Motril Holidays

   Motril Location
   Motril Things to Do
   Motril Fiestas & Festivals
   Motril Beaches
   Calahonda, Castel del Ferro and Carchuna
   Motril Nightlife
   Carchuna, Castel del Ferro, Calahonda Apartment Rentals
   Carchuna, Castel del Ferro, Calahonda Villa Rentals
 

The town of Motril is the largest town on the Costa Tropical with a population of almost 60,000 people. Now set back from the shore on the slopes of the Sierra Lujar the town has a history dating back to Roman times and was at the beginning a fishing village. It is said the village was later moved inland (around 1500 after the Moors were expelled) to avoid vulnerability to pirate attacks. Fishing, however, remains a very important part of the economy here and the restaurants always have a good fresh supply although much of the catch is distributed to inland cities such as Madrid.

The town itself is divided between three locations – the main commercial and residential area which is not a tourist resort is located about two kilometers from the coast, on the coast there is a harbour area for commercial shipping as well as pleasure boating, slightly further along the coast there is the Motril beach area which is a popular destination for locals in summer and there are many beachside apartments.

Motril is the main shopping, commercial as well as agricultural and industrial backbone of the Granada coast. It is a typical Spanish working town and unlike the main resorts (Salobrena, Almunecar and Motril) the population changes little during the different seasons of the year and apart from the temperature there is no difference between winter and summer as to what you find here.

The center of Motril is a mixture of old and new buildings as a result of a strong earthquake just over a hundred years ago that caused much damage to the town and to this day the event is celebrated in January as one of Motril’s local fiestas as despite the structural damage caused there was no loss of life. The traditional Spanish town buildings, which survive are also an interesting mixture which demonstrate the wealth gap which existed then, some in the center would have been very grand in their day but now are decaying slowly whilst others appear to be not much more than habitable stables.

In the main shopping area you will find shops such as Benetton, Adolfo Dominguez, Mango and for some reason quite a lot of Burberry in the more expensive shops mix in with bars and typical Spanish shops selling bread and fruit and hardware. There is also no shortage of shoe shops and shops selling childrens clothes. There are also some cheap clothing chains such as Las Talleres close to the center and Cordoba Centro which is midway between the center and the Al Campo Superstore. In the center of the shopping area you are inevitably going to find Plaza de Palmeras (a square with many palm trees) which is a good place to stop for a coffee.

Motril is packed with charming boutiques, delightful restaurants, and an exceptional harbour. You can spend a full afternoon taking in the sights and sounds of the city centre before heading to the harbour for a delicious seafood meal. The town centre and the marina offer a good variety of tapas bars and restaurants and you’ll find plenty of delicious fresh seafood dishes. Down at the port you can watch the fishing boats come in and auction off the day’s catch.

Whilst Motril may be good for a day out shopping and a stroll, there are not many holiday apartment rentals in Motril, the best tourist areas are outside of the town along its beaches such as Playa Poniente. In addition the municipal area of Motril includes a golf course “Los Moriscos” located near the sea and with rental accommodtion near by as well as several small seaside towns including Castell del Ferro, Calahonda and Carchuna which are very Spanish. Despite having small permanent populations that live in the towns the population of these seaside towns swells in the summer as the holiday apartments which often lie vacant in the winter are now filled to capacity.