Nov 21, 2022

Holiday in Spain - Nerja

Updated: Jun 27

As I am writing this I am sitting on the balcony of our rental holiday apartment in Nerja, Spain.

It is a small, picturesque fishing village, with crystal clear water and sandy beaches.

Overlooking the Mediterranean ocean on my right and rows of apartments and mountains on my left. The sound of the crushing waves is gentle against the clucking sound coming from the tapping of shoes from the lady practising her flamenco dance on a wooden platform right on the beach.

It is November, Winter apparently, and we have enjoyed a day of 25 C. In winter. 25C. In winter. Honey, let’s move here please!

We have been waking up to the most amazing sunrises. As it is our holiday, no alarm clocks have been set. We sleep with the curtains open to allow the sunrise to wake us up naturally.

Watching the sun slowly change the colour of the sky through the whole sunrise colour spectrum takes the coffee in bed experience to another level. Some mornings I brave the fresh air on bare legs and simply throw a throw over the shoulders, whilst holding the hot cup closely to the face. We sit quietly, just watch and listen to the waves breaking.

Waking up with the sunrise is a wonderful feeling.

On the day we arrived we bought a lot of fresh produce, some might be slightly out of season but mostly from Spain: local tomatoes in all sorts of shapes and colours, green peppers, a small cucumbers, oyster mushrooms, garlic, a pack of dried pasta, a loaf of fresh sourdough rye bread from the local bakery, Spanish oranges, Spanish mandarins, lemons, few bananas, a persimmon, a local mango, a delicious pineapple (unfortunately imported, but nevertheless delicious!) dark chocolate with nuts, a jar of olives, a jar of capers, local olive oil, a jar of chickpeas for less than 50c, cured meat and a huge bag of crisps for hubby and vegan yoghurt, rolled oats and oat milk for myself. Strangely no fresh herbs. (We have been to multiple stores but not a single one had basil. Not a single on. What is up with that.)

In between all of this produce lay the ingredients of a basic Gazpacho. Thankfully the apartment has a blender so we blitz up a quick batch for lunch. A winter’s day with 25C deserves a light, cold lunch. Perhaps with a slice of fresh sourdough from the local bakery drizzled with locally made olive oil and a glass of cold rosé.

I didn’t buy tahini, so using the big jar of chickpeas (for less than a euro) for hummus is unfortunately a no-go. The next best thing to make with these chickpeas is crispy chickpeas.

To make these: Drain the chickpeas and pat dry with a kitchen cloth. Drizzle with a bit of Spanish olive oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika, dried herbs, salt & black pepper and chilli flakes (optional). Bake in the oven at 200C until golden and crispy.

I sprinkled a few of these crispy bites on my gazpacho, you know, just for some texture.

VEGAN FOOD

Vegan food is not on many menus in Nerja. If you ask nicely, some restaurants might be kind enough to make you a vegan meal. More often than not they might even have something that is naturally vegan on their menu, it might just not say it on the menu.

Most bars/restaurants serve a complimentary snack with every drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) you order. A lot of bars even serve small appetizes such as mini spring rolls, chorizo, grilled fish, Spanish omelettes and fried mushrooms with a small disk of bread. Of course a wide variety of dishes for meat and fish eaters, but limited options for vegans. Again, it is worth asking for vegan options.

Unfortunately because we were there during off-peak season a lot of restaurants were closed, so we couldn't try all the places that where recommended to us.

If you are in the mood for something sweet and cold I recommend checking the menu on many of the ice cream parlours. Most of them had vegan sorbets. Even though I personally am not the biggest fan of sorbets, some of them where actually really refreshing and delicious! I yet have to find a parlour that sells vegan ice cream.

NYBAKAT BAKERY

is a family owned Swedish café & bakery. They have a wonderful selection of breads, sourdough breads, pastries, salads and fresh sandwiches. They didn't have any vegan sandwiches, but they offered to make me a generously filled avocado and tomato sandwiches with a freshly baked roll. Delicious!

Let's not forget to mention they have oat milk so naturally we had to order iced oat milk lattes with our breakfast.

RINCON DEL SOL

This is one of my favourite places to eat in Nerja. It is a beach club / Restaurant directly on the Playa de Burriana beach. Enjoy a Aperol Spritz and a bowl of Spanish olives with a view of the beach, whilst listening to the waves crashing.

They make a fabulous Veggie Poke bowl - a must try, even if you aren't vegan. I also had this crispy aubergine dish (pictured below) which was delicious! These are basically like spring rolls with an aubergine and tomato filling, drizzled a sweet glaze.

Most places serve a complimentary snack with each drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink).

THINGS TO DO & SEE

Nerja is perfect for those who just want to sit on the beach and relax, but also for those who want to be active such as hiking, snorkelling and other water sports. It has pretty beaches and a beautiful landscape, which makes it understandable why it is one of the most popular destinations on the Costa del Sol

EL BALCON DE EUROPA

If you stroll around in Nerja, odds are on you will end up at the Balcon de Europa. It is considered a focal point in Nerja and offers great views of the ocean and surrounding landscape.

If you are lucky you might even see live music performances in the Plaza.

NERJA'S HISTORIC CENTER

Narrow streets, cobblestone street, old buildings and white washed walls. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes and not to mention pubs. It is worth getting lost in this coastal town.

TAKE A DAY TRIP TO FRIGILIANA

Frigiliana is known for its whitewashed houses and named one of the prettiest villages in Spain. It is about 7 km from Nerja. Situated on the mountain, it has beautiful views of the ocean and surrounding mountains.

Cobblestones, whitewashed buildings, plants and flowers everywhere, and views over the entie coastal strip... you will want to take a photo around every corner. It has a wonderful atmosphere and many restaurants.

Definitely worth a visit!

VISIT THE CAVES

About 3 km north of the town, Cueva de Nerja are a series of limestone caves, famous for its spectacular rock formations, cave paintings and archaeological sites. You can take guided or Audio-guided tours through the cave.

HIKING OR KAYAKING

If you like being active and love being surround by water you will be happy to know there are many hidden caves and hidden beaches that are only accessible by boat or Kayak. You can take tours or rent a kayak to see these.

For those who prefer walking to swimming there are also trails in the area. One of the trails takes you up El Cielo, which is the tallest coastal mountain in this area.

HOW TO GET THERE

Malaga airport is the closest airport to Nerja. We conveniently flew from Bristol Airport directly to Malaga Airport, which took about 2 hours.

We rented a car at the airport and drove to Nerja, which took us about 45 minutes.

I suggest renting an Automatic if you are not used to drive on the right side of the road. It will certainly make driving a bit easier.

There are also cab and bus services to use directly from the Airport should you not be keen on driving. The bus service can cost as little as 5 Euros.

PLACES TO STAY

Nerja has a lot of accommodation and beautiful villas to rent. We found it easiest to rent an Airbnb apartment and booked a place close to the beach, overlooking the ocean.

Good to know: Prices during off-peak season are really affordable.

Our accommodation was a 5 minute walk to the Playa de Burriana beach, which we could only access via the private garden in the complex. It was a great location, with an easy 15 minute walk into the town centre, via the beach.