Guide to Almeria

Advantages: 335 days of sunshine.
Disadvantages: Very little options re. package holiday resorts

...I wrote the following for a friend who owns a house near Tabernas, Almeria. Pleased to share it with all. However, it would seem I've exceeded the Ciao limit on lenghth of review, so I apologise that it ends rather abruptly. INTRODUCTION When I embarked upon this guide in October 2004, little did I realize that it would develop into an ongoing project rather than just a one-off task. It wasn't until a further visit to the area in May 2005 that I realized how much was missing from the initial version, particularly in respect of places to go and things to do. Hopefully, you will agree that these issues have now been addressed satisfactorily. ***** This guide is intended to help you get the very best out of your trip to Tabernas and the Almeria area in general. As time goes on it will be updated as new information becomes...

richkw 27.06.2005 (13.07.2005) · Read review
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Review of Almería (Spain)

A beautifull walk near San Jose Spain

Advantages: Beautiful
Disadvantages: you really need a car

...A pretty cove and a beautiful walk near San José Spain We went on holiday to San José in Almeria Spain this Easter hols. This is a description of one of the best bays/beaches we found and a good coastal walk. We used the tourist hiking map Capo de Gata-Nijar (1:50.000 same scale as an standard OS map here) which we bought from the tourist information in San José, it comes with an accompanying book about the routes marked on the map. It also contained information about camping, apartments and other local information in Spanish. Dearly beloved can read some Spanish and I found I could follow a lot of the instructions fairly simply, you may be able to get an English copy. I will check this out .We found this a very good map and guide I would certainly recommend it. One morning we set out in our hire car, with a loaf of bread, some...

mumsymary 24.09.2002 (23.11.2007) · Read review
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Review of Almería (Spain)

Sun, Sea and..... Sangria.

Advantages: A quieter region of Spain that will appeal to some...
Disadvantages: ... but it may be too quiet for others !

...In October 2005, I was fortunate enough to take a short break to Roquetas-De-Mar, which is part of the Costa Almeria region of Spain. Although we were only there for a week, I'd like to share some of my experiences with you in the hope that it may prove useful should you be considering visiting this area in Southern Spain. History: Almeria is a city and region on the South West Coast of Spain, with long stretches of over 200km of coastline stretching along the Alboran Sea (which is part of the Mediterranean Sea.) The name, Almeria, is derived from the Arabic term "al-Meraya" - meaning "Watchtower" - which is due to the amazing Moorish castle in the region. The province has a colourful history that dates back to the Bronze age, and is associated with the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and Arabs in latter times...

SRowlands 10.11.2005 · Read review
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Review of Almería (Spain)

WAS WALT DISNEY REALLY BORN HERE

Advantages: Cheap holidays for us now
Disadvantages: None

...After many months of deciding where to go for our September holidays, we decided on Mojacar Costa Almeria. "Where"? said my workmates. Exactly, no-one there had heard of it and that's what we wanted, hardly any english people and plenty of sun, food and sangria. I searched the internet and found a great many websites with agencies offering apartments at a reasonable rate. We wanted to go on the 6th of Sept this year for two weeks, and emailed that many people that I had forgotten who I had emailed. When I received a reply about a beautiful penthouse apartment availble for rent at a reasonable price of £210 a week, we snapped it up. There were no pictures, just a description and telephone number in Spain. The man was English so no problem with the communication. I rang him and he said he would accept 5% deposit and the rest payable...

belinda9 05.10.2003 · Read review
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Review of Almería (Spain)

Roquetas De Mar

Advantages: Still Spanish, Nice and quiet but there are pubs and clubs if you want them
Disadvantages: depending what you are into, there may not much for you to do in the daytime.

...In june me and my fiance took out second holiday of the year to Costa De Almeria in spain, this was located in south eastern Spain. We stayed in the resort of Roquetas De Mar (this translates to "little rocks of the sea) We spant two blissfully peaceful weeks in this tranquil, beautiful and traditional Costa, which thankfully has not become accustomed to Britain yet! It is a modern resort, but depending on what you like, you may find little to do during the day. There is one water park called "The Mario-waterpark" it hosts all of the usual things that a water park normally does like the slides, pools and places to eat, be careful though as they do tell you off when you take photographs in the park. It is only open in high season, and will cost around £7 for an adut and £5 for children to gain entry in to the waterpark. If you...

fudgee_babee 24.07.2002 · Read review
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Review of Almería (Spain)

A Fistfull of Euros

Advantages: Weather, Food, Culture
Disadvantages: Not enough decent clothes shops

