More discoveries on the Costa Tropical
We are shocked to realise that come October 1st, we will have lived in Spain for exactly 10 years. Little did we know what was ahead when we packed our ‘Way2Go’ one way van hire to Malaga from our house in Bermondsey, London. Never to return.
During those ten years one thing has remained constant, our passion for discovering new places. In London the daily grind of commuting to the office and the weekend recovery in the pub meant we rarely discovered anything new and barely noticed the city around us. Since moving here we have discovered so many places and still we feel that we have barely scratched the surface. Every year we plan to hire a camper van and head to the North of Spain with Alfie and do a two week gastro/wine tour. Even now we can see that being delayed another year as things in our working life are moving at quite a pace (more on that later). So, we have become quite adept at shoehorning in mini breaks whenever we can, sometimes it’s just a day on the beach (as per previous post). Recently we had a three day break in Nerja as some of our family hired a villa for a week and we booked a hotel in the town centre.
Nerja
We were slightly apprehensive about this break because it was the last week of August, literally the busiest week of the entire year to be going to the coast. We have been to Nerja before but always a quick few hours in the middle of winter. It was pretty and the beaches looked nice but we felt it was a bit too ‘Brits Abroad’ for us. So in all honesty our expectations were low and we were mainly just looking forward to spending time with the family and grandchildren in their villa by the pool.
I can tell you that our opinion of Nerja has changed completely! Yes, it was busy but somehow the town managed to cope remarkably well and dare I say it but it was actually quite fun seeing it filled with people. It was spotlessly clean, the flowers and palm trees and vivid pinks of the bougainvillea gave it such a tropical holiday feel it wasn’t long before we really slipped into proper holiday vibe even though we were only 1hr 20 minutes from our house in Moclin.
Ian had booked the hotel in a rush. I’m not sure that he had really put much effort into the research and when, a few days before we were due to leave, I asked for the hotel details, he said “What? Didn’t you book it?” After 5 minutes panic, the reservation was found. Well, I can confirm that he made an excellent choice.
Ian enjoying Breakfast at Hotel Carabeo
The Hotel
We stayed in Hotel Carabeo located on Calle Hernando Carabeo just to the East of The Balcon de Europa - 5 mins walk max. It’s a privately owned hotel and that’s clear from the moment you walk in, it has an old world but tasteful decor style and as you walk through the tiled hallway you can see glimpses of the pool and the sea beyond, literally you want to just keep going past reception and dive right in! We booked a suite with a small but adequate balcony with glorious sea views through the palm trees. Very comfortable beds and we really noticed the lovely artwork on the walls and general attention to interior design detail. In my opinion this hotel definitely qualifies under the heading ‘boutique’ hotel. Seven rooms/suites, you really feel like a house guest rather than just another client.
I must mention that the hotel has a restaurant and tapas bar too Restaurant 34 On our first evening whilst we waited for the family to arrive from the villa we sat outside on a small table and ordered a few small beers and with it came the most exquisite Russian salad tapas, I’ve tasted Russian salad hundreds of times, its an Andalusian staple, but this was something else. That’s when we realised it was top notch. Later we decided to have the tapas selection with the family and every single portion was delicious. We didn’t have time to have the a la carte menu but we will definitely be going back and trying that.
Playa Calahonda, Balcon de Europa in the background
Burriana Beach. We found 6 sunbeds!
Our Nerja Highlights:
Taking a walk down to Playa Calahonda at night.
Chiringuito Ayo on Playa Burriana. There is a beachside walkway from Nerja town which is quite fun.
Discovering the hidden beaches between Playa Calahonda and Playa Carabeo. If you saw Andrew’s Instagram stories, you’ll see it’s a bit ‘Indiana Jones’ down there…
The Taste of India Restaurant - I know! What? But this was opposite the hotel and the smell was so alluring that we had to try it. And we thought it was great. Don’t miss the tennis ball sized onion bahjee.
La Jamoneria Alcauza, C. de la Gloria, 9. Perfect for ice cold Manzanilla and Jamon.
View from our balcony.
You will find this beach if you go exploring beyond playa Carabeo…
Cotobro/Almuñécar
Earlier this week it was Ian’s birthday so we did a quick dash to the coast again. As you know from a previous post, he has now got his navigation license so we decided to hire a boat again from Marina del Este. I booked a hotel for the night so we didn’t have to rush back after a morning on the high seas.
As it happens, the seas were not high at all, in fact they were as flat as a pancake. When we arrived at Marina del Este at 09:30 it was very quiet. No problems parking (it’s amazing how everything calms down after August). We hopped on the boat and slowly made our way out the marina when almost immediately I saw a fish leap out of the water…except it was too big for a fish surely… and then suddenly we realised we were heading straight for a school of dolphins! It was incredible! Leaping around in front of the boat. Obviously I told Ian I had ordered them for his birthday.
Perfect conditions including quite an eerie mist made for a super fun morning. I had brought cava, fresh orange juice, canapés of blinis, smoked salmon and caviar. Honestly, just for a short while you forget everything and the world is wonderful.
Views from the boat towards the Cerro Gordo natural park.
OnAleta Room. Almuñecar (far right). View from the boat.
The Hotel
I booked a room with sea view at the OnHotel Aleta, Almuñécar. We have seen this hotel before and I think we stopped for a drink once always saying we should try it out. Its quite quirky with a pseudo oriental decor style but its position right on Cotobro beach is incredible.
Super friendly staff throughout the hotel and the roof top terrace with bar and pool is great. The pool is only 60cm deep but actually is perfect for cooling off looking past the infinity edge to the sea. Later we hired sunbeds on the beach as the sun went down and had dip in the sea which was crystal clear and good for snorkelling.
We decided to have dinner at the only other restaurant on this small beach called Balcon de Cotobro. Again, beachside table and a blackboard menu with some great interesting dishes. I started with beef carpaccio, delicious and wafer thin, followed by bacalao ‘goujons’ So delicious that we went back for lunch the next day.
The hotel provided some live music in the evening which was, erm, not quite pitch perfect but it was still jolly. We would certainly return to stay again.
So even though we have been going to this part of the Costa Tropical since we moved to Spain, we are still discovering new places and we will continue to do so.
View from our balcony.
Ian’s Birthday picnic on the boat.
Pool terrace with surprisingly comfortable beanbag loungers.
