The Coast of Almería

Hotel Bitacora and small seaside town very charming. We thought the scenery was fantastic and very different - wonderful colours in the rocks. Enjoyed a swim in the pool at the first 2 hotels, don't get the opportunity when further North at that time of year. Octopus restaurant in San Jose very good and welcoming.

Overall, another good holiday with Inntravel, and already planning next years adventure, however, thinking of going north rather than south, as had two, unexpectedly, very hot walking holidays!

I combined The Coast of Almeria and Malaga (an obvious add-on). The coast is semi-desert, sunny and windy (in April). For me, this was a big change and consequently fascinating. My highlight was the circular walk from Rodalquilar that took in the farm that was the setting for Lorca's Blood Wedding. Eerie, sad and fascinating. Beyond were the abandoned gold mines. It's not often a walk has such a fascinating combination. Malaga is also worth the visit. There's plenty to see ... the Moorish fortress, the Cathedral and the old town, all just around the corner from the excellently located hotel. And the highlight ... The Picasso Museum, which represents his life's work in a nutshell. 

Another excellent Inntravel holiday with spectacular scenery, good hotels and deserted beaches. The walks were varied with good contrast between the coast and inland mountains.  I particularly enjoyed  Option D "Over the hills to the coast" from Rodaquillar and the San Jose circuit on the final day. All the hotels were charming although completely different.  I would recommend upgrading to a sea view room at Dona Pakyta, where I also had an extra night to relax and enjoy the nearby beaches - Media Luna being my favourite. As other reviews have pointed out, restaurants in Las Negras and Rodaquillar have very limited opening hours in the Low Season and it is very much pot luck as to which places are open. I would strongly recommend Lebeche & Samamar in Rodaquillar although on the  night that both were closed I had a great meal at El Cinto which serves traditional Spanish food and has very welcoming and friendly owners.  In San Jose most restaurants were open and I would recommend El Octopus.

As I was flying in and out Almeria airport I stayed there for an extra night at the end of the holiday.  It is a lovely city with a marvellous "Old Town" and a stunning Alcazaba which has spectacular views over the City and surrounding area,  Although it was relatively easy to find accommodation I am somewhat surprised that Inntravel  do not offer this as one of their "City Add-ons"

This was our 4th holiday with Inntravel so had high expectations and weren't disappointed. Cabo de Gata was both dramatic and beautiful and the areas we walked through very peaceful. We chose late March in an attempt to have comfortable walking temperatures but knew that this would make us a bit out of season. It was actually hotter than we were expecting (in the low 20s rather than the 17 degrees we hoped for) and we were slightly surprised at just how few restaurants and bars were open. With hindsight we might have booked for the beginning of April in order to have a little more life around in the evenings and I might have taken another jumper - it was very chilly in the evenings. I would rate the walking at closer to 2 than 1 overall.  

We enjoyed all 3 places that we stayed. Our favourite hotel was Jardín de los Sueños - we loved our garden room, the grounds were beautiful and Eckhard (who is quite a character) made excellent picnics. One of our favourite walks was from here to the Contijo el Fraile. Rodalquilar was very 'closed' in the evenings so we ended up eating at Samambar 3 nights running - fortunately so good that we didn't mind! The young owner was particularly charming and helpful at explaining the unusual menu. Hotel Doña Pakyta was less personal and friendly but we had a lovely sea view from our comfortable room. Again, few restaurants open but we didn't go hungry! Worth a mention is Pizzeria la Gondola, very close to the hotel & nothing fancy but HUGE pizzas and extremely friendly service. Another favourite walk was the circuit through the private land owned by the family that run the Doña Pakyta (remember to get a permit - we were challenged, in a friendly way, by the farmer) - beautiful farmland, baby goats eating tomatoes and several gorgeous beaches on the return. As usual after an Inntravel holiday, we returned home feeling rested from our everyday lives but as if we had been on a bit of an adventure - so many experiences packed into one week!

We enjoyed the walks, the area and the accommodations. It is a bit off the beaten track and certainly in March, very quiet. The walking was a bit harder than expected but enjoyable. The area is interesting visually and historically. If you suffer from significant vertigo, there is a bit of cliff top walking, but mostly on wide paths. The hotels were comfortable and staff very welcoming and helpful.

Spring is the time for walking in Cabo de Gata.  It may be chilly in the mornings (with very cold evenings) but just right for those long walks over flowered covered mountains.  Our visit was during the end of February to beginning of March.  A few tips for anyone thinking of coming during these months. 

