This is the area of Andalucia sandwiched between Costa del Sol and Costa Almeria and for many it represents the “last paradise” of the province, providing top class coastal resorts, highly rated ski resorts, extreme mountain scenery, sub-tropical climate and the unique tourist Mecca that is the City of Granada.
While Granada, the ancient capital of the Moors might be dubbed the City of Dreams and exerts a strong attraction on travellers from around the world, there are many other bonuses for property buyers from the UK and Northern Europe.
Beach resorts of the Costa Tropical – named because of the sub tropical climate and tropical fruits grown here - can now be reached in about an hour from Malaga Airport, a long-time favourite destination of Brits and the pleasant coastal micro-climate can be enjoyed for most of the year. There are good restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shopping opportunities.
It lacks the glamour of the Costa del Sol, but in the coastal resorts and inland villages, the traditional Andalucian lifestyle more than compensates. Main resorts offering good property buying prospects are La Herradura, Almuñécar, Salobreña and Motril. They provide idyllic beaches, Moorish artefacts, watersports, boat trips and markets with locally produced fresh produce. Property in Spain offers a good selection of developments and village homes.
Almuñécar is the “capital” of the area as it attracts visitors from Granada and Madrid to whom it is a favourite holiday spot. Excellent facilities, but not aimed at mass tourism, include a choice of 25 different beaches. The Marina del Este is a bustling pleasure marina with over 200 moorings and many watersports. Motril is the biggest town and additionally has excellent shopping, watersports and boat trips to Morocco
Just inland lie small, white-washed villages surrounded by plantations of sugar cane and advocaats and linked by narrow, winding “slow down” roads criss-crossing valleys and plains, an area that looks as though the tourists have yet to fully discover it many attributes. There are property opportunities here for the Spain savvy buyer, prepared to integrate into rural lifestyles and the slow pace that accompanies this.
Behind these Sugarlands lie the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada with some of its ski resorts less than an hour’s drive from that favourite beach or resort poolside. The historic city of Granada, and its world famous Alhambra Palace can be reached in under an hour from Motril and for many Costa home-owners and tourists is a must-see destination.