Spain
Trip Report June 2005
Searching for Moors
Nerja
Searching for Moors
Nerja
Paraiso del Mar 130€ Jr Suite
It was fabulous! Enrique, owner?/manager gave us the grand tour & told us it was our home for our stay. It was a villa built in the 1940s & gradually enlarged. There are now 3 buildings with only 16 rooms & indoor parking (via a car elevator no less) under the newest building. We had rented the junior suite - Rm 207 - 130€ per night - the old master bedroom with a sitting area & a monstrous bathroom, located on the 2nd floor of building #2. B. forgave me for the bathroom at the Amadeus when she saw the size of this room's facilities. The balcony looked over stunningly beautiful grounds, right on the cliff overlooking the multi-hued Mediterranean. Wow! Our balcony faced due south & I swore I saw Africa in the haze - although it might have been the wine & Sangria . . . Mountains bounded up from the sea to the east & framed Nerja to the north. Just a gorgeous spot. The public beach was accessed via 141 steps with numerous small patios to break up the walk down & for private sitting areas overlooking the beach. You have to buzz in & out of the gate below to keep the beach riffraff off the hotel grounds. A big WOW again. I felt sorry for the people in the Parador that looked longingly at the Paraiso & wished that they had stayed there. They had an elevator to get down to the beach but we had semi-private lounging decks. Btw . . . at the Paraiso, English was spoken by all & the bulk of the clientele was British or German. |
Day 9 Sevilla to Nerja
After a street breakfast in a café - 5€ each (very near the Amadeus in the small plaza on Santa Maria la Blanca) we loaded the car and paid the parking bill - 14€ per day. With some expert driving maneuvers (a couple of u-turns wink, wink) we got turned around and easily found the Ave Andalusia, which turns into A92 for the trek east for our beach idyll. We were really looking forward to some sea breezes to cool us off after the baking and broiling we had experienced since we had landed in Spain. There was slight cloud partway, which was the first we'd seen and this shade made it a very pleasant top down drive. We turned south on N331 at Antequera but alas, since it was Monday, we couldn't stop and see the dolmens as they were closed.
It was time for a bit of mountain climbing. B. was in her usual mountain-induced white knuckle state. Malaga popped into view briefly with its rampant high rises and I thanked the travel Gods that we didn't stay there. I was after peace and tranquility, not resort central. The coast highway was not your typical follow-the-coast road, but darted in and out amongst the mountains and thru tunnels. I thought it was great fun but B. didn't. I threatened to lock her in the trunk. Numerous towns were viewed in the distance on the coast - many looked as bad as Malaga with a forest of high rises. I started to question my judgment to go to the coast for a beach vacation fearing the over development that I had read about. We arrived at Nerja in about 3 hours and followed the Parador signs to our hotel - Paraiso del Mar - right beside the Parador. It was spectacular!
We unpacked and walked up the big hill to N340 to find a Supermercado to buy supplies - Coke, vodka, Kleenex (absent in most European hotels and B. is addicted). We stopped for a hamberguesa and fries and Sangria at a ratty restaurant. Yeah, that's right - a hamburger. I was starved for plain 'merican food. It wasn't very good but it did hit the spot. The heat was coming on but it was noticeably cooler here due to the proximity of the ocean. However, it was still rather warm - 36C - so we made our way back to the hotel and then down to walk the beach. Playa Burriana is about 3/4 km long and well serviced with lifeguards, restaurants, rental sun bed enclaves and tourist ticky-tacky. It ends at an abrupt mountain bluff at the east end. It sported coarse sand and lots of people, but it was never packed while we were there. August would probably be a different case however. The Med was freezing btw.
For dinner, we followed the manager's map and wandered into the 'tourist' zone in Nerja Queste. Bars, restaurants, shops all competed with one another to capture Euros from the British tourists who holiday here or own holiday/retirement condos. Only a 10 minute walk from the Paraiso, it was close enough, but also far enough away and I had no idea it was there when I investigated Nerja. We settled on the Paellador? which is on the land side of the Balcon de Europe hotel, in the heart of this area. This hotel is always highly rated in Foder's posts, but I wouldn't stay there due to the street circus outside. I had a steak with pepper sauce (btw medium is our rare) & B. had sole. 55€ including a bottle of Vega de la Reina Reserva 1989. B. amused herself by feeding stray cats that were wandering around amidst the hubbub. Carriage rides, street artists, musicians etc etc swirled around us in the square.
After a street breakfast in a café - 5€ each (very near the Amadeus in the small plaza on Santa Maria la Blanca) we loaded the car and paid the parking bill - 14€ per day. With some expert driving maneuvers (a couple of u-turns wink, wink) we got turned around and easily found the Ave Andalusia, which turns into A92 for the trek east for our beach idyll. We were really looking forward to some sea breezes to cool us off after the baking and broiling we had experienced since we had landed in Spain. There was slight cloud partway, which was the first we'd seen and this shade made it a very pleasant top down drive. We turned south on N331 at Antequera but alas, since it was Monday, we couldn't stop and see the dolmens as they were closed.
It was time for a bit of mountain climbing. B. was in her usual mountain-induced white knuckle state. Malaga popped into view briefly with its rampant high rises and I thanked the travel Gods that we didn't stay there. I was after peace and tranquility, not resort central. The coast highway was not your typical follow-the-coast road, but darted in and out amongst the mountains and thru tunnels. I thought it was great fun but B. didn't. I threatened to lock her in the trunk. Numerous towns were viewed in the distance on the coast - many looked as bad as Malaga with a forest of high rises. I started to question my judgment to go to the coast for a beach vacation fearing the over development that I had read about. We arrived at Nerja in about 3 hours and followed the Parador signs to our hotel - Paraiso del Mar - right beside the Parador. It was spectacular!
