La Herradura - a low rise village on Costa Tropical

Do you have a dream of crystal clear waters, virgin beaches, If so - the
least known coastline in Southern Spain is the answer to your dream.
Although this stretch of coast is not very well known - it is certainly
worthwhile checking out if you are considering relocating to Spain.

The Granada coastline is dominated by mountains, stretching right
down to the coast, where they produce one small lagoon after
another. Here you can really get away from the beach crowd and
enjoy some fantastic diving opportunities, a romantic moment with
the loved one or just glistening blue water, sky and sea ... as far as
your eyes can reach.

In contrast to almost all other places along the coast the settlement
is kept low so it is possible to see and enjoy the surrounding
landscape ... and the village itself, which is still a small Spanish
pueblo, climbing gently up a slightly rising rock from the beach.

There is a motorway now all the way from Málaga Airport and when
you turn of the highway and pass through the roundabout, you find
yourself at the old highway, which has an exit into town. Keep right
all the way and one, two, three - you see the beach.

The beautiful promenade, "Paseo Marítimo de Andrés Segovia,"
divides the beach from the village and has several restaurants
located side by side. It is also on the Paseo, you find the tourist office.
It is located approximately in the middle of the promenade in a small
free-standing kiosk look-alike building diagonally opposite "Chiringuito
La Sardina" which is located directly on the beach and named after
the daily freshly caught sardines which are served grilled. There are
several Chiringuitos (beach bars), and several water sports clubs
along the beach.

The area is the perfect destination for water lovers, as opportunities
for swimming, sunbathing, with and without clothes, and water sports
of various kinds are plenty.

The high vantage point at Punta de la Mona is where the first houses
were built in the 1950`s. Since then, the whole rock has more or less
been developed with apartments and luxury urbanization ...all the
way up to the lighthouse on top. If you look down towards the east
from the top, you will see the impressive new marina, Marina del Este,
a protected cove with the tiny but very popular beach, Los
Berengueles, right by. Water sports and scuba diving are popular
here due to the clear water and the richly varied submarine life.
Marina is extremely popular, especially in summer, due to of its
restaurants, bars and shops.
Only 50 years ago the entire rock was sold for only 3000 Euro, but
today the Punta de la Mona is one of the most exclusive areas to live
and house prices are still rising. The old villas are very large and
located discreetly in enclosed gardens with automatic gates, while the
newer buildings are either estates or "pueblo-style" urbanization.

At the end of the beach to the west is an even larger rock formation
than to the east, namely Cerro Gordo.

Most of Cerro Gordo is a national park and thus protected from further
construction. However, there is a large project underway, which will
include hotel, sports facilities, shops and luxury housing.

Once you reach the western side of Cerro Gordo the rest of the coast
from here and all the way to Maro and Nerja are protected area ...
There is almost no buildings, just watch towers and occasionally an
old farmhouse in the rocky landscape.

“La Herradura” means "horse shoe" in Spanish and the name is
obvious, with a beautiful horse-shoe-shaped bay and a 2 mile long
sandy beach stretching in front of the village in between the two
vantage points; Punta de la Mona to the east and Cerro Gordo to the
west.

La Herradura - A Low Rise Village on Costa Tropical
by Dorte Holm Jensen