The locals like to have their main meal between midday and 3pm; then another after 8:30pm (too late for us). In Las Negras this was not an issue to us because, out of the few places that did open in the evenings, one or two did open earlier. The owner of Bitacora, Hans, did drive us down on our first night to eat then returned an hour and 15 minutes later to bring us back to the hotel. On the 2nd night we walked there and back (only 15 minutes each way) so that we did not have to ‘clock watch’ or call Hans out after 9:30. As Bitacora has a kitchen in the apartment (no complementary tea, coffee, etc) you could make a hot supper if you don’t want to eat late. There is a minimarket that closes at 7:30 pm for all your supplies of tea, coffee or additional picnics.  Bitacora is an ideal hotel to add an extra day or two because of the comfort of the apartment and the facilities available in Las Negras.

Read full review>

We enjoyed this holiday. The walks were a good mixture of coast, countryside and mountains. We passed many beaches on the walks. We enjoy the challenge of a long walk so combined walks B and D in Rodalquilar and the two walks in San Jose. As we were there in February the villages were very quiet and most of the restaurants were closed but there was sufficient choice. We would recommend Lebeche and Oro y Luz in Rodalquilar and Octopus and Taberna Meze in San Jose (this restaurant seemed to be very popular with locals).

Many of the restaurants were closed at this time of year, however there was always somewhere to eat in the evening. The two restaurants in Rodalquiar Lebeche and Samamar are both excellent and close on different days but you do need to book. Also the restaurant in San Jose The octopus was also excellent but again needed to book. The weather was too cold and windy to eat outside in the evening and these places don't have many tables indoors. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the holiday. The scenery in the Cabo de Gata is beautiful and the area very unspoiled. The walks were easily manageable, just some steep descents on loose stones and dry riverbeds but we took our time. The hotels were charming. As others have mentioned, a lot of restaurants were closed during the winter season and often seemed to close unexpectedly, surprising even the hotel proprietors! However, we managed to find somewhere to eat every night and Rodalquilar in particular has a very high standard of restaurants. The Botanic Garden closed at 2pm, so if you want to visit you have to go in the morning before walking. There were other Inntravel walkers doing the route so we were able to compare notes. For anyone who enjoys walking and exploring in more detail, it is a fantastic holiday.

Our personal highlights - the walk to the goldmine and the walk to San Jose from Rodaquilar.

At this time of year, few restaurants are open and few of the staff speak English.  More guidance from the hotel in San Jose would have been welcome.

Thank you very much for a wonderful holiday to celebrate my 80th birthday with my son.  I will certainly look at other trips with Inntravel.

A great region to get some winter sun, as long as you don't mind it being very out of season. Our personal favourite was walk D from Rodalquilar "Over the Hills". Stunning views (including of Cortijo del Fraile, although you don't go past it). Very much worth upgrading to a seaview room at San Jose. As you don't offer Almeria as an extension, we made our own arrangements to spend a night there, and can thoroughly recommend both a half day or so in the old town, and Hotel Catedral, where we had an excellent half board deal. We think you could consider offering this - particularly for those getting the bus from Malaga, as it is only a short taxi ride from Almeria bus station to the hotel. (For those flying to Almeria, there would be a bit of back-tracking as the taxi transfer from the hotel to Las Negras goes past the airport.)  

Some of this walking over stony tracks and paths in 28 degrees of heat, was fairly arduous! But the reward and the extreme satisfaction of drinking that cold beer at the end of a walk is brilliant! These routes gave us an immense feeling of freedom and privilege. Those wide open vistas, the red rocks, the empty, sandy beaches, the tracks disappearing into the distance, the sheer cliff faces and the miles and miles of silence! Our hosts were always courteous, friendly and so helpful. We had wanted to do this holiday for many years, and were not disappointed!

This was an excellent walking holiday which introduced us to the spectacular Cabo de Gata National Park. The scenery is spectacular, the walking notes and walks themselves fabulous and the accommodation welcoming and very comfortable. We loved our breakfasts at the Hotel Bitacora and made good use of the swimming pools at both The Bitacora and Hotel Naturaleza. Having a beach below the Hotel Dona Pakyta was the icing on the cake.

Its difficult to pick out one favourite walk but we both thoroughly enjoyed the walk to Cortijo de Fraile from Rodaquilar. We seldom met a soul on our walks and the peace and tranquility of this glorious part of the world was breathtaking!

This is a wonderful way to see the coast of Almeria.

We went to 13 beaches several of which can only be reached on foot.

We saw many amazing views, vistas, sun rises and sun sets - plus some munching goats!

We walked on coastal paths, and through big wide plains.

Hotels were perfect especially Jardin do los Suenos - a peaceful haven.

The 3 villages are all very different and have their own personalities. Only San Jose was really busy. Las Negras and Rodalquilar were quiet in the day, but still plenty of restaurants and bars at night.

