Costa Almeria

Welcome to the Costa del Almeria!

If more sunshine and less rain sound appealing, then this region is to be considered for its wonderful beaches, excellent sports facilities, fantastic scenery and natural beauty.

Almeria province is made up of 200km of coastline along the south east corner of mainland Spain, and is home to Europe’s only natural desert. It has proved very popular over the years with film makers, with hundreds of ‘spaghetti westerns’ being filmed inland, such as A Fistful of Dollars and Lawrence of Arabia. The old film-set has now been turned into a popular tourist attraction known as Mini-Hollywood.

Lifestyle

On the eastern edge of Andalusia lies the province of Almeria, taking its name from its capital city, and which lies on the southern coast of the region. The province boasts over 3,000 hours of sunshine each year, with an average temperature of around 20 degrees C and summer temperatures reaching 35-40 degrees C and higher!

Beaches

The Costa del Almeria has miles of unspoilt sandy beaches, coves and a protected natural park, and a more recent discovery: the river valleys of Almanzora and Albanchez, close to the borders with Murcia.

In this fertile area olive and almond trees thrive, and the nearby mountains provide endless opportunities for nature-lovers. There is also a World Heritage site to visit: the caves of Almanzora with their prehistoric paintings.

Transport

The road links in this part of Andalucia have seen great improvements with new motorways, so it is very easy to reach the city of Almeria and in the opposite direction, Murcia, Cartegena and the Mar Menor. The two airports of Almeria and Murcia are also only a 45-minute drive away.

Sports

Apart from the usual water sports, the 63km of coastline in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Nature Reserve are a genuine paradise for scuba-diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. There are a host of other sports, including horse-riding, hiking, fishing, sailing – and don’t forget skiing at Sierra Nevada in the stunning mountains of Granada, under the Andalucian sunshine 3,000m above sea level and only a two-hour drive from Almeria.

For golfers, Almeria has seven first-class golfing venues courses, including the Desert Springs Golf Course, which is the only desert golf course in Europe and built to USGA specifications: the same quality as the famous desert courses of Arizona and California.

History

Almeria is around one hour’s drive south of Garrucha and quite unique, in that it is half Spanish and half African, with many of the workers of African origin. As well as offering a relaxing holiday destination, Almeria has a wealth of history. The Phoenicians founded the town which was occupied by Carthaginians, Romans and Moors before finally being recovered by Ferdinand and Isabella for Spain during the re-conquest.

Mojacar is a white hill-top town that overlooks the Mediterranean and is more than 4,000 years old. Like Almeria, the area was dominated in turn by the Carthaginians, Romans and Moors, so it’s not surprising that Mojacar resembles a Moroccan village more than an international tourist resort.

Azahar Dream Homes has an excellent selection of properties for sale in Almeria region.

Spain's hottest province… now a property hotspot!