About Costa Tropical
By road, the Tropical Coast is less than an hour from the city of Granada, with an airport for domestic flights, and only a little further from Malaga International Airport. There are plans for Granada to open as an international airport within the next two years. Access is fast and easy on the Mediterranean motorway. A regular coach service connects the Tropical Coast with Granada, Almería, Jaén and Malaga, with all the villages along the coast and inland in the Alpujarra, and with the Sierra Nevada National Park.
Blues, greens, whites, terracotta and so many more colours to admire. The iridescent light of the Tropical Coast enchants all who contemplate this diverse landscape. The region is unique in its variety, from the arid plateaus of the north where the harsh light of the desert seems to expose every detail, to the lush southern flanks that gush streams and spates through luxuriant vegetation, and to the eastern coastline, one of the most beautiful and unspoilt parts of the whole Mediterranean.
The high peaks of Sierra Nevada protect the coast from cold winter winds, while warm breezes from North Africa help create a very special subtropical microclimate so that you can sunbathe and even swim in the sea while half of Europe is shivering through the winter months.
The high peaks of Sierra Nevada protect the coast from cold winter winds, while warm breezes from North Africa help create a very special subtropical microclimate so that you can sunbathe and even swim in the sea while half of Europe is shivering through the winter months.
A Sea of Sensations
The Tropical Coast has everything, from small coves beneath high cliffs (Cantarrijá n and La Joya) to large beaches suitable for all the family, at Almuñécar and Salobreña.
The quality of the sand and the water is guaranteed by the coveted Blue Flags awarded by government inspectors. Sub-aqua is a delight at La Herradura, Cerro Gordo and Calahonda, where an underwater paradise awaits discovery. Water sports can be practiced all year round, while the harbours and marinas of Motril and Marina del Este, in Almuñécar, offer all modern facilities for sailing boats and yachts.
Ample, up-to-date hotel installations can be found all along the Tropical Coast, where traditional values and modern comforts exist side by side in perhaps the best hotel accommodation in all Andalusia
Prosperity
Thanks to the benefits of tourism and the cultivation of subtropical plants, the Tropical Coast of Granada is enjoying a boom period. The new buildings gracing the seafront promenades, the pavement cafés that are busy both day and night, the wide spectrum of nightlife in discotheques, concerts and night clubs, all reflect the area's success in attracting and satisfying all kinds of visitors.
The proximity of Sierra Nevada means a golfing holiday can be combined with the chance to ski on Europe's southernmost slopes. As the snow often remains until May, it is quite possible to ski during the morning, in brilliant sunshine, and to bathe in the afternoon in the warm Mediterranean. Near the Tropical Coast there are also many opportunities for mountain climbing and hill walking; there is an ample network of hotels, hostels and mountain refuges, both in Sierra Nevada and in small inland villages. Hang gliding and ultra light flying are practiced from the slopes of the nearby Sierra de Lújar.
During the summer, the coastal villages and towns of Motril, La Mamola, Salobreña and Almuñécar bear out in procession the Virgin Carmen and the Virgin of the Rosary, while boats sound their sirens and rockets are fired into the sky. Scores of shrines and sanctuaries, frequently sited in beauty spots out in the country, attract pilgrims and the devout, of all ages, who participate in colourful romerí as, or devout processions, to pay their respects.
In Andalusia, everything is commemorated: the spring, the new harvest, the anniversary of an earthquake several centuries ago, the rescue of the crew from a shipwreck… In Melicena, near Sorvilán, the feast of Candlemas is celebrated in February with bonfires on the beach. In Itrabo, the village fountains flow with wine, fulfilling a tradition that pays homage to a staple of the local economy, the Moscatel grape. Among the towns and villages of the region, there are a thousand different celebrations every year in which the local traditions are remembered and maintained in song and dance.
All along the Tropical Coast you can find small, family-run businesses dedicated to traditional handicrafts. The activities that best represent these traditions are weaving, basket making, ceramics, pottery and textiles – in inland villages you can find beautiful multicoloured bedspreads and jarapas.