La Herradura - family holidays
Searching for your Summer Holidays Sick to
the teeth of package holidays where you’re herded around
like sheep? Finding it increasingly difficult to find a tour
operator who can cater for you? Your choice of location and
accommodation is limited? Paying ever-increasing supplements
for that extra child?
Take the plunge and kick those package holidays in
to touch
Darlingtontown has found an ideal place for you and your family
to visit and because you'll have your own transport you can
choose to go to those resorts where all the sheep have been
herded too, or simply find a lovely secluded hide-away-beach!
Introducing...
The beautiful Bay of La
Herradura. It's the envy of Almuñécar and
one of the prettiest bays along the south coast of Spain. Two
huge natural promontories, the Punta de la Mona and Cerro Gordo,
protect a 2 km long sand beach that's one of the principal attractions
to the area. Unlike anywhere along the coast, development has
been restricted in height and you can still enjoy the contours
of the natural setting. The village of La Herradura lies to
the eastern end of the bay where the main N340 road comes closest
to the sea. At this point, by the gasoline station, there's
the principal turning off the main road into the pueblo and
down onto the beachfront.
The best thing we found about this beach is that you can park
your car on it! Simply fill your boot, drive down the hill,
park up and unload!
  The
apartments
The English couple who own the apartments in La Herradura
are very friendly and helpful. Visit
their web site. We rented one of the apartments at Los Girasoles.
It's spotlessly clean and has two bedrooms a fully equipped
kitchen, which includes an American style fridge freezer (BIG
fridge), a dining area and a lounge, a large balcony and
bathroom. It's like home from home! With a washing machine,
a TV and Video with a large selection of English videos, radio
and CD player. Parking is just out the front door. Mike &
Eve have many
other apartments which can cater for families of 8 or more.
For Business use
The El
Risquillo has a 100 sq metre function room, with a bar,
kitchen, shower room and toilets. There's also a swimming pool
with patio areas and on site catering which would be an ideal
venue for conferences, seminars and team building with all the
local water sports! (Drop your boss a hint or two!)
 The
location
La Herradura is situated between Almuñécar
and Malaga.
On arrival to Malaga you would head for Almuñécar
along the N340. It's a dual carriageway, one straight road that
leads you along the coastline. You travel through large tunnels
under beautiful mountain scenery. You simply can't get lost!
There are numerous beaches and towns along the N340 to visit,
like Torremolinos
or Nerja,
where you can explore the caves
which are the formation of karstic cavities, with its origin
in the chain of the geologic processes occurred within the last
5 million years.
At the bottom of the hill from the Los Girasoles apartments
you can learn to dive with a Buceo diving course. Within a few
days, you will be enjoying the underwater world. Buceo is a
scuba
diving centre in La Herradura.
 And
on La Herradura beach you can hire a Canoe for as little as
€5 per hour! It's great fun. They also hire out sailing
boats and if you can't sail (like us) Robert (Rob,
who can speak 5 languages!) offers lessons too.
Directions to the La Herradura apartments
To find the apartments, on leaving the airport head for Almuñécar,
keep on the N340 - when you see signs for Nerja you're only
20 minutes away. Keep on N340 on to La Herradura. As you approach
La Herradura you will go through a Tunnel called 'de Cerro Gordo'
- 1/4 mile after tunnel turn right down a hill, it's sign-posted
'Carmenes Del Mar' and you'll will also see signs for 'Los Girasoles'.
Continue down the hill for around 1/2 mile and take the second
left, you'll see 'Los Girasoles' sign-posted again. Continue
for 100 yards and then turn left and you'll see the swimming
pool on your right. Continue up the hill round right-hand bend
and 'Edificio Los Girasoles' is on your right. The building
is white brick and has a tennis court attached to the end.
  The
kids love it! It's as relaxing or as mad as you make it, with
loads of things to do. And because you'll have your own transport
you choose what you do, when you want to do it! Like visiting
one of the many water
parks or other water sports, hang gliding and skiing. There's
just so
much to see and do!
Searching for your holiday
So back to that package holiday! We searched for a
holiday for a family of five on Thomas
Cook. Traveling from Teesside in August 2005 for 14 nights
in Torremolinos. The 'Book online to receive great discounts'
was a written right across our screen! We selected the cheapest
one on the top of the list 'Sol Timor Studio2 '. The next page
asked us; How many adults and children where going? We selected
2 adults (between 17 and 64 ) and 3 children (between 2 and
16 years of age on date of departure from the UK)
The next page asks - How many rooms will you need? We don't
know! So we selected 2. The next page then says; Invalid Passenger
Allocation. So we selected 1 and the reply was 'Sorry, we cannot
continue this booking online'... So much for 'Book online to
receive great discounts'!
So we tried First
Choice web site. We selected a summer holiday in August
2005 to Spain and ticked free kids & 4-5 bedded rooms. Being
unable to select the exact location without having to trawl
through every page we selected at random... Hotel Playaluna
in Roquetas de Mar Costa de Almeria (we where also unable
to select the airport to fly from). The results; 14 nights flying
from Gatwick (not Teesside or should I say Durham Tees Valley).
Total cost £4068.00
Now for our recommendation!
Total £1954.00- a saving of £2114.00
'Don't forget you also have a hire car included in this price!'
(for a family of 5 - 2 adults and 3 children)
What are you waiting for? Go for it! |
