Costa Tropical, Andalucia, boasts that you can ski in the morning and lay on the beach in the afternoon.  With more than 320 sunny days a year and an average temperature of 20 degrees,  this is a little known area for mass tourism yet it draws thousands of visitors each year.  It has its own ‘micro climate’ with the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, mild winds from North Africa as well as cool winds from the Sierra Nevada mountains. The coastal area sits just beyond Nerja and incorporates the main towns of Almuñecar, Motril and Salobreña.  All three have long ‘blue flag’ beaches and historic attractions and have a quieter and more Spanish feel than other more well known resorts.

The most visited towns are:

Almuñécar - a town which has vestiges of a Roman aqueduct, a Moorish castle, bird park, wonderful shops, restaurants, markets and long beaches.  It is also famous for hosting an International Jazz Festival every summer.

Salobreña - set on a promontory jutting out towards the sea it is surrounded by sugar cane fields where subtropical fruits are grown. Small cubic white houses pile up around a hill topped by a Moorish castle, providing panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada, the Mediterranean Sea and the rich lowlands of Salobreña.

Motril - a very popular tourist resort with night clubs, shops, a marina, beaches and a top quality golf course.

La Herradura  - a pretty village overlooking a horseshoe-shaped bay, famous for its crystal clear waters, sheltered beach and excellent watersports’ facilities.

The backdrop to this coastal region area is, of course the

Sierra Nevada National Park - a rugged and extensive mountain range and the highest in Europe after the Alps. This protected area consists of snowy summits, glacial lakes, torrential rivers, sheer-sided gorges and dramatic scenery between the scattered villages of the Alpuharras with their distinctive interlocking flat-roofed houses and cultivated terraces of vegetables and almond trees. Its status of a national park is in recognition of its exceptionally diverse plant, bird and animal species and therefore very popular with hikers, climbers and birdwatchers.. Solynieve ski resort lies to the west of the park where the ski season generally runs from November to April.

On a clear day the mountains can be seen from as far away as Africa.