Places of Interest

Market days

There are many street markets in the towns of Spain and can be found almost every day of the week. These markets cater for a wide range of goods and articles, some offer antiques and bric-a-brac whilst many offer the fresh fruit and vegetable produce of their particular region.

Hours change considerably within each town. Most usually open in the morning, some during the afternoon and just the odd one or two during the evening.Inclement weather can also sometimes cause a market to close early or even not open at all.

Markets Days within striking distance of the villa are:

Day	Town
Monday	Huércal Overa, Antas
Tuesday	Cuevas del Almanzora, Albox, Almeria, Los Gallardos
Wednesday	Mojacar, Bedar, Lubrin, Olula del Rio, los gallardos
Thursday	Cuevas del Almanzora, Lorca, Carboneras, Sorbas (very few tourists)
Friday	Garrucha, Turre, Puerto Lumbreras, Almeria (near plaza de Toros), Zurgena
Saturday	Aguilas, Vera
Sunday	La Alfoquia, Villaricos (very small), Vicar, Guazamara, (near Almeria Airport)

Turre

Tucked away between Mojacar and Los Gallardos this is a delightful village slightly inland, in the foothills of the Sierra Cabrera mountain range.

Typically Spanish, it boasts some rather good and reasonably priced Spanish owned restaurants, bars and supermarkets. The area is in an ideal position for walking, climbing, hiking, horse riding and golfing at the nearby Cortijo Grande Golf Course

Mojacar Playa

The Mojacar beach front is some 5km long ranging from fine white sand to the coarser variety. It has a good mix of both busy spots and secluded coves which extend into the distance reaching as far as the edge of the Cabo de Gata National Park.

The busier beach areas have been considerably developed to serve the many visitors who return year after year, and are scattered with hotels, apartments, restaurants, cafes, bars, and supermarkets providing accommodation and refreshments for all.

Mojacar Pueblo

Mojacar Pueblo is an elevated mountain village, Arabic in appearance with quaint streets and terraces. A magnificent view of the coastline can be seen from the highest point in the village, the Mirador Castillo, but by far the best way to see the village itself and its medieval architecture is to abandon the car and take to your feet.

In the main square, in front of the church of Santa Maria is the statue of the Mojaquera, a lady wearing typical head-covering dress and carrying a water container. Going down another level, takes us past the old cemetery which leads into the street which originally provided a binary wall, protecting the upper part of the village. In this area there is a good selection of shops, bars and street cafes where you can relax and watch the world go by.

Garrucha

There are plenty of activities, attractions, trips and excursions you can do when you stay in Garrucha. Do however note that Garrucha is a very small and charming tourist resort so don’t expect much nightlife or opportunities for shopping. Despite this there are many things to do and see and places to visit and explore.

The harbour is the central point of the town because even today Garrucha is still a working fishing town and fishing accounts for a large part of Garrucha’s economy. The fishing boats set off just before dawn and return in the afternoon with their catch. You can buy fresh fish at the fish market by the quayside. Garrucha is famous all over Spain because of the locally caught red prawns. No wonder Gaprucha’s tourist slogan is ‘sun and seafood’!

The promenade is also one of Garrucha’s best attractions and landmarks. The promenade is over 2km long and is lined with palms. The evening brings the locals out for their traditional evening stroll. Behind the promenade are many of Garrucha’s best restaurants, cafes and bars.

One of Garrucha’s most famous sights and attractions are the Cuevas de Almanzora which is just inland from Garrucha which are caves of which there are hundreds etched into the cliff-face on the edge of the town. Many of these caves are used as dwellings which are permanently inhabited.

Vera

Vera is capital of the area and has a superb bull ring still in use today. It is also of historic interest. In the main square there are several interesting buildings including, the Church de la Encarnacion (1520). Flanked by 4 great towers it was built as a fort to protect against frequent moorish attacks. Vera is a prosperous town with a great variety of shops and on Saturdays there is an amazing market that takes over the town. Vera waterpark is also open from May to September where children and adults can enjoy the fun of the waterslides and pools.

Vera & Vera-Playa

Vera, meaning Truth or light is a busy andalucian town, offering a variety of attractions where you can explore its remarkable architecture dating from the 16th century.

Vera playa is mainland Europe’s only all-year-round naturist resort. It has 2 kms of superb naturist beach and a naturist residential zone of over 2,000 privately owned apartments, a major 4 star hotel and bars, restaurants and shops. What makes it unique is that it is not a centre, but a zone – it is not shut away from the outside world and no club, company or other organisation owns or controls the zone as a whole, which includes public streets and seaside promenade.

Villaricos

Villaricos, a charming, traditional fishing village although having grown in size over the years very much maintains a traditional Spanish flavour.