...I had never heard of Mojacar, part of the Spanish region of the Costa Almeria, until a year ago when my partner and I went on a cheap last minute holiday, based on a pretty short and desperate internet search. We fell in love with it immediately as it was so completely different from the Costa del Sol which have visited many times. it's named the Corner of Enchantment for very good reason, having retained it's historical charm and character, mainly due to the heavily enforced building restrictions in force. (Residential buildings are limited to 2 storeys, whilst hotels are limited to 4). It is a calmer area of Spain, though it has to be said it is busier now than in the 60's when it became a bit of a hippy mecca. A lot of the old cowboy films were made nearby in wht is the largest desert in Europe. Mojacar Peublo set in...

Mojacarmum 04.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of Almería (Spain)

Mojacar - Go Before It Gets Spoilt

Advantages: Unspoilt; Beautiful countryside
Disadvantages: Becoming more and more tourist oriented by the day

...I visited Mojacar several years ago, and after seeing the report on 'Holidays on a Shoestring' on BBC the other night, I felt something must be said about this rural Spanish town. Mojacar itself is a small town situated on top of a hill, half a mile from the coast, on the Costa de Almeria, to the east of the Costa del Sol. When I visited, this area was truly unspoilt. There were only a hand full of hotels, none of which were high rise. The beaches were clean, and the roads empty. The airport in Almeria didn't even have a terminal building! You got off the plane, walked around the side of what is now the terminal building, and pulled your suitcases off the back of a trailer towed by a tractor! We hired a car for a few days, to visit the surrounding countryside and the historic town of Granada, home to the Alhambra Palace. We asked...

aljones 25.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Almería (Spain)

Souvenirs of Paradise

Advantages: Beautiful
Disadvantages: tourists found it!

...San Pedro, in the natural park of the Cabo de Gata, along the Costa de Almeria, in Andalusia, was such an exceptional place that I kept it to myself for over 15 years! But the inevitable has happened, and people will always talk about good things, which has lead to a profound and sad change of this, what used to be, paradise on earth! ¨?"°º•۝•º°"?¨¨?"°º•۝•º°"?¨¨?"°º •۝•º°"?¨¨¨?"°º•۝•º°"?¨¨ It was through a cockney friend of mine that I first heard of San Pedro, 20 years ago. It was during my holidays in Mojacar, not so far north from San Pedro, that my curiosity got me there. To get to San Pedro, I took a bus from Almeria, to Las Negras. Once on Las Negras beach, I turned left and walked over the cliffs, for a good 3 of 4 kilometers along a sometimes very narrow...

bodsquidge 05.02.2008 (06.02.2008) · Read review
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Review of San Pedro, Spain

Its a long way....To Murcia Airport!

Advantages: Quiet, friendly and handy for many resorts
Disadvantages: Lack of transport, distance from Murcia.

...is roughly 2 hours and 25 minutes. Its a similar time from Stansted. WHERE IT SERVICES Basically, it covers a wide range of areas for holiday makers. It is roughly the same distance from tourist hotspots such as Torrevieja to the North as the more popular and busier Alicante airport (about 45 mins drive) and an ideal 30 mins drive from the golfing paradise of La Manga. I was a little suprised with the number of golf bags on the carousel until i realised how close we were to La Manga! During the winter months, its probably the best choice for those people lokoing at flying in to visit the more southerly resorts of Almanzora and Almeria regions as the airport at ALmeria has limited flights to england between October and March. ON ARRIVAL Well, lets just say its no Heathrow! Your plane taxis from the short runway to the apron...

andycharger 05.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Murcia-San Javier Airport (MJV)

Riding in the Tabernas desert

Advantages: Beautiful peaceful friendly people and great horse riding
Disadvantages: A short break isn't long enough and you have to hire a car

...We found the site on the internet www.desertridersspain.com and booked up for a short break - Both myself and my daughter ride but my wife preferred the peace and quite and was happy to read and relax in the sun. The closest airport is Almeria but it would be feasible to fly in to Murcia or Alicante and drive down. If you can fly into Almeria it's an easy journey and only half an hour's drive. We used easy Jet but there are other airlines that fly there. We booked the car hire on line - There are lots to choose from and it's easy, the car hire people all speak better English than my Spanish - The car hire offices are all in the arrivals area. When you get to the house its in the middle of nowhere but only 10 minutes from the local Tabernas village - Carole and Robs place is a combined yard and home - The bedrooms are really nice...

Alec144 16.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Horse riding holidays at Desert Riders Spain