Costa Del Sol, Somewhere

August 19-23, 2015

Beach in Spain, Somewhere:

We always like some days to relax when we travel. Maybe two or three if we have the time. We read a very well known travel guide, and the guide suggested we spend a couple of days in the white Andalucian town of Nerja. The description made it sound like Nerja was so quaint, quiet and beautiful, a must see. Perhaps off season. I booked a hotel, and convinced my husband this was the town of our dreams, he was skeptical. We should have gone with his instinct. We drove into the town and it was full of drunk and sunburnt non-native tourists. Every other bar was an Irish pub and just trying to drive down the street was a nightmare. Instantly our moods changed and we had to get out. This was not a quaint, quiet town, it was packed and not at all what we had hoped for. We pulled up to our hotel, paid a minor penalty for canceling and left as quickly as we came with no plans for the next few days.

My husband drove us to the next industrial/beach town which was a bit of the opposite with no restaurants except one and from what I could see no hotels. We ate lunch. It was not a a good lunch, we were cranky, kids could feel the tension and the food sucked. I used my phone service to find nearby hotels/ beach towns. We were in no mood to go to the next big town, but what should we have expected of Costa Del Sol in the summertime. So yelp pulled up a random all inclusive resort about 5 miles from where we were. Why not. It's not in a town, but it's all inclusive on a beach, secluded and not loud. We were just outside the town of Motril

When we arrived my husband went in and I waited in the car with the kids for what seemed like forever. While waiting I watched a bus load of tourist pull up get out and like an assembly line, be taken into the lobby. I strained to hear what language they were speaking, German. My husband returned to the car with keys to a two bedroom hotel room, BLD included and it was on the beach. It was the most random last minute stay I have ever. This place was what Apple Vacations, Dominican Republic is to Americans (without excessive drinking). Vacationers from Germany arrive for a week, relax, eat, have nightly entertainment and then after their week is up they get back on the bus, off to the airport and back to Germany. They never leave the compound and are completely content. Not what I had in mind for my couple of days of relaxation, but it was AWESOME.

Kids loved the all inclusive. I think this is the first time we have done all inclusive with them. They loved running from the beach to the pool and they thought is was great that they were in Spain surrounded by Germans. The GM was dumbfounded as to how we found the place, but welcoming and accommodating.

It was really great, not at all what I had in mind, but it did force us to just relax instead of trying to fit in some sight seeing while at the Costa del Sol. We definitely still talk about our German adventure in the South of Spain.
I believe the hotel has changed ownership since we were there, but hopefully still as awesome. Playa Granada Club Resort