Why I love NERJA!

Photo from Life Adventures, Nerja

Every May the Hammie family get on a plane and head for Nerja, a little town about an hour east of Malaga, on the Costa Del Sol.

We have done this every year since 2003 after I swore I would never take an Irish Summer Holiday again.
I know I know - when you get the weather there is no better place.
But my souvenir of our week in Kerry in 2002, was a weather proof jacket.
So Slan to the South West and Cead Mile Costa!



Being an autistic family, we went to the place that the 3 generations of Hammies had been going to for 20 years - Capistrano - And we keep going back.

The first year we booked a package. But after that found it easier to book a villa independently through Owner's Direct, and found that flying on scheduled flights, and renting a car privately at the airport was a whole lot better than the package and waiting experience for our kids.

We usually go in May, because it is pleasantly warm, and not too busy as everybody else is still in school. (this year it was delayed thanks to the attic grant situation)

Nerja has no high rises and no night clubs. In fact it was dropped from most budget travel packages years ago. It is popular with young families and the sort of older couple that has raised their family.
Poolside you get a lot of permatans, stretch marks and unwise speedo action on older men - but it does make one feel a bit young and gorgeous, in your €1.50 Tesco Bikini and sarong.

One of the three enormous swimming pools. Boo is the small black dot.

Bratty enjoying one of her 3 daily splashathons in the Top Pool. Our Villa was about 15 metres away.

When the weather is fine but not too hot, Boo and I enjoy a daily walk down town to Anahi, a cafe near Riu Monica which now has wifi!

Best order is the Anahi Burger. Australian Style burger with everything including a fried egg - but no beetroot. Boo has the Sandwich Con Jamon sin Queso (toasted ham sandwich) a big bowl of EXCELLENT chips and lashings of coca cola light.

He calls the waiter, "Gracias" - you can guess why.

The view up the Balcon de Europe - a natural cliff that forms the town centre and place to meet.

There is a beautiful church on the Balcon; El Salvador -which is very popular for Irish Weddings apparently. At Capistrano we would see Irish Families over for a weddin' with the tell tale red shoulders. Factor 30 next time dears!

The Balcon has a number of touristy hotel cafes with elderly but efficient waiters, fine views and set menus. On our last day I sat alone at one of the cafes and enjoyed a negro y blanco, a combination of ice cream (helado) and coffee. Yu-um!



The Passeggiata takes place here each evening with local spanish families joining the tourists to enjoy the breeze across the water, eat ice creams and give pennies to the mostly awful street performers and moving statue people.

Boo loves moving statue people - But he teases them ruthlessly until they move on...


Excellent Pizza and Pasta place off the square too.

There is also a number of carriages awaiting the tourist with €35 to spare..

Boo just jumped in here - the Jarveys didn't make a cent out of us!

Now you see the hat

Going

Going..

Gone!
And no I didn't climb down to retrieve it.
Those little dots on the beach are people, there are a LOT of stairs.


Everyday we take the kids swimming, several times. Then Daddy and Bratty go to Almunecar to McDonalds for some chicken nuggets and chips. And a Cafe Helado for Daddy.
It's about a 30 minute trip there and back along the mad coastal roads, but it keeps a little girl happy, and I think Daddy enjoys the drive.

Sometimes Boo goes too.

And there I will leave you for today. We had a lovely break, amazing how long a week can be without all the home stresses. Plenty of holiday stresses too of course but at least it was in the sun!

I did do some re-runs while away which did not come up on google reader. So you can check them out here and here and of course here which includes our little mishap in 2007. Would love to hear your comments on those edited posts.

For now, Adios!
xx

The photos are a mix of 2005 and 2009, I actually found an old disc that I had not got round to printing.