The Costa Tropical is the coastline of Granada province, the next province East of Malaga.  Interestingly, this stretch of coastline was given its’ name due to the effects of a micro climate that gives the weather characteristics of a sub tropical environment.  The successful growth of sugar cane plantations for more than a thousand years confirms the name Costa Tropical.

Geographically located close to Africa and as well as the Sierra Nevada, it is protected from cold northerly winds and results in a unique climate zone.  Its climate varies greatly from a more tolerable range along the coast (about 10º - 20º cooler in summer, 10º-20º warmer in winter) to more severe summers and winters elsewhere.  Together with approximately 320 days of sunshine yearly and an average temperature of 20ºC, this strip of coastline is indeed special.

Along much of the Costa Tropical, mountains run right down to the beach forming a series of stunning headlands and protected coves and beaches, the horseshoe shaped bay at La Herradura is a lovely unspoilt example.  Due these fantastic characteristics this coastline is very popular with climbers and hikers alike, not to mention those visiting to turn their hand to one of the many sports and water sports this coast is famous for.

The combination of its micro-climate ("micro-clima"), tropical vegetation, geographical and topographical aspects, and its rich, multi-cultural (Phoenician, Roman, Greek, and Arab) history make the Costa Tropical one of the most interesting areas of Spain, and of Andalucia in particular.  And unlike the better known Costa del Sol where the 21st century has already arrived, the Costa Tropical is still very Spanish, and yes, still living in the 20th century.  Its people are warm, friendly and family-loving.....qualities that are fast disappearing.  Once you have visited this part of the world, you will probably be back again....and again....and maybe stay for good like so many others have already.

The main towns where businesses are centred are:  Almuñécar, Salobreña, Motril, Castell de Ferro.  Moving inland, we find secondary pockets of industry in Jete, Otivar, Padul, Lecrin, and Velez de Benaudalla.  Largely due to the tourism business based on windsurfing, scuba diving, sailing, golf, horse-riding, and hiking as well as skiing in the nearby Sierra Nevada, even smaller towns are becoming more recognised as places to visit.

Almuñécar, together with its neighbour La Herradura form the tourist capital of the Costa Tropical.  The town sits upon a hill at the mouth of two rivers, meandering down to the coast.  From here you can almost reach out and touch Africa and its special climate.  The town is backed by rugged hills, valleys and agricultural land of olive groves, almond and carob trees.  It is host to a number of excellent attractions, well worth a visit, like the San Miguel Castle and the water park, for example.

The charming Mediterranean fishing town of Castell de Ferro is situated in the coastal region known as the Costa Tropical, in the province of Granada.  The scenery in this area is stunning, with steep cliffs and a dramatic coastline.  The area of Castell de Ferro is much less busy than some of its counterpart seaside resorts, and suits those looking for a coastal resort with a difference. 

The picture postcard village of Salobreña is situated on the Costa Tropical in the province of Granada; it’s known as the ‘jewel of the Costa Tropical’, the village is ideally located, on the beach, in a wonderful sunny climate, yet just 45 minutes from the historical city of Granada, and the skiing resort of the Sierra Nevada.  You can literally mix a ski and beach holiday.

The picture postcard village of Salobreña is situated on the Costa Tropical in the Andalusian province of Granada; it’s known as the ‘jewel of the Costa Tropical’.  The village is a whitewashed township clinging to huge lump of rock just back from the shoreline, topped by a Moorish castle and surrounded by lush sugar cane plantations.  Salobreña has witnessed 6000 years of human history, thanks to its privileged position and benign climate. Its Moorish castle was built in the 10th century, and its Mudejar 16th century church, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario is built on top of the old mosque.   Roman remains turn up everywhere.

ideally located, on the beach, in a wonderful sunny climate, yet just 45 minutes from the historical city of Granada, and the skiing resort of the Sierra Nevada.  From October to April, you could be in the happy position of being able to ski during the day and return to sunbathe on Salobreña's long, clean beach in the evening.  With the Mediterranean sea at your feet and the snowy mountains of the Sierra Nevada to your back, you couldn’t wish for a better combination.  Salobrena is a delightful place to visit any time of the year.