We unpacked and walked up the big hill to N340 to find a Supermercado to buy supplies - Coke, vodka, Kleenex (absent in most European hotels and B. is addicted). We stopped for a hamberguesa and fries and Sangria at a ratty restaurant. Yeah, that's right - a hamburger. I was starved for plain 'merican food. It wasn't very good but it did hit the spot. The heat was coming on but it was noticeably cooler here due to the proximity of the ocean. However, it was still rather warm - 36C - so we made our way back to the hotel and then down to walk the beach. Playa Burriana is about 3/4 km long and well serviced with lifeguards, restaurants, rental sun bed enclaves and tourist ticky-tacky. It ends at an abrupt mountain bluff at the east end. It sported coarse sand and lots of people, but it was never packed while we were there. August would probably be a different case however. The Med was freezing btw.
For dinner, we followed the manager's map and wandered into the 'tourist' zone in Nerja Queste. Bars, restaurants, shops all competed with one another to capture Euros from the British tourists who holiday here or own holiday/retirement condos. Only a 10 minute walk from the Paraiso, it was close enough, but also far enough away and I had no idea it was there when I investigated Nerja. We settled on the Paellador? which is on the land side of the Balcon de Europe hotel, in the heart of this area. This hotel is always highly rated in Foder's posts, but I wouldn't stay there due to the street circus outside. I had a steak with pepper sauce (btw medium is our rare) & B. had sole. 55€ including a bottle of Vega de la Reina Reserva 1989. B. amused herself by feeding stray cats that were wandering around amidst the hubbub. Carriage rides, street artists, musicians etc etc swirled around us in the square.
Day 10 . . . Day 11 . . . Day 12 . . . Nerja continued . . .
For the next few days, the pace slowed down. This was our holiday within a holiday. Let's face it - traveling is exhausting. More often than not you are in a place that you will never return to so there is a pressing need to 'see it all'. You hustle around doing the must visits and eating at the must eats etc etc. That is why it is always a great idea to devote a few contiguous days doing nothing. A holiday within the holiday.
And every day was about the same . . .
Adventure day. After breakfast, we regained the car from the bowels of the hotel via its teeny car elevator and set out to investigate a little of the coast. We skipped the white villages, because we had already seen many of them throughout Andalusia and La Mancha. We did stop at the Cuevas Nerja (caves) and paid our 6€ or so for this natural wonder. It was nice and cool inside. The rock art section was closed but the caves were interesting and very artistically lit. We then set off to find a pocket beach to relax on. We settled on Playa Cantarrijan, which is accessed via a very bumpy, winding dirt road (with no guards rails) that is just west of the Cero Gordo tunnel before Almuñécar. B. was not happy with the road (to put it mildly). Once again she was screaming: WE'RE GONNA DIE! as we wound down to the beach. Cantarrijan is a 2-part naturalist beach that allowed us to tan the 'private' areas. We stayed in the more private eastern section, but there were sun bed rentals in the western section for those so inclined. 2 restaurants & washrooms and 3€ parking charge (although you can park on the road heading in/out for free). Only about 100 people were there by mid-afternoon when we left having baked enough. No sand, but small pebbles that you can form to your body under the beach blanket. It was hot but the water was very, very cold. The setting was beautiful and private. Sorry . . . no pics . . . or maybe that is a good thing . . .
For the next few days, the pace slowed down. This was our holiday within a holiday. Let's face it - traveling is exhausting. More often than not you are in a place that you will never return to so there is a pressing need to 'see it all'. You hustle around doing the must visits and eating at the must eats etc etc. That is why it is always a great idea to devote a few contiguous days doing nothing. A holiday within the holiday.
And every day was about the same . . .
- I was up early and I watched fishing boats trawling in the sea as the early morning haze dissipated.
- We greatly enjoyed the included breakfast buffet in the wonderful outdoor eating spot and got ready for . . . nothing.
- This was a very lazy day. Sun. Pool. Relax. The Paraiso proved a great place to sit & do nothing. Wonderful.
- We had a late lunch (hamberguesa & fries for me & jamon bun for B.) + a jug of Sangria on the beach below.
- A siesta wrapped up the day.
- We trekked into the 'tourist' zone for dinner.
Adventure day. After breakfast, we regained the car from the bowels of the hotel via its teeny car elevator and set out to investigate a little of the coast. We skipped the white villages, because we had already seen many of them throughout Andalusia and La Mancha. We did stop at the Cuevas Nerja (caves) and paid our 6€ or so for this natural wonder. It was nice and cool inside. The rock art section was closed but the caves were interesting and very artistically lit. We then set off to find a pocket beach to relax on. We settled on Playa Cantarrijan, which is accessed via a very bumpy, winding dirt road (with no guards rails) that is just west of the Cero Gordo tunnel before Almuñécar. B. was not happy with the road (to put it mildly). Once again she was screaming: WE'RE GONNA DIE! as we wound down to the beach. Cantarrijan is a 2-part naturalist beach that allowed us to tan the 'private' areas. We stayed in the more private eastern section, but there were sun bed rentals in the western section for those so inclined. 2 restaurants & washrooms and 3€ parking charge (although you can park on the road heading in/out for free). Only about 100 people were there by mid-afternoon when we left having baked enough. No sand, but small pebbles that you can form to your body under the beach blanket. It was hot but the water was very, very cold. The setting was beautiful and private. Sorry . . . no pics . . . or maybe that is a good thing . . .