Costa Almeria

Holiday villas Costa Almeria, Spain - Area Overview:

A less well known region to the east of Andalucia, the Costa Almeria is an area of lovely beaches backed by stunning mountain ranges and verdant coastal plains. For the most part the Costa Almeria is a wonderfully relaxing area, sharing much the same climate as the Costa del Sol but without the expense. Costa Almeria has all the amenities associated with a top class Spanish holiday area: 5 star hotels, highly rated golf, luxury holiday accommodation but without the crowds.

See our Spanish holiday villas in Costa Almeria

Holiday villas Costa Almeria Spain from the Villa Company:

We have carefully chosen a refined hand picked selection to include in our Costa Almeria Spain holiday programme - villas that meet our high standards and offer our guests a certain 'something special'. We believe no holiday villa in Spain would be complete without those home-from-home comforts and our villas in Ameria are no exception. The Spanish villas from The Villa Company have been carefully chosen for quality, their location and value for money, including private villas with their own pools. So if you're looking for luxury holiday villa rental in Almeria, Spain, then we have a fine selection of villas with private pools in Cabrera, Garrucha, La Parata, Mojacar and Antas.

Costa Almeria Spain Holiday villas - Rural Almeria:

With an annual average of 3,000 hours of sunshine, Almeria is home to Europe's largest solar energy plant, the Solar Platform of Almeria (PSA), an EU solar energy research centre. A fascinating site is to marvel at the rows of futuristic heliostats reflecting the sun's rays into the towering solar oven, converting the sun's energy into electricity. Almeria also has the clearest skies in Europe, so it was an ideal choice for the location of Europe's most powerful telescope near Gergal.

This hot climate and the natural protective barrier of the Sierra de Gador also means that Almeria is one of the most productive agricultural zones in Europe, with more than 10,000 hectares of cultivated land producing fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Much of inland Almeria is a parched, lunar landscape of low, mostly barren mountains and dried-up river beds - a little reminiscent of the North American Wild West. It is therefore no surprise that this is where many spaghetti westerns were shot. You can visit Mini Hollywood, near Tabernas, a former film set where A Fistful of Dollars and many other westerns were made, or the two other Wild West theme parks in the area: Texas-Hollywood and Western Leone.

Costa Almeria Spain Holiday villas - Coastal/Costa Almeria:

One of Andalucia's largest coastal reserves is at Almeria - the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park. It enjoys protected status as one of Andalucia's most outstanding wildlife areas. The port of Almeria is dominated by a vast Moorish citadel, the Alcazaba. Also well worth exploring is Almeria's old town, peppered with interesting monuments, including a cathedral with an impressive Gothic interior, a 300-year-old hospital and delightful tapas bars.

The Almeria coastline varies enormously, and the stretch of shore between Granada province and Almeria city appears to be absolutely filled with greenhouses. There is the occasional wildlife oasis however, such as the lakes in the Albuferas de Adra Natural Reserve, which attract numerous aquatic birds undeterred by the extent of agriculture that surrounds them.

Another of Costa Almeria's protected enclaves, south of the resort of Roquetas de Mar, is the Punta Entinas-Sabinar Natural Area, encompassing a beach and marshlands between two headlands in the municipality of El Ejido. East of Almeria there is a remarkable change in the landscape as you draw nearer to the Cabo de Gata. The park has a long, rugged coastline with secluded bays and remote beaches, some linked only by footpaths. Much of the park is volcanic rocky mountains that plunge directly to the shore, creating one of Andalucia's most dramatic coastlines. The most popular resorts being Roquetas de Mar and Mojacar.

Costa Almeria Spain Holiday villas - Ancient Almeria:

Two sections of the Almeria desert have exceptional geological features: the Karst en Yesos de Sorbas Natural Area, the most outstanding gypsum landscape in Spain, and the strangely eroded mountains of the Desierto de Tabernas Natural Area. Set against a rugged backdrop of the Sierra Alhamilla Natural Area, south of Sorbas, is the ancient village of Nijar famous for its Almeria earthenware ceramics that it has produced since Phoenician times, using the same primitive techniques. South west of Tabernas in Almeria is Los Millares, Europe's largest Bronze Age settlement, and west of Los Millares is Almeria's section of the Sierra Nevada National Park. Nestled in the northern corner of Almeria is the Sierra Maria-Los Velez Natural Park, a surprisingly extensive wooded area, given the otherwise arid aspect of Almeria's territory. The area has excellent walking terraub and the two main towns in the park - Velez Rubio and Velez Blanco - are well worth a visit, in particular to see the castle and Cueva de los Letreros with prehistoric rock paintings.