was very much in evidence here. A huge paella is prepared in the afternoon, and served free of charge to the crowds, along with glasses of fino sherry to keep partygoers in the mood.

There was even a pole climbing competition in the early evening, where young men attempted to shimmy up a vertical wooden pole (similar to a telegraph pole without the wires). Being approximately ten metres high, this was no mean feat, but the ´machismo´ of the local youths spurred on the crowds, and one fit participant managed to claw his way to the top.
My mate Dave has vowed to try the pole climbing competition next June, and we are secretly planning to grease the pole overnight – just to add to the fun (Barney – stop sniggering).

As with many of Andalucia´s more riotous events and festivals, this fabulous display of horsemanship, open-air paella cooking and pole climbing would induce heart failure amongst the ´elf and safety´ mob in England! Thank God for Andalucia and its liberal ways!

How to get there: From Fuengirola, McDonalds roundabout close to the carreterra, take the Coin road inland. Keep going straight on when you come to the next large roundabout straight on here. Pass the Tamisa Golf Hotel on the right and keep going for approx. 1km. The park is here on the left hand side. From La Cala de Mijas, drive past the Feria ground/market ground on your left and keep going. Keep to the right where road splits and continue for approx. 4km. Pass sign for Entrerrios and drive over the bridge. When you get to the junction turn right and continue for 2km downhill. The pub is here on your right hand side.

When: The bar is open every day except Wednesday. The Romeria de Las Lagunas is normally held during the first weekend of June – but best to check details with Mijas Town Hall or tourist office to be sure.