It is not difficult to understand why villa holidays are proving to be so popular with tourists across the globe. Why would you want to spend your important holiday time cramped in a busy hotel, forced to share the amenities with hundreds or thousands of others, living tightly together in a single room or two? Providing a luxurious home from home, where you have all the comforts of a modern living and also a few additional luxuries, such as a swimming pool, too, a villa is a much more enticing alternative.
Spain and the region of Andalucía is quickly becoming one of the most popular holiday destinations for the British tourist as increasing numbers of holidaymakers are eschewing the traditional resorts with their packed pool areas and swarming sun loungers and are instead opting for something a little more tranquil, peaceful and private. Andalucía is the perfect place to experience this for the first time, offering some of the finest rental villas in Spain, combined with an outstanding climate and a wide variety of attractions for the visitor throughout the year.
For many British abroad, Andalucía means the Costas and famous resorts such as Marbella, Torremolinos and Fuengirola and while these are undeniably tourist hotspots, with a villa holiday, you get to see these towns in a different light, away from the busy resorts. Instead, you can spend time visiting some of the lesser-known, but equally delightful, sights of these popular areas. Torremolinos, for example, may be famous for its beach, nightlife and bars, but the town also boasts some picturesque seafront walks, fine shopping in the centre and a quieter, less frequented area called El Calvario, which is home to several outstanding local bars and shops.
Certainly one of the greatest aspects of any villa holiday is that you do not feel obliged to stay within the surroundings of your chosen resort. On a villa holiday, you instead become part of the local community and get to see a side of Andalucía that is rarely sampled by the visitor and there are plenty of little-known gems in the region to consider visiting.
Around an hour’s drive east from Malaga are the quiet towns of Salobrena and Almuňécar: Almuňécar is a popular destination with the Spanish thanks to its beautiful bays, coves, inlets and beaches nestling along the promenade. The town also boasts the Loro Sexi Bird Park, which is home to over 1,500 birds from 120 different species, as well as the Aqua Tropic Water Park and the ornate Parque Del Majuelo botanical gardens, containing the largest collection of subtropical plants in Europe.
Salobreňa is situated a few miles east of Almuňécar and it too boasts a long and beautiful beach. The local promenade is home to many shops, bars and restaurants that are very popular in the summer months and the town centre itself, set back from the beach makes a pleasant amble during the evening. The Moorish fort overlooking the pretty town is well worth a visit and if you are staying in the region during the winter, you can head up into the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains for a spot of skiing.
As well as quaint seaside villages, Andalucía offers a taste of the big city too. Malaga, birthplace of Picasso, has become a centre for art lovers thanks to the opening of the Picasso Museum in 2003. The Baroque Cathedral, known locally as ‘La Manquita’ (one armed woman) and the Alcazaba fort and museum are also well worth a visit.
Best of all, by basing yourself in an Andalucían villa, you are putting yourself at the heart of a community: instead of being merely a tourist, you’ll get to experience a way of life in Spain that is not only enlightening and enjoyable, but utterly luxurious and relaxing too.
Photo Credit: Andalucia by PhillipC
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post.
