Apartamentos Rio Marinas, Nerja

Advantages: Pleasant beach resort
Disadvantages: Too many 'British' pubs

...the feel of a real Spanish town...so much for first impressions. The trouble is, it's very popular with Brits and therefore most of the bars and restaurants etc cater for that market. This is great if you're hankering for the full English breakfast, or perhaps a Sunday Roast washed down with a pint of Tetleys, but that's not my idea of Spanish living. We stayed at the Hotel Perla Marina, on the Playa del Playazo to the west of the town. Nerja doesn't boast a long sweeping beach as such, but a collection of several beaches and coves dotted amongst a rugged, rocky coast. Playa del Playazo is probably the longest expanse of sand, but it's not very wide. However, it's fairly sedate and secluded and is ideal for some peace and quiet. It's still an easy stroll to the town centre, although that can be an adventure! There's a promenade leading from... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: The all-year-round good weather, the scenery and the people
Disadvantages: The fact that in 10 years time it will be far more developed than it is now.

...Nerja is on the south coast of Spain, the Costa del sol, about a 1 hour drive east of Malaga. It is a special place because it is unlike any other on the Costa del sol. Nerja has been voted the prettiest village on Costa del sol more than once. Nerja has a building restriction that means none of its buildings may be more than four stories high. This makes a huge difference as there are no large, tower-block hotels in sight. Nerja is truly multi-cultural because so many people retire out there (not just English; American, Norwegian, Dutch, French, Canadian etc). Nerja has a massive English community with its own newspaper, theatre group, shops and businesses. I know this might sound a bit colonial, but you would have to see it working to appreciate it. There is no industry in Nerja except tourism. The locals tend to want to keep... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beautiful setting, easy walking distance to shops, bars, restaurants and beach
Disadvantages: Can be a bit quiet out of peak season, dodgy water pressure

...children's play area with trampolines, mini-golf, go-karts and bikes. There is a mini-train which runs to nearby Cala d'Or but I'd recommend getting a taxi as it is only 5 Euro and a lot quicker. A walk around the nearby marina is a must for a good meal and sitting in the sun totting up how many million pound + boats you can spot (a lot). The only small downside of the holiday that I can think of was that despite having two bathrooms you couldn't actually use them both at the same time due to the pitiful water pressure. All in all we had a great holiday, the Parque Mar is very welcoming and extremely relaxing. If you want a really lively holiday this probably isn't the place for you, but it managed to keep three generations of my family very happy for a week.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful