AirBalloon

Hello everyone,

We are now planning just over 2 weeks in southern Spain and a week in the north of Spain in August and we are going to spend time at the beach in the South where the waters are warmer.

We are wondering if you can recommend a Southern Spanish quaint, medieval seaside town or village where we can enjoy a few days of beautiful beach and relaxation and where we can stroll through the medieval alleyways in the evening.

I know it's a large area, but anywhere along the coast, from Malaga to Valencia, would be appreciated.

Thanks so much.

Andrea

Robert2533

Quaint, medieval seaside town or village between Málaga and Valencia? Difficult. Orihuela (Alicante) is near the coast, but Alcoy is further inland.

Most medieval villages are inland. Besides, most of the the coast between Málaga and Valencia has been overbuilt. Some of it's nice, and some not quite.

AirBalloon

Hi Robert,

Thanks you your reply.

So, I am to assume it is nothing like the Italian coasts?

Can you recommend these type of villages or towns close to less touristy beautiful beaches?

Thanks

Robert2533

Places like Mar Azul (Alicante) with its rocky beach might be of interest. Or Moraira, down the coast, but most everything along the coast has become a destination for those looking for sun, sand (rocky beaches) and water, with old fishing villages turned into spas.

Elizabeth_S

We stayed in Altea for 3 weeks. About an hour south of Valencia. Charming white village with old town up on hill and lovely promenade on the beach with some great restaurants.

Sassafrass

Towns along the Southern coast of Spain are not medieval like towns in Italy. The Moors had a huge influence on the style of architecture in that part of Spain, mostly stucco with orange tile roofs and ornate columns and iron work, mosaics, etc. with interior gardens. They are beautiful though. Think Spanish missions in California.

This is not much of a tourist place, and a bit out of the way in the NW corner of the Cadiz Provence, but an easy drive from Cadiz. It is Sanlucar de Barrameda. The town is fairly large and sprawling, and old parts are not polished and picture perfect for tourists, but the center is walkable and has a beautiful plaza. Evenings, it is filled with local families and kids having tapas and ice-cream. One of the most enjoyable evenings I have had in Europe was sitting here in Summer when it was light way into the night. The beach in Sanlucar is beautiful, big, wide, soft sand, right at the edge of town. In late Summer, they race horses on the beach, but I think you can ride at other times.

Another neat little town is Puerto de Santa Maria, also in Cadiz Provence, only about 6 miles from Cadiz. The roads leading into the town are yucky, filled with old garages, industrial stuff, etc. but once you are in town, it is lovely, especially the little area filled with restaurants (excellent food) along the river. It also has a pretty beach and a little train you can take from the restaurant area out to the beach. This is again, not your picture perfect tourist town. People who live further inland own apartments for summer use or come here for family vacations.

If you want polished, pristine plazas and postcard pretty, nothing wrong with that, but these are not it! However, they are not on most tourist's radar and I find them charming for local culture. Either of these places would also make a nice drive just for dinner if you are in the Cadiz area.

Bedar

Have a look at San Jose, Cabo de Gata, and esp. Mojacar in Almeria province.

AirBalloon

Thanks so much for your responses.

After travelling through Italy on many occasions, it is really hard to match the beauty and medieval feel of Italian seaside villages. I guess that is what we are trying to find in Spain, but no matter how hard we try, it seems like the different culture provides a different feel to Spanish seaside towns, which we want to experience.

Your suggestions are interesting, especially the beaches in Cabo de Gata, which look wonderful.

Cadiz looks wonderful to visit but not for beach time. We prefer warmer waters, and the waters around Cadiz are much cooler than they are as we travel east along the coast in Spain, especially as you travel through the regions of eastern Andalucia, Murcia and Valencia.

We would not, as well, mind staying in a smaller romantic hilltop village away from the coast and driving to various beaches every day. Again, anywhere along the coast from Malaga to Valencia.

Andrea

Bedar

You will not find your ideal seaside village in 2016 Spain. I shouldn't have mentioned Cabo de Gata because it is a national park with no facilities whatsoever. The coast from Algeciras to Malaga, the Costa del Sol, is VERY developed, from Malaga to Valencia less so but ... Try La Herradura, Salobrena, Almunecar, Mojacar, Altea, and Javea.

ribeirasacra

the coastal villages/towns with some sort of Medieval character left in them will be found in the North of Spain.

