Dec 2006

Once again the decision to head off for Christmas was a late decision. We had a look around and once again the Costa del Sol offered the best value by some way. It was a package deal which we booked online and got a very good price. I couldn’t get anywhere close to the price booking it independently.


We chose to stay I Torrox Costa which as it turned out was a small development of hotels and apartments on the coast next to the Village of Torrox. There were a few hotels, apartment blocks, restaurants and bars along a stretch of beach with a nice promenade but it was very quiet especially at Christmas time.


We stayed in the Hotel Riu Ferrera which was a large modern hotel in the middle of Torrox Costa, we were there for a week on half board basis. The hotel itself was very nice if a bit big and impersonal. What we didn’t realise when we booked was that the room was actually a bedroom apartment rather than a room. The apartment was OK but was designed for people who needed an extra bed in the living area. This meant that both the living room and the bedroom were both quite cramped with the bedroom only having a standard double bed. On the subject of the bed it was rock hard with no give in it. We didn’t use the kitchen to cook at all but we did use the fridge. The bed settee in the living area was extremely squeaky and we couldn’t use it to sit on and watch TV late at night as it would have kept half the hotel awake. There was no TV in the bedroom. The breakfasts were fine with the usual fare on offer with good choice and quality. The evening meals were in my opinion less varied and interesting. the starter/salad bar never seemed to vary much all the time we were there and the main courses could have been more varied.
Towards the end of the week we found it hard to be interested in the meals. The reception public areas and the pool were extremely nice and well looked after. All the staff were extremely helpful apart from the waiters in the hotel bar. They seemed to have their own agenda and treating the customers in a friendly and efficient manner didn’t seem to be part of that agenda.


We arrived quite late on Christmas Eve and were invited to join the staff for a drink before they headed off to spend the evening with their families. There was a cold buffet supplied for those who had checked in late which was a nice touch.


The Christmas meal was a “Gala Dinner” where the staff served the residents.
The meal was nice and it was nice to be served at your table for a change. It was possible to purchase bottles of wine/cava in advance for when the bar closed to allow the staff away.


A few of the bars in the area were closed for Christmas so it was very quiet with limited choice if you wanted a drink elsewhere. It was a bit cool in the evening to sit outside. It was a short taxi ride into Nerja if you fancied somewhere a bit more lively.
I thought Nerja was rather nice and would consider staying there. It has a rather busy and noisy area for those looking for some entertainment but once you are away from that area it is much more laid back and quiet.


We hired a car for 4 days and spent those sightseeing in the Costa del Sol. One of the drives we did was suggested by our very own Casaianda who’s advice as always very helpful. It involved a drive along the coast before heading inland to Lake Vinuela and then on to Mondron and Periana a beautiful picturesque drive. We also headed down the coast to Benalmedena. We also visited some of the small ‘White’ villages in the hills around Torrox. Torrox itself is a nice village but was very quiet at that time of year. We spent a morning and had lunch in Frigiliana which was very nice apart from the amount of building work going on. We also visited Competa which was a charming village and les touristy than some but as it is quite high up in the mountains
It was much cooler and we Weren’t suitably attired so didn’t stay long.


Our favourite drive was suggested by a Spanish colleague from work. We were hoping to visit him in Granada when we were there but he had problems in the UK
And couldn’t get home to Granada until the day we arrived back home. His suggestion was to drive along the coast to Motril then head up into the mountains along the road to Granada but turning off to Lanjaron and Orgiva. The scenery was spectacular and the drive was very relaxed with very little traffic. We headed on to the picturesque mountain villages of Pampaniera and Capileira, These villages ere pretty much unchanged over the years other than the fact they have a few shops and bars to cater for day trippers.

To sum up, we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and would recommend the Riu Ferrer we would book a room rather than an apartment and B&B next time though



Riu Ferrera Hotel







































The beach at Nerja









Competa, a nice but twisty drive













Pampaniera and Capileira in the distance with some snow on the mountain top.








Pampaniera



































Frigiliana

Fantastic review with your usual great photo's to accompany it. Brought back memories of when I was out there, Nerja is a nice place to stay, I well recommend a break there, I beleieve our own WS stays there to.

Another brill set of pictures Hayzer :-bd:

Your a star Hayzer producing all the reviews and lovely pictures shows the real Spain. I tend to
agree with you with the RUI dinners they seem to lack those special dishes

I didn't take many pics of the hotel of on the drive up to Lake Vinuela but semed to take loads in Pampaniera and Frigialiana

Hayzer - shame on you!

How could you not take any pictures of the lake area!

I agrre Hayzer, shame on you. Thankfully Casaianda, we can see part of the lake area in your avatar.

Thats the view I´m looking at right now as I sit here on the terrace Mick - it will look even better in a few minutes when I´ve got a glass of Vino in my hand.

casaianda wrote:

Hayzer - shame on you!

How could you not take any pictures of the lake area!

I think we forgot to take the camera with us.

I´ll let you off then.

You´ll have to come again and call to have a glass of something with us here.

Cas, I am so jealous of you right now.

casaianda wrote:

I´ll let you off then.

You´ll have to come again and call to have a glass of something with us here.

I would love to

Casaianda.....your remark was just SO cruel and uncalled for.......

NOT that I'm jealous of course...I'd hate to be sat in the sunshine, overlooking a pond ( sorry - stunning lake )....

with a glass ov vino...!!

:^*:

How did I miss this review, sorry H it would have been the orange lights not lighting up, cracking photos as usual thanks for sharing and have a rep

Lovely honest review and great pics H - only saw this now.
Rep coming your way.

Oh a rep for you H for beating Alex (and her friends from the papers ) to it