There are two main parts of Salobreña.  The first is The Old Town which sits atop a rocky prominence and is a cluster of whitewashed houses and quirky steep narrow streets leading up to the castle. This is called 'El Castillo De Salobreña' which is one of its main tourist attractions.  The centre of Salobreña, which is built on an impressive rock, is a maze of whitewashed houses, which fall into the districts of Brocal, Albaycín, La Fuente and La Loma.  Exploring the town is a lovely way to pass a day; don’t take a map, just head in the direction that takes your fancy, you’ll find charming interesting spots all over town.  Plus you can only really go up or down in Salobreña! 

The second part of Salobreña is new developments which spread from the bottom of The Old Town right to the Beach.  The whole town is almost surrounded by sugarcane fields on each side along the coast and further inland.  The last remaining cane sugar factory in Europe was located along the coast just west of the village of La Caleta de Salobreña.  It closed in 2006.

Another tourist attraction in Salobreña is 'El Peñon' (The Rock) which divides two of Salobreña's five beaches and juts out between Playa La Guardia and Playa de la Charca/Solamar and into the sea (see the panoramic photograph at the top of this page).  The beach is a short walk from the town and is home to several chiringuitos (beach bars/restaurants).  One of our favourite restaurants is El Peñon and it is right by the rock.  Top dish is the Gambas al pil pil, prawns in a spicy garlic sauce served with bread.

Situated next to the Costa Tropical’s only golf course, Los Moriscos, Playa de Granada is a long narrow semi-urban beach which has Blue Flag status.  It is relatively quiet and has lots of free parking and is very quick to access from the main road.  Like many of the beaches in this part of Spain it is volcanic sand and pebbles.

This is the beach we visit most frequently.  We often combine our grocery shopping trip to Alcampo in Motril with a visit to Hoyo 19, a chiringuito on Playa de Granada for lunch.  At Hoyo 19 you can call ahead to reserve sun beds and shade placed between the chiringuito and sea.  The charge is only €5 for the day and you are served at your sun bed.  Alongside Hoyo 19 you can rent water motorbikes, a Hobbie Cat, pedaloes, and surf boards.

This beach is really a cove, an unexpected piece of heaven on a hot day as you depart the road and swing back underneath the motorway.  You have to park just off the road and walk down to the beach.  It's still a bit of a well kept secret, although on high season weekends that secret seems to be out, particularly with Spanish families!  There are lots of reasons to take a trip to Rijana, but one in particular - the snorkelling is fantastic with lovely clear water and lots of fishes.  Teens and accomplished swimmers will love it.

La Rihanna is located off the N-340 between Calahonda and Castell de Ferro.

Tip:  Bring plenty of drinks/water and snacks, sometimes there's a little bar/shack open there, sometimes not (no tapas).  Remember the snorkelling gear too!  Also there is no shade so don't forget to pack the parasol and high factor sun-cream.

Almuñécar has many fine beaches and sheltered coves along its 19 kilometres of coastline, a labyrinth of narrow, winding streets to explore in the old part of town and the picturesque backdrop of the magnificent Sierra Nevada mountains.  A subtropical climate, magnificent sun-kissed beaches (sixteen of them!), water sports, beautiful parks and gardens, historical and cultural sites of interest and an abundance of great places to wine and dine make Almuñécar a great place to visit, at any time of year.

The strategic location of this place was appreciated by the Muslims, who provided its town centre with walls and a castle, that of San Miguel.  In fact, the surrounding district preserves the irregular layout typical of this kind of medieval development.  Cobbled streets and whitewashed façades are the distinctive features of this area, where the visitor will find courtyards full of flowers and unforgettable corners.  On some of Almuñécar’s beaches, old watchtowers, also from the Muslim period, await you.  They also served for warding off attacks by Berbers and pirates.  An example is the one that stands on the beach at Tesorillo.

Almuñécar's gastronomy focuses mainly on fresh fish and tropical fruit.  Monkfish (rape), red sea bream (besugo), squids (calamares), grouper (mero), croaker (corvina), and shellfish paella are typical examples of local seafood.  There are several restaurants next to the beach where meals featuring these can be eaten al fresco in the sea breezes. Pub crawls with stops at several bars to try different tapas are also popular.

The soil in the area is very fertile, and due to the semi-tropical climate, tropical fruits can be grown here.  The most notable are mangos, avocados, loquats, and cherimoyas, but it is also easy to find papayas, guavas, lychees, kiwis, figs and even prickly pears, the fruit of the Opuntia ficus-indica cactus, which are used to make ice cream and jams sold in several local coffee shops.  Until the 1960s, Almuñécar had an important role as a sugar cane producer, but an international boycott and government intervention ruined the twelve-century-old industry.

