The Costa Tropical

Costa Tropical, backed by the snowy Sierra Nevada, has a subtropical climate

The mountains behind the Costa Tropical run right down to the Mediterranean, with beaches, coves and promontories interspersed with old castled towns. Behind Nerja, seen above, and all along the coast, all kinds of tropical fruit are grown.

The Costa Tropical is only a short drive from the holiday cottages of Los Piedaos. It is a privileged strip of coastline, which boasts the very best conditions and attractions necessary to provide a great day by the sea, plus a wonderful fish lunch on the beach.

Its situation on the Mediterranean, its closeness to Africa and to the Sierra Nevada, with the highest peaks on the Peninsula, protects the Costa Tropical from cold northerly winds. The result is a subtropical micro-climate, with 320 days of sunshine a year and an average temperature of around 20ºC, where all kinds of tropical fruit is grown in its lush valleys.

The backdrop of mountains and a series of coves and promontories, cliffs and sheltered beaches make up the landscape of this coveted coastline, conquered by numerous civilisations. Phoenicians, Romans and Moors have fought over it and left behind traces of their cultures.

RESORTS

Motril: The modern town has a commercial port and to the west our nearest beach, adjacent to the golf course.

Salobreña: The jewel of the Costa Tropical, Salobrena is a whitewashed town clinging to huge lump of rock just back from the shoreline, topped by a Moorish castle and surrounded by lush sugar cane plantations.

Almuñecar: The interesting seafront promenade is divided into many sections by the small coves and headlands that are typical of this part of the Costa Tropical. The old town has a good selection of bars and restaurants. Among the numerous attractions of Almunecar is the Loro Sexi bird park, which will delight adults and children alike, and the impressive aquatic park with its fun waterslide and more daring "Rio Turbulento" ride.

Almuñecar: Heading east from the town center, a kilometre or so along the seafront, is the Playa Velilla aquapark.

Eco-friendly, self-catering holiday rental properties on peaceful organic olive farm. Ideal family holiday accommodation in the mountains behind the Costa Tropical

La Herradura: Pretty and relatively unspoilt, it is located between the two attractive promontories of Punta de la Mona and Cerro Gordo. Probably the nicest small resort on the Costa Tropical. There are many beach restaurants, the best being the two at the extreme east and west ends.

Marina del Este: In a protected cove east of Punta de la Mona is this yacht harbour, with bars and restaurants facing the jetties. Water sports and scuba diving are popular here, thanks to the variety of sea life and clarity of the water.

Further east, beyond Almeria and Cabo de Gato, and after driving through hectares of plastic "not so green houses", the coast is empty and completely unspoilt, the rugged and desolate coast of the Cabo de Gato-Nijar Natural Park. This is an arid desert landscape, and the annual rainfall here is less than 200mm. It is sparsely populated, few villages and a very low population density. Visitors feel a sense of exploration here, as many of the coves can only be reached on foot. The most popular coastal village is San Jose.

NATURIST BEACHES ON OUR PART OF THE COSTA TROPICAL

It is only a 35-minute drive to the nearest naturist beach at Motril, called Playa La Joya near Torrenueva. Park on the N340 coastal road going east from Motril at Castel de Ferro, and go down some steep steps, about 500 metres, to the beach.

But our visitor's favourite nudist beach is further west. Take the N323 towards Motril and turn right on the N340, direction Salobreña. Continue along the coast road past Almuñecar and La Herradura (sandy beaches and good beach restaurants), and drive through a tunnel called Cerro Gordo. As soon as you exit the tunnel, turn left, following the sign for Cerro Gordo and the Playa Naturalista, down a steep 2km track through a nature reserve.

Almuñecar has an isolated nude beach in a cove to the west of the town. Drive along the seafront promenade as far as possible to the end of the village of Cotobro and park there. The beach is in the next cove and is sign-posted.