The village is located at the foot of the Sierra Almagrera Mountains. Villaricos (rich village derives its name from ancient silver mines, which have their place in history, as it is from here that Hannibal paid his mercenaries when he besieged Rome). There is a excellent restaurant in villaricos called el mar la mar highly recommended !

Visit the website at www.elmarlamar.com

San Juan De Los Terreros

The pretty coastal village of San Juan de los Terreros is situated close to the border of Andalusia and Murcia, in the province of Almeria. The area is well-known for its fabulous, family-friendly beach, which gently shelves down into the Mediterranean Sea.

The village has been developed over the years to accommodate the rising popularity in tourism in the region. However, San Juan de los Terreros still retains its old Andalusian charm and is an excellent destination for families and couples looking for a relaxing beach holiday in southern Spain.

San Juan de los Terreros provides good amenities for tourists, with shops, bars and restaurants in the village, plus some lovely wooden beach bars, where you can enjoy the local catch of the day. There is a wonderful palm tree-lined promenade, which extends the length of the beach.

San Juan de los Terreros is home to a castle, dating back to the 16th century, which has been declared a Cultural Attraction. Built as a coastal fort, it sits atop a headland 150 metres above the coast. From the castle you can see to Cabo Cope and the resort of Carboneras.

Mini Hollywood

Presently there are three sites that are operated independently, that are open for visitors: the Oasys Theme Park, Fort Bravo and Western Leone. All of them offer a variety of the American Wild West attractions, some of them are still being used as film locations. It’s unique, beautiful and enigmatic landscapes provided the backdrops for historic legendary films such as ‘A Fistful of Dollars’, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’, ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘The last Crusade’….

Vera Water-Park

Located 20 minutes from La Alfoquia is “Aqua Vera” Waterpark with flumes and slides and a separate pool with slides for younger children. There is also a “wave pool” and a further large pool to enjoy a relaxing swim. There are plenty of sunbeds and shades and a restaurant and bar – a great day out for all the family!

see www.aquavera.com for more information

Almanzora Valley

This area is very rich in history with remains of prehistoric settlements and an abundance of citrus and fruit trees, minerals and marble.

Albox

is a typical white-washed village with narrow streets interspersed with small plazas shops and supermarkets !

Amigos Bowling Centre

Amigos Bowling Centre has a 12 lane state of the art bowl, designed by Ferrari designers Pininfarina, operates from noon to midnight Monday to Thursday and from noon to 1am Friday to Sunday. They even have illuminated bowling – Cosmic Bowling – every night from 10pm.

www.amigosbowlingcentre.com

Go Karting Garrucha

In the height of the season (July and August) they are open from 11. a.m until 2 p.m.and then again from 5 p.m. until midnight (so you could have dinner and then go afterwards when it really is lovely and cool – and dark, but of course floodlit!). If you are not keen to have a go yourself, you can have a drink and watch your party from the terrace. They also have trampolines and a couple of pool tables for those waiting for people to finish racing. It is open all year round and closes at 8 p.m. other than summer and Easter.

There are two tracks, one for older children and adults and a smaller track for tandem karts or children aged between 5 and 10 years. Prices vary according to which kart you have.

http://www.kartinggarrucha.es

Rancho Luz Del Sol

Horse Riding

Rancho luz del SoI is a family run business situated just outside the pretty, white mountain village of Partaloa. This in turn is 10 minutes from the bustling market towns of Olula Del Rio and Albox, and 40 minutes from the coastal resorts of Mojacar and Garrucha, in Almeria, Andalucia, Spain.

The ranch is set in 10 acres of unspoilt Andalucian countryside, 600 metres above sea level. The mountain scenery is breathtaking and offers endless opportunities for trekking. The many pathways from the ranch each have their own unique features, with large rock faces, mountain streams and dry river beds known as “ramblas

Trekking

You can ride out into the beautiful countryside for an hour or a whole day (depending on the time of year). You can take a meal on route at one of the local restaurants, have a picnic during the ride, or have a BBQ on return.

Quad biking

Quad Biking is also available at Rancho Luz del Sol. For those who prefer a mechanical variety of motion!!! The quad bike trails are run in conjunction with the horse riding.

Generally they will go out at different times unless of course we have a mixed group of riders and quad bikers.

Special half day or full day rides can be arranged – For example a whole day includes a full day trail to include 3 course lunch, and return to an evening BBQ at ranch. Also available a “combination day” which includes a 2 hour quad trail followed by 3 course lunch, then 2 hour on horseback with a BBQ on return.

www.rancholuzdelsol.com

Sea fishing trips at garrucha

Sea fishing & having fun around the area of Mojacar & Garrucha in the Almeria province of Andalucia in the south of Spain. The view from the sea is magnificent and there is always a chance to see the dolphins when they are around,we have even had a visit from a few inquisitive whales!
We always catch fish, some big & some small but we always catch something. If bringing fish aboard was easy then the sport would be called “CATCHING” not “FISHING”!
www.orcasteve.com