About the Costa de Almería

Whether you are planning a short holiday, to buy a holiday home or to make the big permanent move to Spain there are some things you may not yet know about the Costa de Almería.

The Costa de Almería is not famous for its nightlife. This is a place to come to chill out, to enjoy year-round sunshine and, if you are here for any length of time, to make lots of new friends.

It is a haven for bird-watchers and ramblers: one of our bird-watching guests last winter identified no fewer than 40 different types of birds just around Las Tortugas, as well as the same number of wild flowers, including many orchids. There are many interesting geological features and endless possibilities for long walks over craggy hills and down steep valleys.

For those more interested in the less strenuous pursuits of eating, drinking and generally chilling out, Almería offers a variety of sea-side resort options, in any of which you can be certain to find restaurants serving a good selection of fish and paellas.

The best-known of these is probably Mojácar Playa, which occupies a narrow strip of coastline nearly 17 km long, with several beaches boasting the sought-after blue flag. If you don’t enjoy crowds, August and Easter are best avoided as this is when the Spanish descend en masse to this resort, which they have known about for years but which has remained largely undiscovered by the rest of the world until very recently, and driving along the beach becomes impossible. Mojácar has undergone a good deal of development in the last few years but serious rules about height of buildings have ensured that it has not become just another collection of skyscrapers – buildings more than three stories high are not allowed.

Garrucha is still a Spanish fishing port, with a small marina alongside, and a long, wide beach to the north of the port which runs up to the much newer resort of Vera Playa, where there is also a naturist community and beach.

Beyond Vera Playa is a smaller marina at Villaricos and ten minutes further up the coast you reach San Juan de Los Terreros which until a couple of years ago was just another sleepy little town but which is now being sensitively developed as a tourist destination. A bit further and you arrive at the much larger town of Águilas with a large port and marina.

To the south of Mojácar is the Natural Park of the Cabo de Gata. Loads of space, some beautiful little beaches and a couple of seaside towns worth the visit. Our favourite is Agua Amarga, a sleepy little village built around a cove with just a couple of bars and restaurants right on the beach. San José is much bigger, with a little marina and much more choice of restaurants. Carboneras is a large town fighting its way onto the tourist map but rather handicapped by being home to a power station, cement works and one of the largest desalination plants in Europe. That said, the promenade area is actually quite attractive and there are some decent places to eat.

Inland, Nijar lies to the other side of the motorway from the Cabo de Gata and is famous for ceramics and Jarapas (woven blankets).

Also on the other side of the motorway but closer to Mojácar, is the charming white hill village of Bédar, discovered (as indeed was Mojácar Pueblo) in the seventies by artists but only in the last ten years or so by quite large numbers of mostly northern-Europeans who have made it their home. The ex-pat community in Bédar now outnumber the locals but they are mostly Spanish residents rather than occasional visitors to holiday homes, and are very well integrated.

From having the benefit of only one golf course, Cortijo Grande with only 9 holes some five years ago, eastern Almería has recently put itself on the golf map in a big way. There is a seaside course at Mojácar, Europe’s only Arizona-style course at Desert Springs, near Vera and the popular, challenging course at Valle del Este, just round the corner from Las Tortugas. There is also a course at La Envia near Almería city and several others under construction throughout the area.

Other activities available locally include the Aqua Park at Vera (suitable for kids of all ages from small to very ancient!), scuba-diving, horse-riding and go-karting. The painted desert and the Mini-Hollywood theme park at Tabernas are an hour or so away and if you are looking for higher culture you can reach the Alhambra in Granada in a couple of hours.