Costa
del Sol:
From
the western Cádiz coast to Nerja,
on the provincial border with
Granada, there opens up a great
arch of beaches which are the main
tourist destinations of Andalucia.
This area has become one the most
highly-developed tourist areas on
an international level, for many
reasons: the dry, warm climate and
abundant hours of sunlight, the
calm, warm and transparent waters,
and the wealth of landscapes, with
many beaches spread out amongst
the sierras and the sea.
From
the western Cádiz coast to Nerja,
on the provincial border with
Granada, there opens up a great
arch of beaches which are the main
tourist destinations of Andalusia.
This area has become one the most
highly-developed tourist areas on
an international level, for many
reasons: the dry, warm climate and
abundant hours of sunlight, the
calm, warm and transparent waters,
and the wealth of landscapes, with
many beaches spread out amongst
the sierras and the sea.
The
hundred or so kilometres of the
western Costa del Sol, about 13%
of Andalusia's coastline, includes
50% of hotel beds on offer along
the Andalusian coast and around
40% of the total accommodation.
A
great deal of tourist facilities
and services are to be found here,
among them 40% of the moorings for
pleasure craft, spread out among
13 marinas and nautical clubs,
together with two thirds of all
Andalusian golf courses: in total,
thirty-eight courses with
accommodation and facilities. The
province of Málaga possesses 40%
of Andalusia's restaurants and
travel agents. Also on offer are
water parks and fun fairs,
installations for all types of
sports, casinos and a multitude of
services directed at satisfying
the leisure culture.
Communications
along the western Costa del Sol
turn around Málaga Airport and
the N-340 coast road, which in
many parts is a trunk road running
through town centres. Halfway
along this road, the C-339 road
joins San Pedro de Alcantara with
Ronda, forming the most important
link between the coast and the
interior
The
town and area of Ronda are
well-established tourist
destinations, thanks to the
quality of the monuments found
there, the interest in
bullfighting and their romantic
flavour. Close by, the Sierra de
las Nieves and Grazalema Natural
Parks are home to the unique
Spanish firs, as well as a rich
animal life of mammals and birds.
The
western stretch between the
province of Cádiz and the city of
Málaga is that of the greatest
tourist development. The coast is
a continuous stretch of resorts
and complexes offering the widest
range of tourist services in the
Iberian Peninsula.
The
long list of places begins in
Sotogrande, belonging to Cádiz,
home to the 1997 Ryder Cup, the
golf world's most important
international date, with the top
players of Europe and America
doing battle.
An
uninterrupted run of tourist
resorts, destinations for millions
of tourists, is made up of the
following towns: Manilva, San Luis
de Sabanillas, Estepona, San Pedro
de Alcantara, Marbella (Puerto
Banus), Mijas, Fuengirola,
Benalmadena, Torremolinos and Málaga.
To
the east of Málaga, the capital
of the Costa del Sol, the level of
tourist development is quite
advanced, although never reaching
the levels of its western
counterpart. The number of hotel
spaces is quite low, with 25,000
beds, mainly being concentrated in
the Nerja area.
On
the other hand, the number of
apartments is high, given the
importance of family tourism in
this area.
This
stretch up to Nerja belongs to one
of Andalusia's most traditional
characteristic areas, La Axarquia.
Both on the coast and inland one
may find many towns and villages
of Andalusian flavour, breathing
in the nostalgia for their
splendid Arab past.
The
coast is a succession of important
tourist destinations: El Rincon de
la Victoria, Almayate, Torre del
Mar, and the coastal area of
Velez-Malaga, capital of La
Axarquia, and a town of great
importance during the Muslim
occupation.
Further
east are Algarrobo, Torrox (with
Roman ruins on its beach), and
finally, Nerja, set on a coastal
plain on the edge of a cliff, like
a balcony. Nerja maintains its
town centre in good condition, and
continues in the cultivation of
traditional crops. It is the most
important tourist centre along
this stretch of coast, having
undergone rapid growth.
Close
to the town, the coast is
characterised by abrupt sandstone
cliffs of up to 200 m in height,
formed by the fall of the Sierra
Almijara into the sea. This
stretch of coast, which finishes
next to Maro, possesses a wild and
spectacular landscape, which has
been declared a Natural Site.
Inland, the sandstone mountains
are home to the beautiful Cueva de
Nerja cave.
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