AirBalloon

I must say that it is very disappointing to read what you are writing. I thought it was I that was not doing the proper research but I guess it is true: a true Mediterranean Southern Spanish unspoiled seaside town does not really exist any longer, and that is really a shame. We may then spend the time at the sea in the North, where we have seen some very nice seaside villages, but the water is very cool and the area has a very different vibe than in the south.. I guess we really wanted that "Andalusian" type feel for this seaside time of our vacation.

To us, the time spent at the sea is so important as part of our southern European vacation that it makes us just want to change it all up and explore some of the regions of Italy we have not yet visited, such as Calabria and Basilicata.

Hmmmm....

kimhe

Take look at Salobreña or Almuñecar or tiny Maro.
http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres...salobrena.html
http://www.almunecartoday.com/
http://www.nerjatoday.com/maro/
http://www.spain-holiday.com/Maro/ar...-de-maro-nerja

janisj

I am a little curious -- did you not study up a bit on the area <i>before<i> deciding on this region?

I wouldn't plan a trip somewhere requiring specific things - unless I knew those things were available.

sundriedtopepo

There are some beautiful beaches in Calabria to be sure but a lot of Italians go there in August for their vacation. Maratea, Tropea are beautiful, but don't expect this coastline to be unspoiled, a lot of it is built up for the sun crowd, like S Spain.

Calabria and the Salento are nothing like Northern Italy, btw. If I were you I'd research that area before making my decision.

AirBalloon

Hi SunDried,

We travelled through Puglia for 2 weeks and adored it and although very different from the north of Italy, where we have travelled extensively, we have wanted to visit both Calabria and Basilicata as well. Both of these regions, of course, have areas that are built-up but also have many unspoiled areas as well.

Janisj, we of course researched Spain, both South and North, and have an over 3 week itinerary planned out, except for these days at the beach. I would think that on the long coast from Malaga to Valencia, there would be at least one seaside village that offers something close to what we are looking for.

Is it not why we come here? To ask questions and help plan our vacations?

Andrea

nukesafe

You are, unfortunately, getting good input from the posters above. We once bought a timeshare in the 1960's in a small town north of Alacante, called Calpe, which matched your description. We wintered there in the early 1970's. Denia just to the north of Calpe also was small, authentic, and charming.

By the time my practice wife and I had split and we sold the place in the early 1980's the entire coast had been bought up by German developers, and became known as the "Concrete Coast" by the locals. That cancer metastasized along with the rest of the coastline and, though the Spanish government tried to salvage some of the charm with well planned and maintained coastal promenades, the coast is no longer either charming or even Spanish, IMHO.

Croatia still had some of those charming places a few years ago, but I think they will be going soon.

sundriedtopepo

Andrea, my comments concerning the Calabrian coast are the result of planning that I am doing for an upcoming trip in May. All down the coast one would think that there should be a string of beautiful beaches with quaint little towns surrounding them.
There are beautiful beaches, but like Southern Spain, very few quaint towns. We are staying in Tropea, but for a short time, and in May. I personally would not like the crowds and party atmosphere in August.
We have been to Puglia as well, and loved it, but we were surprised to see that the south is much poorer than the north, hence my comments. And Puglia just seems a bit disjointed from the rest of your trip.
Kimhe's suggestions above seem like they deserve some consideration, and really, Nerja is a beautiful little town, even if you drove a few miles to a different beach.

I am a bit confused about your itinerary but I believe you are spending time in Barcelona. Have you considered the Costa Brava?

http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres...sta_brava.html

Bedar

OK, have a look at Mojacar. We have been going there forever. My husband from the early 60s and I from 1970. We'll be there again in July. It has the medieval town on a hill and then the sandy beach with turquoise water like the Carib, and the water is warmer than anywhere along the Med coast. When we need to put someone up because there's no more room in the house, we put them up at
El Puntazo, but there are many good hotels there. Have fun.

ribeirasacra

****I guess we really wanted that "Andalusian" type feel for this seaside time of our vacation.****
But you get that when you visit the coast. Just no medieval villages left.
Just look at these comparisons.
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/ng...ow-in-pictures
The article says Med coast but some are here in teh North of Spain. Everywhere has changed just that around the Med coast there was a big push to "modernise". Far more tourist/expats wanting to live in the sun, far more money to be made.
Nerja 1960's
http://www.redjaen.es/francis/paginas/67676/va1960.jpg
Nerja now
https://static.onthebeach.co.uk/asse...de-europa.jpeg

sundriedtopepo

Very interesting links riberasacra.

You're right of course, every place changes. In Mexico, the first time we visited Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya, it was a charming fishing village. That was in 1995. It is unrecognizable now. And most of the development is for tourists like us.