Our coast is called the Costa Tropical de Granada and at a distance of 5-6 km, from Motril in the east to La Herradura in the west, the good fruit Chirimoya is grown because this is the hottest part of the whole European mainland, and only on a distance of about 400-500 meters up from the beach, then it gets too cold. So it is NOT too hot in the summer and NOT too cold in the winter. Perfect for us retirees.
The warm winds from the Sahara, mixed with the salty fresh winds from the Atlantic, as well as the high mountains of Sierra Nevada at 3,480 meters above sea level, which stops the cold winds from the north, make the climate subtropical. Granada is located on the northern side of the Sierra Nevada and it takes about 1 hour to travel there. There it is really cold.
Here there has never been neither frost nor snow. You can see it at www.eltiempo.es/almunecar.html/ Add this page as a favorite, so you can keep an eye on the weather. Or go to www.yr.no, www.pent.no or www.storm.no. There you can see the highest and lowest temperatures during the year. Quite comfortable all year, right? Not too hot and not too cold. Compare how it is at home!
Of course it can rain and be bad weather sometimes, and it is needed. Water is necessary for all fruits and vegetables, but no matter how bad the weather is, it is always worse at home in the north. The choice is easy. Where do you want to be? Where it is bad, or where it is even worse. The temperature shown on the weather sides is the temperature of the air, that is, in the shade, while it is very comfortable in the sun and in the shelter. It is different to walk on the playan in the sun and then go into the shadows on the small streets of the old town. As usual, it is better to wear too much than to get cold. With 320 days of sunshine a year you can sit and sunbathe 20-25 degrees during the winter.
You can swim in the Mediterranean all year round. The temperature is usually 13-15 degrees in winter and 25-27 degrees in summer.
About 29,000 inhabitants live in the municipality of Almuñécar. In the summer, the population doubles. Then it gets crowded. Then people come from the Spanish highlands where it is terribly hot, down to the cool coast. The temperature is comfortable here at 25-33 degrees and with a cooling breeze. The water is salty and wonderful with about 25-27 degrees.
Then the beaches are filled with sun umbrellas and bathing. Lifeguards are in place during the school’s summer holidays and flags show if it is appropriate to swim:
green flag – suitable for bathing
yellow flag – pay attention
red flag – can be dangerous due to heavy waves or jellyfish.
The aqua park, the only saltwater swimming resort in Spain, is only open during the school holidays. Then the facility with water slide and swimming pools is filled with children and their parents. Read more at: www.aqua-tropic.com
On the play below Tao in Velilla, and on the play below Hotel Helios you can rent a pedal boat, sail boat, jet ski, wakeboard, canoe and windsurf, water ski or banana boat.
Book at: animaventur@yahoo.es or at tel: 630 81 04 11. Talk to Antoni
Rent a boat at Playa Fuente de Piedra.
In La Herradura there is www.windsurflaherradura.com.
Canoe / Kayak can be rented at Playa Cantarrijan west of La Herradura.
The sun shines stronger here, than up in the north, so you have to be careful when lying on the beach. The Spanish, who are used to the sun, take their siesta between 14.00 and 17.00 and sit in the shade, eat lunch or sleep for a while. Then all the tourists should sit in the shade too.
If you want to go out to sea with a really big sailboat or motor boat, snorkel in fine water and also eat a good lunch on board, then book on:
Stephen- www.sailandstay.eu
Jorge – www.granadasailing
In addition to sun and bath, there is a great cultural life with fiestas and festivals, Jazz en la Costa, Fiesta Virgen del Carmen, Fiesta Virgen de la Antigua and much, much more.
Why not try going to Almuñécar in the summer, instead of traveling to the Canary Islands, Mallorca, Greece, Turkey with several tourist cities.
See how nice this is: