Almuñecar, from the Arabic Al-Munekab, the fortress on the hill. Town on the coast of Granada that sinks its millenary roots in the Phoenician, Roman, Arab and Christian civilizations. All of them have left their marks, still visible, between the narrow streets of its historical downtown, many of them steep and sprinkled with whitewashed houses of Andalusian accent. From its Roman ruins to the Punic origin San Miguel Castle, reformed by the sultans of Granada for using as a recreation palace, Almuñecar offers a great cultural offer, including its municipal archaeological museum located in the Cave of the Seven Palaces or its Aquarium where we can know the marine and coastal fauna of the Mediterranean coast of Granada. Not forgetting, of course, his famous Jazz Festival on the Coast with more than 30 years of history which is celebrated in summer.
And… if already the Nasrid sultans of the ancient Kingdom of Granada had established Almuñecar as a recreation center is undoubtedly due because the privileged location at the Costa Grenadina or Costa Tropical, enjoying a microclimate with more than 340 days of sunshine year and a temperature always above 10-12 degrees in winter with a heat in summer softened by the influence of the breeze of the Mediterranean Sea. And if we add to this weather a beautiful black sand beaches, marinas and leisure areas, Almuñecar is the ideal place for summer holidays and specially to live, relaxed in peace, at a place that it seems created specifically for that.
And let’s not forget the winter: just 80 km away, snow is assured for white sports lovers in Sierra Nevada Ski Resort.
4 kilometers from Almuñecar you will find La Herradura, a small village located in a beautiful bay protected by two hills: Punta Mona and Cerro Gordo, this last one is a natural protected place. Known for being the place where Abderramán I landed from Damascus in 755. It has a beach of more than 2 kilometers length with a marina that offer a multitude of leisure options and training activities, especially water sports, from sailing to diving. The dives clubs enjoy a great international prestige. The seabed of Cerro Gordo Natural Reserve preserves corals andendangered Mediterranean species. At the Natural Place of Cerro Gordo there is the Naturist Beach of Cantarriján, where nudism is allowed.
Nerja, the ancient Arabian Narija, eternal paradise of the Costa del Sol. A Mediterranean oasis in the stressed Europe; A balcony of Europe facing south. Full of sun and beaches that invite you to relax and enjoy and surrounded by stunning natural landscapes and the blue skies of Spain, it is a perfect place for rest and peace; and also leisure.
St rolling through the narrow cobbled streets of the old town, among the small whitewashed houses, you can enjoy after a day at the beach the local cuisine from many bars and restaurants. At nightfall, you can let yourself be carried away by the festive nightlife. Or, in the other side, you can visit the Sierra Almijara Natural Park or visit the River Chillar, a perfect place for hiking and other sports, this are some of the things that this small and summer village offers. Nerja also offers a visit to the impressive caves with ancient paintings or the landscapes of stalactites and stalagmites and inside of the cave one of the most unique theaters in the world.
And all of this just one hour by motorway from the city of Malaga and its airport with all the cultural, leisure and economic proposals and one hour by highway: Granada, mythical city, and the Sierra Nevada where is guaranteed snow in winter in one of the best ski resort of Spain.
Frigiliana is one of the most beautiful villages in Spain. With its narrow and winding streets full of whitewashed houses, with a myriad of stairs that run all over the old town from top to bottom, Frigiliana brings us to the present the past of Arab origin. Situated 300 meters above sea level and overlooking the Mediterranean from the Natural Park of the Sierras de Almijara, Tejeda and Alhama, just 6 km from Nerja and its beaches, Frigiliana is a balcony to the Mediterranean Sea from which, on clear days, you can see Africa at the distance.
The Romans gave origin to the name of the villa: ” Frexinius’s villa ” but it is not until the 9th century with the construction of an Arab castle when the history of the village begins. Nowadays there is celebrated at Frigiliana the Festival of Three Cultures that honours three of the cultures that have left their fingerprints in Frigiliana: The Islamic culture, the Hebrew and Christian through the gastronomy, the music and culture and also with the organization of exhibitions, conferences, concerts and activities of leisure.
Torrox, the small villa of the eternal spring, the best weather in Europe. Nestled in the valley of the Torrox River, from which it takes its name, Torrox’s villa offers an average temperature of 18 degrees all the year round, with soft temperatures in winter and summer, turning the villa into the best site to spend the summer holidays or living in the city all the year round. Surrounded with mountains full of vegetation and subtropical crops, the typical white Andalusian houses raise between narrow and steep streets of Arabic tracing, bringing echoes of a past no longer present.
The name of Torrox derives from the castle-tower of Arab origin existing until the War of Indepencia; When the French soldiers destroyed it in their way out. Cradle of the great politician and military Arabic strategist Almanzor, and place from which Abderramán left to conquering and founding Cordoba the first independent emirate of Damascus, Torrox still conserves some medieval memory of that time in the rest of the Arabic wall like the door and some keeps. Today Torrox is crowned by the baroque church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación, built in the sixteenth century over old the Arabic mosque.
After visiting all these historical passages, you can make a stop to rest and regain strength and taste at many restaurants one of the most typical and traditional dishes of Andalusia: Migas Andaluzas. For Christmas, Torrox celebrates each year its traditional Festival of the Migas, declared of Tourist Interest of Andalusia.
Torrox’s tourist neighbourhood sheltering more than 9 kilometres of long and well preserved beaches, many of them with blue flag, in a natural environment with all comforts for enjoy it: Boardwalk with all kinds of restaurants, hotels, places of leisure, etc. Torrox-Costa is the origin of the town of Torrox, next to its lighthouse there is the remains of a small roman city known as Caviclum. Remains of a village, a factory of salted and a kilns of ceramic production, in addition to a necropolis and thermal baths that are visitable. Culture, art, history, nature and leisure all in a paradise in front of the Mediterranean Sea.
With more than 300 days/year of sunshine and an average annual temperature of 20 degrees, this small tourist village of the Costa del Sol with a quiet nature and more than 22 km of urban beaches, some toured by one of the best boardwalks of Europe, brings all necessary stuff to enjoy the summer holidays or living all year round.
You can find restaurants and beach bars (chiringuitos) where you can taste the famous “skewers of sardines” cooked on the same beach also at the great marina you can perform all kinds of water sports. Many of its beaches are equipped and ready for sports.