Iona Napier
WITH stunning beaches, charming old town streets and 40,000-year-old caves, Nerja has always been popular with those in the know.
Now the Axarquia jewel has been officially recognised as Spain’s most charming seaside town.
International tourism website Hotel Info invited 16,000 voters to choose between 27 finalists.
With an impressive 5,173 votes, Nerja bagged almost one third of the total cast.
The landslide victory followed a town hall campaign which saw Nerja pitted against towns including Altea, Benicarlo, Cudillero, Mojacar, Ribadeo, Rota, Tossa de Maro and San Javier.
“We want to say thank you for your support to the thousands of internet users who voted and to the public bodies, our town has won and we must celebrate,” said PSOE tourism councillor Patricia Gutierrez.
In second place was Ortigueira in Galicia, with 4,016 votes, and Rota in Cadiz province which scooped 2,119.
What a surprise about Ortigueira. The ria leaves any place on the Med coast far behind, not least Nerja. Fantastic sandy beaches, semi-wild horses in the salt marshes behind the dunes,free camping and cold showers and lots of stone built barbecues, bring your own wood/charcoal.
It was the ria that suckered us into living there – go after a storm and see all the sea shells laid out in patterns at the water’s edge. The isle of goats to walk out to at low tide and the warm water pools.
Also for those who hav’nt forgotten they have legs a lovely camino ending in the surreal pine wood behind the beach. Go in July for the Celta Festa Mundo.
But don’t expect much from the town, nothing special there and AFAIK – no hotels left now. It’s all about the fantastic ria. Travel towards Ribadeo and you will be gobsmacked at one beautiful ria after another. Nowhere on the Med coast can compare with the NW – esta la vida.
Nerja ? Don’t think so. When will the town provide the sewage treatment plant it has promised ? Cannot recommend its turd laden sea.
new sewage plant going in at moment for you
That reminds me, must get the septic tank emptied.
I am gobsmacked about this, Nerja? Sure it’s pretty and nice and DH and I have been a few times but the beaches are hardly breathtaking and with the crap being sent out to sea how on earth could this win such an award? One can only surmise that those voting are a consortium of property owners or someone has a vested interest in ensuring that Nerja won this.
It would be shocking enough if this competition was just for the Costa Del Sol, but for the whole of Spain? pfft, get outta town – the integrity of this competition has reached an all time low and not for the first time has Nerja scooped one of these dubious awards.
ive been all over spain on the islands as well depends what you looking for if you just want sun go anywhere in the world if you want peace and tranquility lovely weather all year round walk streets safely at all times go to nerja
The award was for “best seaside town”, not best seaside or best beach. Nerja won no blue flags this year, and clearly it should never have really won any whilst it has no operational sewage plant. However, the town is very nice, and most importantly, authentic, and the coastline is very unspoiled.
Nerja is much nicer than many of the resorts on the west side of Malaga which have hideous looking tower blocks all the way along the coast line. Tourists clearly prefer places like Nerja so instead of demolishing people’s houses, how about getting rid of the 1970s tower blocks.
i agree with you all resorts nerja is not a resort its just a lovely village surrounded on one side and sea on other and has own little climate very good winters but i suppose there are always begrudgers