The
Costa Tropical is that part of the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain
within the province of Granada, whose capital city, the home of flamenco,
is world famous for the beautiful Alhambra, the summer palace of the last
Moorish Sultan in Spain.
Being
one of the more mountainous areas of the country, and containing Spain’s
highest, the Sierra Nevada, the coastline is more varied and rugged than
most of the better known Costas. A journey along the coast is an adventure,
where the road can twist high above secret little coves, reveal long stretches
of beach, pass pretty resorts or cross flat plains still cultivated by
numerous farms using methods both ancient and modern. From earlier times
many hillsides have been terraced for growing olive, almond trees and
vines. It still strongly possesses a Spanish way of life, and while intense
tourist development has not reached this area it makes an ideal holiday
destination at almost any time of the year.
It
has a climate that averages 325 sunny days a year (reputedly the
healthiest in Europe) and crops such as sugar cane, avocado, bananas
and mangoes well justify calling this beautiful coast the Costa
Tropical de Granada.
Towns
such as Almunecar or Salobrena, which are now popular holiday resorts
still maintain a strong feeling of their past, each dominated by its hilltop
Moorish castle surrounded by a maze of narrow streets and a jumble of
white painted houses cascading down their slopes. In contrast, there are
some modern coastal developments, the chic Marina del Este being a good
example, and where sports such as sailing and scuba diving are available.
A few kilometres inland, Motril is a young bustling market town which
displays the increasing prosperity coming to this part of Spain, providing
numerous good quality shops, and bars and restaurants that multiply year
by year. Near the Port of Motril is the winter home of the King of Belgium
and Los Moriscos beach golf course.
The
interior is dominated by the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains, snow-capped
for much of the year. There are few places in Europe where one can ski
in the morning and return to the coast in the afternoon to sunbathe on
the beach or lounge by the poolside!
Las
Alpujarras are a spectacular and unspoilt region below the Sierra Nevada,
containing numerous white painted villages such as Pampaneira or Capileira
high on the hillsides, still looking very much as they might have done
in Moorish times. This is an area for walking and discovering flora and
fauna to be found nowhere else in Europe.
Nearer
the coast there are numerous little farmhouses or ‘cortijos’, many of
which are becoming available for holiday accommodation, some located amongst
avocado orchards, some more remotely positioned in the hills, while others
are just a few minutes from town or beach. Villages high above the sea,
such as Gualchos. Polopos, Lujar or the tiny La Garnatilla are a delight
to stay in or just visit.
The
coastal resorts have numerous restaurants specialising in wonderful fish
and seafood, while villages in the interior may offer simpler fare – the
famous Serrano Ham from Las Alpujarras, or perhaps just a plate of patatas
povres con huevos washed down with a glass or two of Costa wine. Or you
might find a gourmet restaurant in the most unexpected of places.
Whether
one wants the convenience of a modern apartment by the beach, the luxury
of a villa with its own swimming pool, the intimacy a house in a little
village, the simplicity of a rural cortijo or perhaps the retreat of a
remote cottage in the hills, the province of Granada with its Costa Tropical
offers all of these alternatives for a delightful holiday.
Every
little village celebrates its own fiesta day and local hospitality is
generous - for where else in Spain are you still always given tapas with
your drink? |