The Costa Tropical is often described in travel guides as Spain’s best-kept secret. It is only in recent years that visitors to the country have begun to discover just how much the Granada region, including the Costa Tropical, has to offer, both as a place to live and as a holiday destination.
In the past, visitors to the south of Spain tended to gravitate to the Malaga/Costa del Sol area. The main reason for this was the proximity of Malaga airport, and until recently most British exiles bought property and lived – or kept holiday homes – along this section of Spain’s South coast. Most Britons moving to the South coast of Spain wanted to live within a short driving distance of the airport.
There were other factors which deterred new arrivals from visiting or buying property further along the coast. For one thing, the roads were poor, and offered little in the way of services or amenities. Driving long distances in hot weather was also something to be avoided in the days before cars had efficient cooling systems. And driving at night was no less off-putting, in view of the fact that most of the twisting roads along the coast – some skirting the edges of steep, unguarded precipices – were unlit. Britons, by and large, felt safer and more at home in and around Malaga – where, additionally, English was widely spoken.
Unspoilt Landscape and Beaches
For many years the Costa Tropical – which adjoins del Sol to the east – went largely unexplored by tourist hordes, and the area managed to avoid the worst excesses of the 1960s property development frenzy. Today, the countryside and the beaches of the Costa Tropical are still unspoilt, and the architecture is characteristically Andalucian, with none of the high-rise sea-front buildings that blight so much of the Costa del Sol.
Spanish culture
In the mid 90s, visitors to the South of Spain began to discover the Costa Tropical in increasing numbers. Several factors contributed to this. For one thing, travellers had become more sophisticated in their needs and expectations, and more adventurous in their explorations; and where formerly most visitors had looked for nothing more from a trip to Spain than a comfortable hotel room within walking distance of a sandy beach, people were now interested in the cultural aspects of the country – in Spanish architecture, music, dance, folklore, cuisine, literature, paintings, cinema etc. And whereas previously foreigners had purchased holiday homes in Spain with the idea of spending an occasional week or two languishing under the Mediterranean sun, now they were looking to Spain as a place to live. Surveys have shown that Spain closely follows Australia as the most popular destination for people emigrating from the UK.
As seen on TV
Television also played a large part in putting Granada and the Costa Tropical on the map. Thanks in large part to popular British TV programmes like the BBC’s “A Place in the Sun,” and Channel 4’s “Living in the Sun,” which set out to explore locations off the beaten tourist and expat track, people in the UK who were thinking of moving to Spain discovered that the Costa Tropical – the coastline between Nerja and Almeria – had as much, if not more, to offer than the familiar but now overcrowded and overpriced Costa del Sol.
Empty beaches
The Costa Tropical beaches were superior, to begin with – and were still largely devoid of humans. The roads here had little traffic, and the countryside was still largely unspoilt. But, perhaps most crucially, property prices along the Costa Tropical were substantially lower than those of del Sol.
The snow in Spain…
Many Britons were also amazed to discover from TV programmes that there is a first-rate ski resort in Granada (Spain is associated in most British peoples’ minds with sunshine and golden sand, not with snow!), and that it was possible to ski on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the morning and spend the afternoon sunbathing on the deserted golden beaches of Almeria, just an hour’s drive away. In fact the Sierra Nevada ski resort is the most southerly in Europe. On a clear day it is possible to see right across the Mediterranean to the mountains of north Africa! Visit our Sierra Nevada Ski Resort page to find out more.
The natural world
Then several articles were published in British magazines discussing Granada’s natural park – more than 300 square miles of open, unspoilt countryside encompassing mountains, rivers, forests, lakes, abundant wildlife (including many rare species), exotic birds and insects, natural springs and blue lagoons of crystal-clear water – all less than an hour’s drive from the coast and from the centre of Granada city! For those interested in outdoor activities like rambling, cycling, horse-riding, rock climbing and so on, and for those interested in exploring nature, the prospect of having this magnificent natural resource on their new doorstep was a huge, additional incentive to consider living in the Granada region.
Discover Granada
In the mid and late 1990s, a number of things happened simultaneously to throw Granada into the spotlight. The Internet made it possible for many professionals to work online, and therefore live abroad. It also made it possible for people to check out possible places to live in Spain using search engines, and Granada stood out as an ideal place to live. As mentioned already, the city was also featured in a number of British TV programmes. Former US president, Bill Clinton, also helped popularise Granada when he revealed that the city was one of his favourite retreats. In a TV interview in Granada in July, 1997, he described the view of the sunset from San Nicolás square in Albaicin as “the best in the world”.
In 2010 Barack Obama gave his presidential seal of approval when he visited Granada with his wife Michelle and the couple’s 9-year-old daughter Sasha. In the photo on the right, Michelle Obama takes a stroll through the Albaicin area of Granada..
Eighth wonder
Despite the fact that it is the home of the Alhambra – often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world – Granada city had also been largely overlooked by most visitors to the South of Spain, and certainly by the British expat community of the Costa del Sol. Few were aware of Granada’s rich history, its Medieval architecture, its fascinating culture and colourful traditions, and its stunning natural and architectural attractions which include the gardens of Generalife, the hot springs of Santa Fe, the natural park and the ski resort of Sierra Nevada.
Investing in Property in Granada and the Costa Tropical
Financial crises and property crashes may come and go, but at the end of the day Spain will always remain a popular destination. Spain recently became the second most popular holiday destination in the world, beating the US into third place. Tourism to the country has grown by 8 per cent, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Spain remains by far the most popular second home overseas destination for Britons, with the biggest increase in searches – a massive 50% – for properties in Granada and the Costa Tropical over the last several years
Explore this website
- What’s so special about Costa Tropical?
- 6 Reasons to Invest in Property on the Costa Tropical
- Traditions & Festivities
- Holiday rentals
- Useful information for your trip to Spain
- Public and Private Transport in Granada and Costa Tropical
- Health and Emergencies
- Driving in Spain
- Things To See & Do
- The Classier Appeal of Costa Tropical Over Costa del Sol
- All pages on this website
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