Casa del Carmen

Our base for our week in Maro was the delightful Casa del Carmen, named after the previous owner who apparently still lives in the same street.

 A personal letter of welcome from owners Stephen and his new wife Patricia awaited us, as did a very nice bottle of red wine.  

 The house had everything that we wanted or would need for our stay so we were happy just to chill out and relax and open that bottle of vino.

The bathroom had an amazing walk in shower. 

  And a pool of course.

 The view of the Med from our bedroom terrace.

 An absolute bonus of course was that with Stephen and his wife being dog lovers, currently having eight rescued dogs, Calcetines was more than welcome. For anyone considering a break on the coast, we would certainly recommend Casa del Carmen and the village of Maro. 

Cuevas de Nerja

 The "Caves of Nerja" are in fact closer to the village of Maro than Nerja so it was an easy drive from our holiday cottage to the cave area. I parked the car in the car park and walked the short distance to the ticket area. 

The caves are a huge tourist attraction and as such are very commercialised. There are gift shops, restaurants and a museum, all designed to relieve you of your hard earned cash

A statue to the boys who discovered the caves in 1959. 

 After paying my 8,50€ entrance fee, extra for the multi-lingual headsets, I was immediately accosted by a photographer who took my picture, gave me a ticket and said I could collect it after my tour. I then proceeded along a pre-designated walkway to marvel at millions of years of nature at work.

 My apologies for the poor quality of pictures but for some unexplained reason use of a flash was not permitted. Part of the cave system has been turned into an arena where concerts and plays can be held, far more likely I think to inflict damage through the vibration of sound waves than the flash of a camera. ( With thanks to a reader who commented below, I have subsequently been advised that the use of a flash is prohibited because it may disturb the bats roosting within the cave system.) 

 There is a warning at the start of the route that there are multiple steps and this proved to be the case.

 Natures sculptures however were wonderful.

 The caves are well worth a visit and are very impressive. On the downside however is the overt commercialisation. Upon exiting the cave system, I was immediately approached by a young lady asking if I would like to purchase my photo which I politely refused  to do. And then to cap it all, I had to pay a euro to exit the car park through the barrier, not advised when I entered. Scrooge is alive and well.

Maro

Apologies for not posting for over a week but we've been on a break for a week in the lovely village of Maro (pictured above), about three kilometres east of Nerja on the Mediterranean coast. We had found a lovely house to rent, Casa del Carmen, after reading the book "Dog Days in Andalucia" by Jackie Todd, who with her husband Stephen decided to take the plunge and moved to Andalucia in 1997. Sadly, Jackie passed away in 2010 but her book is a lasting legacy and well worth a read.   

Maro is a small village of about 800 inhabitants, easily accessible from the main road.

The "El Aguila" (The Eagle) aqueduct located on the outskirts of the village, built at the end of the 19th century to carry water to a now defunct sugar factory but still in use today for the irrigation of local crops.

 The remains of a 14th century sugar mill.

 The Plaza de Las Maravillas.

 There are two beaches near to the village both accessible by steep paths. Pictured here is "La Caleta" beach with the larger Playa de Maro just around the headland below.

The 17th century Iglesia Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas and below the Virgin de Las Maravillas, patron saint of the village, being prepared for a procession through the village to celebrate the local Feria.

  The Iglesia seemed popular for "Celtic" weddings. We witnessed two while we were in the village.

 Preparations for the local Feria.

We were lucky to be near to the Plaza where the main activities were taking place and watched, amongst other attractions, a fantastic demonstration of Flamenco dancing by a school from Nerja.

 Night time at the fair.

 We liked Maro. A quiet, friendly village with four or five good bars and restaurants and a perfect location for visiting Nerja and other nearby places of interest.