Almeria Region
Almeria
Almeria is the main city of the province of Almeria. It's main tree lined, park lined boulevard takes you from the motorway all the way down the main shopping areas and the port, which is where you can hop on a ferry to Morocco in north Africa (to do even more shopping!).
It's a city that has a lot to offer, from it's small narrow streets filled with boutiques to some fine architecture in it's churches and old buildings. The castle is a fine sight to see too perched high above the city.
Almeria has all the usual benefits. Its home to an ever increasingly popular airport, hospital, colleges, shopping malls which will cater for all your needs. The old fishing port town of Adra lies further west. In spite of the interesting castle and assorted archaeological remains, it is often missed by tourists travelling along the coastal motorway to or from the Costa Tropical.
Mini Hollywood
The stunning landscape provided by the arid regions in the province of Almeria has attracted filmmakers working within the 'Wild West' genre to southern Spain for decades. The Tabernas Dessert in particular has maintained world interest in the Spanish film industry providing impressive locations for a number of powerful spaghetti westerns throughout the 1960s and 70s.
Over one hundred films have been shot at the Mini Hollywood location during it's time as a film set, including the Sergio Leone classics
A Fistful of Dollars, The Magnificent Seven; and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The characteristic, artificial western towns of Mini Hollywood were originally erected in the heart of the Tabernas desert landscape in the spring of 1965. The location is currently maintained in its original conditions complete with an authentic, working saloon.
Nijar
Much of Andalucia's attractive and unusual glazed pottery is made in this small town north east of Almeria and it's worth making the detour as it's a very charming pueblo and there are several reasonable hostels and restaurants located in and around the town centre.
Roquetas de Mar
Situated 8 kms along the coast, this is a popular resort for tourists with some good beaches. It offers a small marina surrounded by Tapas bars and restaurants, specializing in fish dishes.
There are excellent facilities for the water sports and sports enthusiast. You can practice all kinds of aquatic sports such as water-skiing, jet-skiing, swimming, fishing, diving, boating and yachting.
From the 23rd August to the 1st September Almeria celebrates its fair in honor of Our Lady of the Sea, with open air dances, sports competitions, the traditional Flamenco Festival in the Plaza Vieja, its fun guaranteed into the early hours of the morning.
For the shopper, there is also a large shopping complex, so your never far from a bargain. There's everything from children's toy shops to computer warehouses and even all the usual car dealerships.
San Jose
The little resort of San José is built on a beautiful sandy bay surrounded by spectacular mountains in the heart of the Parque Natural. San José has superb beaches, a small marina and a good selection of bars and restaurants. By day the main attractions are the glorious beaches and the watersports available. Night life centres around the little bars and restaurants near the marina.
San José remains a Spanish resort with no large hotels or apartment blocks and tourist accommodation is mainly self-catering in houses and small apartment buildings. One of the great attractions of the Cabo de Gata is the beaches which are some of the best on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. In particular, the village beaches in San José are sandy and shelve gently. An unmade road leads from the village to the Cabo de Gata lighthouse, passing a number of superb beaches and coves where you can swim or sunbathe undisturbed.
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Sorbas
The main town for Campico de Honor. Its only 25 min drive from the village and you find all the usual services such as banks, schools, medical centres, bars, shops and restaurants. However, Sorbas is far from the usual.
The town is perched on the edge of a deep chasm overlooking the Río de Aguas. It has an interesting 16th century church & 17th century mansion said to have been a summer retreat of the Duke of Alba. Local pottery is also available here and nearby are the fascinating Yesos de Sorbas caves.
Close to Sorbas, Karst de yesos is one of the most importants parts of Almería. Over millions of years, chemical reactions in the underground water have created a breathtaking network of linked caves and galleries, as well as being a source of natural plaster for the building industry.
Sorbas has many historic buildings, including the 17th century Iglesia de Santa María, the House of Duke of Alba, the Teatro del Carpio. Typical of the town are the "casas colgantes", overhanging houses that seemingly stuck to the sides of a deep gorge. And in Alfarería, there are some Moorish furnaces that are still in use today.
