Despite Marbella's glamourous reputation with high class hotels and luxury experiences, there's still a vast selection of accommodation on offer at affordable prices. In the old town of Marbella many have gone about converting their properties into guest houses or hostals which offer what could be considered a more basic hotel experience.
Estepona is a lively fishing town with numerous cultural and social events going on all the time in addition to important festivals and fairs that take place around the same time each year. Here is a look at Estepona's main traditional festivals.
One of the most evocative and enduring images of Spain is the sight of an orange tree, shiny-leaved, with its intoxicating perfume and juicy fruits set against a clear blue sky. Luckily it's an achievable dream for none of the citrus are difficult to grow given reasonable conditions.
The area of wine production known as the Serrania de Ronda forms part of the DO Sierras of Malaga, producing what are popularly known as 'the Ronda Wines'. Here modern bodegas at over 750m altitude in the Serrania de Ronda produce young red wines from Romé, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Tempranillo. Their white wine varieties include Chardonnay, Macabeo, Colombard and Sauvignon Blanc.
From the outside of the Orquidario, the state of the art building complete with three glass domes is eye catching, and from the inside it is pretty impressive too. There is much to catch your eye from the moment you step inside, from the 30m high central glass dome (the other two domes are 6m and 16m high) to the stunning display of plants.
Jerez is ideally located between the hills and the coast and enjoys the very best of fresh local produce, to which is often added the world famous sherry, brandy and vinegar of Jerez. These are used as main ingredients in many recipes, thus allowing Jerez to provide a surprisingly varied cuisine of the highest quality.
Although it is a small pueblo blanco, Gaucin has a good number of restaurants serving up the very best of traditional, Andalucian cuisine. Gordon Ramsay came to this town to film a part of his show ´Ramsays Costa del Nightmares´, transforming one of the restaurants here from a ´nightmare´ into a top-quality restaurant.
On this page you can find a selection of hand picked hotels, that are suitable if you are walking, The Caminito del Rey or exploring the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes natural area.
The official starting point of the Camino de Rey 2.5 km access path is on the country road MA-444 just south where it crosses over the Conde de Guadalhorce Dam by the Sillon del Rey (King's seat) a stone seat where King Alfonso XIII signed off the dam in 1926.
The original path was built between 1901 and 1905 by the Sociedad Hydroelectrica del Chorro (Chorro Hydroelectric Society). A pioneering project to take advantage of the 100m drop in the river Guadalhorce required the construction of a small dam.
Enjoy some of Andalucia's most spectacular scenery close-up on the newly reopened Caminito del Rey, the King's Little Path, in Malaga province. High up above El Chorro gorge, the Camino is not a difficult walk, but not it's for the faint-hearted or those with vertigo - as you can see from these photographs.
Casares is a beautiful Andalucian ´pueblo blanco´ (white village), situated a short drive inland from from Estepona, on the Costa del Sol. It receives a large number of visitors all year round who like to photograpg the view of the village and wander its narrow streets and visit the castle.
This exceptionally pretty yet little-known marina, one of the most attractive in the whole Mediterranean, is located in the small seaside town of La Herradura. The port is situated on the eastern side of a natural headland called Punta de la Mona, on the other side from the town. It is geographically outstanding, with a perfectly-protected situation, courtesy of natural features.
Nerja is a hidden gem on the Costa del Sol. Prestine beaches and beautiful scenery make this place an increasingly popular tourist destination and it is no surprise, then, that Nerja has an abundance of accommodation options available. In addition to the many hotels and apartments on offer, there are also a good number of holiday villas in Nerja
Just outside Antequera you can visit three 5,000-year-old dolmens: Menga Dolmen (the largest in Europe) and Viera Dolmen, which are both located just outside the town, while El Romeral Dolmen is a few km away. These three prehistoric burial chambers represent some of the largest and most complete megalithic structures in Europe.
There is not usually much difficulty in finding a taxi when you need it. They are always white and have a logo on the door which displays their official number. Learn enough Spanish to explain where you are going as most drivers won't speak English. The meter marks up the basic fare, however a supplement may be added after midnight and during fiestas or public holidays.
Madinat al-Zahra was declared a UNESCO world heratige site on 1st July 2018. We are in the year 400 of the Hegira, 1010 AD of our era. On the southern slopes of Jebel al-Arus, the Bride's Mountain, the marble, jasper and precious metals of the city of Madinat al-Zahra gleam in the morning sun among silver-leafed olive groves.
The options are a tour of the famous Cordoba Mosque-Cathedral, a tour of the Juderia, the old Jewish Quarter in Cordoba, a tour around Roman Cordoba, a Sephardic tour of Jewish Heritage in Cordoba, and a cool night time Cordoba walking tour.
The aqueduct was built by the Romans during their reign over parts of Andalucia. The aqueduct would have served, not only as a valuable supply of fresh water to the town's population, but also would have been vital for the salting industry believed to be practiced in the town.
Situated on a mound overlooking Almuñécar and with views across the Mediterranean, the San Miguel Castle made for an excellent defensive stronghold. The castle is said to date back to the Phoenician era in 7th century BC. Since then the castle offers a fantastic journey through time having Roman, Moorish and more recently Christian influences.
