Costa del Sol, Spain

Are you tired of winter? Stressed from the holidays?

Do you dream of lying on a beach, soaking up the sun, being pampered with gastric delights? Walking barefoot on the beach for miles, and taking a taxi back to your room for an afternoon nap.

All can be yours with an easy-to-book package from any one of several companies.

We chose Grand Circle Travel's (GCT) trip to the Costa del Sol, Spain. The cost is reasonable and you can extend your trip for several weeks if you wish. A friend of a friend introduced us to this package. Before we knew it six of us were packing our bags and heading to southern Spain.

We went the end of January. Extending our stay for an additional two weeks four of us flew first to Marakech, Morocco for a week; then to the Canary Islands for a week. We could go anywhere we wanted during the extra two weeks but had to be back at Malaga, Spain on the scheduled departure date.

We stayed at the Bajandillo Apartamentos in Torremolinos. We were all on the ninth floor with beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Costa del Sol stretches along the Mediterranean Sea from about Malaga to Marbella. Extending inland it encompasses Andalucia and the white hill towns.

Areas of interest include the Alhambra in Granada; Ronda high in the hills with the oldest bull ring in Spain; Rock of Gibraltar and Tangier, Morocco, across the Mediterranean in Africa. All are close enough to do with day trips.

The Alhambra is a 9th Century castle. The newer part that we see today was built in he 14th Century by Mohammed V.

































A drive high in the mountains past beautiful white hill towns to the town of Ronda is a spectacular drive.













Ronda is an interesting town built
on two sides of a deep chasm.







It has the oldest bull ring in
Spain. Standing in the center
you can almost hear "Ole" echoing
from the stands.



Most people recognize the Rock of Gibraltar from Prudential
Insurance Company. Gibraltar is a crown property of United Kingdom. English is the first language, people speak with a British accent, and the pound sterling is used.

It's very small but a fun place to spend an afternoon. You can walk to the top, take a mini-bus or if it's not windy you can go by gondola. We went by mini-bus. Our driver stopped half-way up to see
and feed the Barbary monkeys.
The Rock played an important role
in protecting the shipping lanes in the Mediterranean Sea during WWII. It is touristy but also has a historical presence that is interesting. In 1939 all civilians were evacuated. By 1942 over 30,000 British military were stationed there. A series of tunnels were dug on the Rock to house the British if the enemy overran the Rock. This did not happen. There are tours into the tunnels.





















The monkeys love the walnuts the bus drivers carry.




























Want a trip to another continent? It's easy! Hop a ferry and take the short trip to Africa-Tangier, Morocco.



It's touristy, exotic and great fun. Be brave and ride a camel!




If you've been going south to Florida or Arizona in the winter, and you want to try something different, give the Costa del Sol a try. It is definitely a good, relatively inexpensive winter get-away.