Hello! We just got back from Nerja, Spain and really enjoyed our time there. When rapidly researching Nerja I didn't find a lot of information about the area, so I hope this helps others considering the Costa del Sol.

We planned to go up to San Sebastian, but after watching the weather and seeing that the rain was not going anywhere, we made a last minute decision to go south instead.Since we had booked to fly into Madrid and onto SS on the same ticket that we booked with Avios, we were a little nervous about skipping the second flight. We called the airlines, did some research, and even checked in with customer service upon landing -- but as DH said, it was overkill and done mostly for my sanity. (In Spain, the passenger keeps all of the legs of their booked flight, per a 2018 Spanish court decision.) We sadly cancelled our SS hotel and booked the Parador de Nerja and bought train tickets to Malaga.

We had an early 5:00 flight out of Boston and arrived in Madrid ahead of schedule before 6:00 in the morning. While I didn't get much sleep, boy, it was easier landing and functioning at our midnight than at our 5:00 a.m. If ever given the choice, I'd choose an earlier flight again.

We optimistically booked a train leaving Puerta de Atocha at 8:30 and felt pretty good about things... until we saw the crowd waiting a passport control. I've never seen such a long line in Madrid. Only half of the booths were staffed at that time of day. But despite the long line, we made it to the train station before 8:00. I am not sure if I would recommend a two-hour turnover, but it did work for us early in the morning (and with carry on luggage). From Malaga we opted to take a 45-minute (or so) taxi ride to Nerja for a cost of about 70E. Given our level of jet lag and exhaustion, it was worth every penny.

The parador was -- as most paradores are -- very nice. This is not a historic property. It was built in the 1960's and the rooms have some bold color choices, but everything was spotless and in excellent condition. We stayed in a suite with a large balcony overlooking the beach and a side view of the pool. The suite was enormous and included a huge living room and giant bathroom with separate toilet room and one of the most comfortable beds we have ever enjoyed in Europe. (But I'm glad we packed our travel pillows.)

We opted for half-board and enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast each morning. (The biggest COVID change is that we all use wooden tongs to select items now.) We also had one lunch and one dinner. Truly, the service was amazing. Everyone was just fantastic.

The amenities were great at the parador. The pool was large and cool enough to swim laps. The sun beds were plentiful and spread around the grass -- although there was plenty of towel-saving happening to save the spots under the leafy trees. There is an elevator that brings you (closer) to the beach, but there are still 25 or so steps from the bottom of the elevator to the beach. The beach itself was ok, mostly pebbles and course sand, but the water was great! The waves were generally gentle and people were swimming and paddle boarding well out into the depths.

We were a little hesitant about the town of Nerja and its reputation for being very touristy and not very "Spanish." Yes, it was touristy, but it retains a very Spanish vibe. That said, in addition to some delicious Spanish food, we had lunches at Indian and Italian restaurants and both were really tasty. The walk between the Balcony of Europe and the parador took us about 15 minutes while strolling on an injured knee.

Would we go back to Nerja? Yes, the parador was a lovely relaxing retreat. Would we select Nerja over SS? If SS had sunny warm weather, no, probably not. You just can't beat the beach in good weather and the food any day. But we are not disappointed with our trip to Nerja!

I hope this someone else looking into Nerja!