It was my 64th birthday recently. I can hear you all now, “how can that be? You look barely 35!” But it’s true and I had to decide where I wanted to go for my birthday meal.

Of course, I went for Los Geraneos located in the Plaza de La Rosa in Almuñécar. So, what influenced my choice? There are, after all, plenty of quality restaurants around the town. Well, it’s the usual three suspects; location, service and food.

Pop online and search for this restaurant and you will find, not only fantastic reviews, but also plenty of photos of the beautiful, blue and white facia, making it probably the prettiest restaurant frontage in Almuñécar. If you sit inside during the winter months, you are treated to a cosy eating space, warmed by a log fire. The décor is stylish, yet homely, a hard combination to pull off, by they succeed here.

You often hear about how good the service is when reading about a restaurant, but at Los Geraneos it’s really is special. Eladio and his team are really friendly but they somehow manage to keep the service attentive, knowledgeable but somehow discreet… you don’t feel like they are all over you while you’re trying to chat, yet you never seem to need for anything.

So, what about the grub? Well, I think in any restaurant you can have the odd off-day where the odd dish is not quite up to scratch. However, I’ve yet to experience such an occurrence here. The food is loosely Mediterranean based, but with a definite international feel. This is borne out by the mix of local and foreign diners, all equally comfortable with the cuisine on offer. I won’t bore you by trying to describe my superb, crunchy, chicken, Caesar Salad or the pork in Málaga wine dish.

You really need to visit this venue and take in the whole experience and make sure you book in advance. Seriously, we book our table a week before just to make sure, but have tried a couple of times to just turn up and even my youthful good looks couldn’t get me a table.

(News/Promotional Article: Los Geraneos, Pl. de la Rosa, 4. Almuñécar, 958 63 40 20.)