Almuñécar

This town has bags of bona fide Spanish charm, a sub-tropical climate and an abundance of outdoor activities for explorers young and old.

Almuñécar has a fascinating historical past. This is very much in evidence in the Old Town, an attractive mix of typical Andalusian houses, bars, shops and al fresco restaurants among its small squares and steep, winding lanes. Founded by the Phoenicians who set up a fish curing industry here, it has a working Roman aqueduct, the medieval Castle of San Miguel, an architectural museum in a cave house; a Columbarium (a family pantheon) and the remains of a Phoenician fish salting factory.

Situated on a hill between two rivers and backed by the glorious Sierra Nevada mountains, the town is short on flat building land, so there are no large apartment blocks like those one the Spanish coast. Combine that with the pale grey, shingle-sanded beaches, you get a different type of tourist. The rocky outcrops, small coves and headlands are popular with divers, the cliffs of Maro Cerro Gordo are popular with hikers and the river Rio Verde is great for canoeing.  You can ski in the winter and bathe in the waters of Playa de San Cristobal in the summer.

There’s an alternative vibe to some of the beach bars that thrum with lifelong into the summer nights and thriving art galleries in the mostly pedestrianised town.

The subtropical climate and verdant valleys are home to a cache of tropical crops from mangos to avocados and kiwis to figs. Many of which feature in the local cuisine, with cactus ice cream and almond desserts regional specialities.