Costa del Sol

I enjoyed myself in Costa del Sol so much back in May 2016 that I definitely wanted to spend some more time in this beautiful area during my travels around Spain in November 2017. My cousin and another couple from the Netherlands joined me for the week in Costa del Sol. We stayed at the same resort located east of Marbella just one block away from Golden Beach on the Mediterranean. My cousin and I had been to the area before while the other couple had never been to Costa del Sol. I enjoyed return visits to the historic old quarter of Marbella and the luxury marina of Puerto Banus.

The water in both the resort swimming pools and the Mediterranean Sea were too cold to enjoy swimming for this visit. However, strolls along beautiful Golden Beach were enjoyable especially at sunrise and sunset. Drinks and dinner on the patios of the beachside restaurants were enjoyable especially with the incredible seaside views.

We took several day trips around the Costa del Sol region. Driving along the coast with the sea on one side and the mountains opposite was beautiful, especially with blue skies and sunny warm weather. Our first day trip was to Gibraltar. My cousin and I had a very brief visit back in 2016, but the other couple had never been. The four of us spent the entire afternoon exploring Gibraltar.

We took a two-hour tour of Gibraltar which included stops at the Pillars of Hercules, St Michael’s Caves, the Apes Den and the Great Siege Tunnels. We joined the tour just after passing through the border crossing from Spain into Gibraltar. Our tour guide was a knowledgeable local who shared many interesting facts and his enthusiasm made the tour very entertaining.

Our tour guide loaded the four of us along with a few others into a small mini-bus and we were off. We crossed over the runway of the Gibraltar International Airport into the city and continued towards the south-end of the island to the first of our four tour stops. The mini-bus was just big enough to navigate the narrow roads and sharp corners as we drove upwards on the Rock of Gibraltar.

The views from atop the Pillars of Hercules were spectacular. We could see the massive Bay of Gibraltar and in the distance across the Mediterranean could see the coast of Africa.

St. Michael’s Caves were spectacular to see. In the large main room of the caves where classical concerts are held there was a colourful light show bouncing off the cave walls. Leaving the music and light show area of the caves we followed stairways and walkways as we explored through the different caves.

Before exiting the mini-bus at the Apes’ Den, the guide explained to not panic if one of the Barbary macaques were to jump on us. My cousin had the pleasure (lol) of having one of the apes leap on her back, but luckily it hopped off after a few minutes without any concerns. Our stop was on a narrow road high up on the Rock of Gibraltar with incredible views.

The 18th century Great Siege Tunnels were very interesting to explore. There are 50 km (31 miles) of tunnels with soldier barracks and storerooms to explore along with cannons and historical military artifacts on display. We walked through the underground tunnels within the Rock of Gibraltar to the opposite side for views out over the Mediterranean. There were large openings cut out of the rock along the tunnels originally used as fortifications that today offer spectacular views. Looking downwards through the rock windows I could see Gibraltar International Airport and the military bases next to the airport at the base of the Rock of Gibraltar.

Our tour guide drove us back down into the city center dropping us off on Main Street near the Princess Royal’s Battery. We strolled and browsed in the shops along Main Street as we made our way to the Grand Casemates Square. The busy streets and shops of this British Territory were beautifully decorated for the Christmas season. We stopped and enjoyed drinks on the patio of a traditional British Pub.

Strolling back to leave Gibraltar we were halted at the airport when the gates closed the runway to traffic and pedestrians. It was exciting to watch a British Airways passenger plane roar past and take off. After the plane had departed we crossed the runway and through border crossing back into Spain.

Our drive back to Marbella along the Costa del Sol was spectacular especially with the sunset. We also took day trips to Caminito del Rey and Tangier in Morocco, but I will share those adventures in future blogs.