I can also very much recommend Castello - it's a lovely little field and so close to the ocean. You'll dip your feet in the water minutes after landing. There's a basic hotel called La Ola a few hundred meters down the promenade with sea view hotels for as little as 20-30 euros!
For the trip to Africa, I'd suggest using Granada LEGR as a base. LEAX has no customs and Malaga itself is very expensive and not welcoming to GA traffic as far as I could judge. You're going to need a handling company at LEGR for the flight to Tangier etc. There's several options for that.
The guys in Tangier where we paid the landing fee and who run the local aeroclub are very, very nice - had a nice little chat with them. It's a little more difficult at the terminal, as the policemen etc. have no idea of private planes and mistrust you if you want to get back to your plane without a boarding pass. (Best to carry your license with you).