Frigiliana

We awoke at the Hostal Avalon on Friday morning to bright warm sunshine, perfect for a drive to the pueblo of Frigiliana, about 7kms north of Nerja.
Apparently, it had been voted "the prettiest village in Andalucia" by the Spanish tourism authority so we were looking forward to it.

We parked the car at the edge of the village and just wandered slowly through the pretty streets.

The village was very busy with lots of tourists, many bars and cafés and more importantly plenty of craft and pottery shops for Anne to wander in and out of.

An interesting sight was this man unloading bricks carried by his mule through the narrow streets, impassable to vehicles. An image of times past.



















The narrow cobbled streets were beautifully tended with flowers and pot plants decorating most of the houses.














































































































We came across this guitarist setting up serenade the locals and visitors alike with sweet flamenco music.

We slowly worked our way up to the top of the pueblo and sat down at one of several viewpoints to admire the scenery.

The flowers and shrubs were absolutely beautiful.































Looking down the valley in the direction of Nerja and the blue Mediterranean.







































Looking down upon Plaza de la Cañada del Ingenio which seemed to be the centre of the village.
I have to agree with the tourism office and say that Frigiliana is certainly one of the most beautiful and well maintained pueblos we have visited in our travels around Andalucia and most definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Nerja

On a damp and dreary morning, we drove the short distance from our hotel to the nearby town of Nerja.
Friends had mentioned that the "Balcon de Europa" was a must to see so we parked the car and headed in the general direction.
Pictured right is the Paseo Balcon de Europa, the end of which juts out into the sea.

Perhaps because of the weather, the area wasn't too busy which gave us a great opportunity to take in the great views.

Standing with a statue of King Alfonso XII who was allegedly responsible for naming the Balcon.

We saw this kindly lady feeding the stray cats on the Paseo.

The Ayuntamiento and also location of the tourist office.

The 17th century El Salvador Church near to the Balcon.

The weather started to brighten up so we continued our wanderings around the streets.
Even at this time of year there were quite a few tourists about.

Lots of shops and bars open.

As the sun came out and the temperature rose, so more visitors came to the see the magnificent views.

After a couple of hours, we headed back to our hotel, passing through this archway into the Plaza de la Constitución.

Hostal Avalon

We've just returned from a short three night break to Nerja, a town just over two hours drive from Olvera, about 45kms east of Malaga on the Mediterranean coast.

We had pre-booked our accommodation at the Hostal Avalon, situated about 2kms outside of the town and what a fantastic choice it was to turn out to be.

The Hostal is very intimate with only six rooms, all with balconies and sea views.

The outside terrace offered excellent views to the east looking towards the town of Nerja.

Views above and below from the terrace.

Perfect headgear for the warm sunshine.

The house cat who constantly taunted Calcetines.

Angela, Carlos, Sara and Alex, staff at the hostal whose friendliness and smiles contributed greatly to the enjoyment of our stay.
Owners Kevin and Alix were also fantastic and we cannot speak highly enough of the delicious cuisine. From the breakfast menu to dinner, it was absolutely superb.

Not least of all David, who was so helpful with information on places to visit in the area.

Tea and scones were a treat in the afternoon.













And Calcetines came too of course.































Here, looking west on a walk along the nearby clifftops.

The Avalon is ideally situated just across the road from the beach.

We were so pleased to have found such a special place. Don't take our word for it, just read the reviews here on TripAdvisor where we'll shortly add ours.