Love Nerja... where's similar?

deva

As the title suggests really!

Looking during summer 2012. 2 adults and a seven year old.

Love 'proper' spain and beaches.

Open to any ideas.



Thanks for reading

agrinnall

It's tricky, as Nerja is (in my view) quite unlike most Spanish coastal towns. Of the places that I've been Denia on the Costa Blanca is the most similar, although the beaches aren't as good.

ponymad_3

We all keep gong back...! ?! However I also liked Cala D Or, in Majorca. There is a whole link on trip advisor on the Nerja forum!

tece

I'd recommend you take a look at the Costa Brava, LlaFranc, Tamarui, Begur, Calella de Palafrugell to mention a few of the quaint beach resorts (north of Tossa De Mar). I haven't been to Nerja so cannot make a comparison but around here is proper Spain with lovely beaches and no high rises.
Ryanair fly to Girona and Easyjet to Barcelona. You do really need a car though imo to get the most out of this region as there's not that much in the way of public transport.

Voyager2002

Nerja has a unique micro-climate, so anywhere else will feel different.

I suggest that you either arrange to go there again, or forget about Nerja and ask people who love the real Spain (such as me) to describe their favourite places, and accept that you will be going somewhere completely different from Nerja.

slinga

Yeah we love Nerja as well.
For the Costa Brava Estartit was good a long long time ago.

We also liked Denia which up the road into the mountains is a fablus restaurant. You can't miss it.
Denia has a great fresh sea food stall near the wholesale fish market.
We walked into the Wholesale fish market and were given a thing like a tele remote with which to bid for the lots. Why they thought we were local I don't know. Maybe 'aving a laugh.
Another good place is Cala St Vicente oop north on Mallorca.
We didn't visit the 'hot tourist spots' in Mallorca but the places we did visit were fablus.
Great place to drive around and see the views from the mountains.

deva

Thank you for your replies.
The suggestions are all helpful as places to start researching or reminders to what I have forgotten.

Ideally we will go to 4/5 places over three weeks culminating in another return to Nerja.

Initially I fancied Calella de Palafrugell/ Llafranc, Empuries(sp), Cambrills (Tarragona) then Nerja but its too much of a final stretch.

Could try ending in Denia and flying out of Alicante.

Any tips from Voyager would be appreciated but needs to be relaxing for us with a child in toe and if off beaten track where they speak Castillian.

ponymad_3

How far are you prepared to travel... and have you decided on flights....We were doing the whole coast down from Girona to Malalga with the last stop being Nerja. Had to cancel the trip unfortunately... Our intinerary was Girona Tarragona visit Priorat for the wine... then downt o Denia then inland dropping down to Almeria before last stop Nerja.

have done the route down from madrid ending in Nerja. Also from Malaga trip to Ronda.... over to Jerez Seville via Carmona to Granada then down to Nerja. Plenty of options on this to get away from mass tourism and see real Spain.

agrinnall

That's a good itinerary but if driving it's a long way and will surely incur a large one-way hire fee, and by public transport could be a bit of a pain with a 7 year old.

mayhemmyers

We use to go to Nerja - in fact we went 6 or 7 times on the trot. We fancied somewhere different and for the past two years have been to Estepona in Spain. Its bigger than Nerja but very Spanish and lots to see and do around there. Beaches are great for children - we have two - and we have been to Ronda, Mijas, Gibralter, and Casares - which is similar to Frigiliana and next year going to visit Tarifa and the Costa de la Luz whilst staying there. Its about 50 minutes drive from Malaga - but the other direction from Nerja. We stayed in the Port in Estepona, as its easy to walk into the town - which is very pretty and easy to walk to the beaches. Hope this helps

londonbabe73

hi,

i have been the nerja last xmas and it was lovely, another place the other way up the coast is estapona ( nearestairport is gibraltar or malaga ) totally spanish and no chips and eggsestablishments etc .
if you look on www.ownersdirect.co.uk you can find reasonable apartment rentals ..........

we actually stayed in casares which is a small village up in the hills but there are plenty of places for rent.

LB