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Enjoying a beautiful setting, La Herradura overlooks a picturesque horseshoe-shaped bay which is famous for its crystal-clear waters, sheltered beach, and excellent water sports facilities, particularly scuba-diving.

The origins of La Herradura date back millennia - bronze-age settlements have been discovered in the area.  A Visigoth rural chapel was found a little way up the River Jate which passes the town, and a Moorish settlement had a small castle near the mouth of the river - latterly the site of a Guardia Civil cuartel.  The origins of the lighthouse on the Punta de la Mona headland are also Moorish and later it was an 18th-century lookout tower.

The modern town, which numbers about 4,000 people, was built away from the Moorish castle.  It is a network of apartment blocks and other than the mudejar brick-style San José church, it has little architecture of note.

The wide beach of dark sand and pebbles is 2km long and perfectly enclosed by two large headlands, Punta de la Mona to the east and Cerro Gordo to the west, both with a lighthouse high on top.  Running behind the beach is a seafront promenade, Paseo Andrés Segovia, and close to this you will find numerous cafes, bars and seaside shops. 

Early in the morning or late in the afternoon it is a perfect place to go for a stroll and stop for a well-earned refreshment.  One interesting feature of the beach are several attractive oases of green grass and palm trees - unusual in such a setting, but most welcome.

Besides marine flora and fauna of great ecological value, its sea bed is home to the remains of 25 Spanish naval galleons.  The Spanish Armada sheltered at La Herradura from a storm in 1562, and when the wind changed, many ships were lost on the rocks around Punta de la Mona and Playa Berenguales.  Three to five thousand sailors were lost.  A monument to the 1562 disaster was placed on the seafront in 1990.  The Almuñécar - La Herradura Sub-aquatic Reserve was created aiming to preserve this marine wealth.  Its objective is to make this part of the coast of Andalucía an international point of reference for scuba enthusiasts, and to create a unique area in Spain with artificial reefs simulating sunken galleons, amphora factories and practice areas.

Follow the promenade all the way to the eastern end, towards Almuñécar, and the road climbs the headland.  This was once the tortuously windy main coast road, with distinctive concrete blocks as a safety barrier.  The road descends to Marina de la Este, once the prettiest marina on the whole Andalusian coast.

As with nearly all the beaches in that area, El Cañuelo is a cove, with shingles rather than sand.  The water is something out of this world, exceptionally clean, crystal clear and teeming with fish.  With no need to swim out more than a few feet, the snorkelling was brilliant, so great for children.  For the more energetic, you can swim to neighbouring coves, discovering completely deserted stretches of beach and underwater caves.

There are two restaurants.  One is relatively new and seems almost continually closed.  The other is very good, but quite expensive.  Then again, the view, the food and the atmosphere make treating yourself all the more appealing. 

The Los Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo natural area is a protected area covering 1,814 hectares of cliffs, beaches and coves.  Situated just on the border with Malaga and Granada, it’s an area that is surprising easy to drive through when following the N-340.  El Cañuelo is situated in this protected area about 13km east of Nerja.  Clearly signposted, there’s a small roundabout, turn off the N-340 just after the 402 KM sign.

Park at the top of the cliff and take the shuttle bus down – at the time of writing – the price is 2€ return for adults – children went for free.

Ok, Torre del Mar is not on the Costa Tropical but it deserves a mention for three very good reasons.  Firstly, it is the home to our favourite chiringuito discovered when we were seeking our Spanish home.  Secondly, it is a good stopping off point for lunch if arriving at Málaga airport in the morning for a holiday at Rural Paradise.  Finally, if stopping for lunch there is a good supermarket adjoining the Mediterranean motorway where you can get supplies for your holiday.

So, Torre del Mar is located in the region known as Axarquia in Málaga province.  It is one of the most popular seaside resorts on the Costa del Sol, mainly with the Spanish.  The town boasts wide sandy beaches, with a lovely long promenade, which takes you along the coast to the neighbouring fishing town of La Caleta de Velez.  Maybe walk off your lunch before continuing your journey!

Favourite chiringuito?  Well beach bar in Inglés.  And it is Bahía de Tanit located just out side of town to the west with plenty of free parking.  Our favourite dish is the Gambas Pil Pil - prawns in a hot, spicy garlic sauce, crikey the taste buds are overflowing just mentioning it!