Villa Tranquila

There's a great choice of other activities:

• sea kayaking, scuba diving and snorkelling in the clear waters of the Cabo de Gata.

• horse riding, water skiing and sea fishing
– all available locally.

• a go-kart track at Garrucha has high-speed carts that can reach 120km/h, or slower ones for children.

• an acquapark at Vera (the Parque Acuatico).

• a boules pitch is within walking distance of the villa.

• the Ruta Transcabrera, a tough mountainbike trail, passes the end of our road and allows you to cycle from the sierra to the sea (it begins in Turre and continues via Sopalmo to the beach).

• fiestas: every town and village has its own summer fair so if you ask around or look out for posters, you may well find there's something going on. Even a small town like Los Gallardos a 10 minute drive away will have a fairground, a stage with singers in the main square, and DJs and dancing. Partygoers show up from miles around, all through the night.

• a world-class flamenco festival takes place in Almería's Plaza de Constitucion in August every year, with some of the best dancers and guitarists in Spain.

• if all this sounds far too active, you might like to relax with a good book on one of the terraces, do some bird watching, or simply lie and listen to the cicadas.

You could easily spend a week or two enjoying the beaches and restaurants around Mojácar and the Cabo de Gata, but there are some day-trips you shouldn't miss, including a journey into Almería's very own Wild West. Golfers will also find plenty to keep them occupied – there's a course next to the villa, and three others are within a short drive.


Warm, brilliantly clear water and a strong, almost luminous light are the two things that characterise the beaches of the Costa Almería. This strip of coast is still much less built-up than the other Costas. For more on the best beaches, click here…




If you like fish and seafood you'll be in heaven in Andalucía, as this forms the basis of a vast array of restaurant dishes and tapas. Fish stews (zarzuelas) and rice-based paellas (which also contain meat, usually rabbit or chicken) are also memorable. And sherry, Andalucia's classic wine, makes the perfect drink to wash it all down. Read more…




A drive into Almería's interior, the backdrop to hundreds of Hollywood Westerns, makes a fun day out. Here, in the middle of Europe's only true desert, you'll find working film sets open to the public, with cowboy shows acted out three times a day. Read more…



One of the most spectacular sights of summer is at Salinas in the early evening, when hundreds of flamingo fly in to feed on the lagoon running parallel with the seashore. For more on wildlife and birdwatching near the villa, click here…




For other day trips to Almería, the desert around Tabernas, and Granada, click here