Fly out of LAX
May 19 · Los Angeles
Málaga · Costa del Sol · May 2026
MÁLAGA
Back to a city
worth returning to.
Tapas, vermouth, Picasso—and the familiar road to Marbella.
Enter Málaga ↘01 / 09
The recurring journey
Some cities become
part of your calendar.
I come back to this corner of southern Spain each year for the OTG Summit in Marbella. But Málaga has become more than the airport on the way there. It is where I pause before the summit begins.
The routine now feels familiar: arrive, check in, step back outside, find tapas and vermouth, and let the city reset my pace. This time I was also saving space for something new—a first visit to the Picasso Museum.
May 19 · Los Angeles
The journey began
before takeoff.
My first stop was also a first: the new Air France Lounge at LAX. Behind the entrance, the terminal disappeared into deep blue, pale stone, soft curves, and quiet corners. It felt less like waiting for a flight and more like gently changing time zones.
I was flying KLM toward Málaga, and beginning the trip here made the long journey feel considered from the start.
The new Air France Lounge · LAX
French calm,
West Coast light.
Air France opened the lounge in the Tom Bradley International Terminal in June 2024. At nearly 12,000 square feet, it has room for 172 guests and brings together dining, a staffed bar, work and rest areas, showers, and a Clarins treatment space.
The official design language is unmistakably Air France—blue, luminous white, and small flashes of red—but what stays with me is the feeling: polished without being cold, and spacious without losing intimacy.
Official lounge details ↗
A proper first meal
No rushed airport plate.
The buffet moved easily between fresh salads and warm dishes: salmon, potatoes, shrimp, vegetables, and enough choice to build an actual lunch instead of simply grabbing something before boarding.
I finished with a bright cocktail—a small celebratory note for the start of a journey I know well, but never experience exactly the same way twice.
The Málaga sequence
Nine moments,
one return.
The journey now runs from takeoff and arrival through dinner, Málaga after dark, breakfast, a full midday walk, and a first visit to the Picasso Museum. The road to Marbella is the final passage still to come.
Now reading
KLM & Schiphol
Premium Comfort · Lounge 25
Arrive in Málaga
AC Hotel Málaga Palacio
Dinner & tapas
Casa Lola · the first vermouth
Málaga after dark
An evening walk
Breakfast
AC Hotel Málaga Palacio · Titanium explained
Midday in the city
The extra day · light, streets, history
Picasso Museum
A first visit · art, palace, archaeology
On to Marbella
An Uber to the OTG Summit