Staff Reporter
THE Costa del Sol dominates a new top 50 ranking of Spain’s hottest destinations for this summer – according to the Spanish themselves.
The golden resort town of Nerja, one hour east of Malaga, comes in top in all of Spain, and it is followed by its close neighbours.
Also making the top three are two other sparkling nearby towns in Benalmadena, between Malaga and Marbella, and it is latter which comes in third.
Malaga itself, with its rich culture and history, takes forth place, while Benidorm and Fuengirola follow closely thanks to their Blue-Flag beaches.
Further Costa del Sol towns of Torremolinos and Estepona around out a dominant top ten, along with Catalonia’s Salou and Alicante.
In all the rankings, the majority of the most popular destinations are coastal towns and resorts, with Andalusia and the Valencian Community coming out as the big winners.
These regions stand out thanks to their stunning and safe beaches, perfect for swimming and water sports, according to holiday rental experts Spain-Holiday, who teamed up with rental portal Holidu.
They looked at combined internal search data of their Spanish users to find out where locals like to go.
Away from the Costa del Sol, many other top destinations are found on the Costa Blanca, which include Benidorm, Moraira, Calpe and Denia.
Other summer destinations popular with locals are Salou, Barcelona and Sitges in Catalonia, and island towns such as Alcudia and Port d’Antdrax (Mallorca) and Puerto del Carmen and Costa Adeje (Tenerife).
If you’d rather fancy a summer holiday with less heat and more sporty activities, the north of Spain is the place to be.
Here, locals are especially loving destinations in the Basque Country and Galicia, with cities like San Sebastian, Bilbao and La Coruña making it to the top 50.
These cities stand out because of their rich cultural heritage, beautiful nearby hiking routes, and excellent beaches for surfing.
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