Nerja - Jewel Of Costa Del Sol

Just 50 km east of Malaga, Nerja is a seaside town which is tourist orientated; the town is built on a cliff above various sandy coves and lies at the foot of the Sierra de Almijara mountain range. The mountain acts as good cover, which makes the temperatures ideal for a vacation any time of the year. During the summer months Tourist like to go there as it is a top tourist hotspots, the population almost quadruples. You'd think that the town sells its soul and goes into a full blown commercialism pitch losing that village atmosphere but it hasn't they actually made preserving their number one priority. It is often referred to as The Jewel of the Costa del Sol

Nerja is a town that is proud of its history you can tell with all the monuments that are situated in this town. The Balcn de Europa when translated means the 'Balcony of Europe', it is rumoured that it got its name from King Alfonso XII, who had visited the area in 1885 after an earthquake had hit the town and he was fascinated by the scene and proclaimed 'This is the balcony of Europe.' Although there are official documents that pre-dates this visit, but this doesnt stop them placing a life size statue of the king in the same area. It is a promenade that gives a spectacular view of the sea, the mountain range, sand coves and rocky out crops. Other monuments are the 17th century Church of El Salvador which has recently become popular for foreign weddings. The Gardens of Capistrano Playa which descends to Burriana Beach.

In the Caves of Nerja are several caverns that are relatively close to the town, the caverns stretch as far as 5km and are one of Spain's major tourist attractions. It is said that the chambers of the cavern are comparable to an amphitheatre and is probably the reason why concerts are performed there. The caves were discovered on 12 January 1959 by a group of potholers that entered through one of the two natural entrances to the cave system, a narrow sink hole known as 'La Mina'. In 1960 a third entrance was made to allow simple access for tourists. They will be able to see the show galleries in the first part of the cave; the galleries features discoveries found over the many years of expeditions in the caves, some dating back to prehistoric days.

One thing you will notice about Nerja is that there are no high rise buildings, so the beautiful view of the mountain range is not obscured and staying in a Villa on this part of the Costa del Sol is certainly a guarantee of some spectacular views.