You need to be reasonably fit - a lot of ups and downs and stony paths. But all fine if you take your time and wear good proper walking shoes or boots with decent treads.

The instructions were very clear although it was good we downloaded the GPS files - just gave that certainty for the couple of occasions when the path was hard to identify.

I thoroughly recommend this holiday and Inntravel.

We undertook a shortened, 5 day, version of the 'Coast of Almeria' walk to fit around other commitments we already had in southern Spain. This entailed one day in Las Negras, 2 in Rodalquilar and 2 in San Jose. We would not normally have chosen to be out walking during early September and the temperatures were in the low to mid 30's. Even with the heat, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting walk and really nice to be in a moderately undeveloped area away from the crowds. Las Negras has a very laid-back vibe and we were disappointed that we didn't have more time to spend there. We can recommend eating at the Terraza El Molino (Windmill Terrace), good food whilst watching a lovely sunset. For us, the short-ish walk to Rodalquilar was perfect as it was a very hot day and some of it is on sand. Lovely coast with interesting history and plenty of areas to picnic. At 'El jardin de los Suenos', Eckhard was a very genial host and able to provide numerous hints and tips on walks and eateries. On the second day we did the walk to the Torre de Lobos, the views and coastline are tremendous. The walk to San Jose was long and very hot but with attractive views out to sea. San Jose is a very nice town. Lots of eateries and beach activities. We can recommend a kayak tour and snorkelling with 'Happy Kayak'. Following a recommendation from Eckhard, we ate at Restaurante Pizzeria la Gondola, on the route from the hotel to the beach, which was fantastic. By chance we were passing just as they opened so got a table and then watched a huge queue of locals form up to wait for spaces - always a good sign! The Dona Pakyta hotel is very tranquil and the views over the beach are superb with wonderful views of the sunrise and sunset. We squeezed the walk into 5 days but wished we'd had more time in each location along the route.     

Personal Highlights: The stay at Rodalquilar was excellent - the accommodation, the owners, the village, the restaurants and the people.

Recommendations: Las Negras - on Sundays it is essential to book restaurants at lunchtime and most are closed in the evening. Las Negras to Rodalquilar walk - use insect repellent - wear long sleeved shirts and long trousers. Rodalquilar - always ask the proprietor about restaurants as the restaurants seem to take it in turns to close for a day or two.

The cliff top walks were wonderful. Don't let people walking towards you frighten you about the descent into the final resort. It's a bit of a challenge but not at all scary as we were told to expect by fellow walkers :-)

This was our first Inntravel holiday but definitely won't be our last and we are already planning our next trip, I believe we may now be hooked! We were amazed by the range of contrasts in coastal and inland landscapes in this undiscovered part of Spain. The villages were unspoilt and charming with a relaxed feel and very helpful and friendly local residents and restaurants. The walking was enjoyable and at the right level and the Granada add-on and the Alhambra visit was the cherry on top of the cake. Being in Granada for the start of Semana Santa (Holy Week) was an added unexpected bonus seeing the processions and bands in the streets.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk The Coast of Almería with our Granada City add-on

We loved the walking in this interesting countryside and amazing coastline. We saw very few other walkers out and about although we met more Inntravel customers at the hotels. The spring flowers are so pretty and the sea breezes refreshing (other than the 2 days of storm mid-holiday!). We ate very well in all 3 locations. Spending an extra day in Almeria was also enjoyable - the Alcazaba fortress is spectacular (and free entry). Thank you, Inntravel, for this therapeutic, relaxing holiday.

Going at the very beginning of the season meant that food options in Rodalquilar were limited. We highly recommend the Samambar in Rodalquilar on the little square for very innovative tapas and charming service, La Manteca in Las Negras (essential to book lunch in advance, as it is very popular indeed with locals), and we enjoyed tasty tuna tataki at Octopus in San José. The garden and pool at the Jardin de los Suenos are beautiful and tranquil. One of the suites there has a more open sunny terrace than the other; ours was very closed in (the one nearest the road). Make sure you take the torch if you are walking into Rodalquilar at night; street lighting is limited.

Our favourite beaches were at Isleta del Moro, the furtherest beach from the car park at San José called Cala Media Luna, and the beautiful Los Genoveses. The beach below Doña Paktya Hotel was a bit dirty with plastic, although the water is clear. We are not naturists, but it is very acceptable to skinny dip on the more remote beaches.

All three of the bases provided us with excellent walking. The dry river beds were at times challenging but we took our time and managed them. The second location, Hotel Jardin de los Suenos certainly had the most stunning breakfast views and we were very impressed by Eckhard Kost and his wide knowledge of the area and his amazing ability to converse in so many languages. His advice was always welcome. We adapted the second changeover route and simplified the start as we knew it would be a long day and, apart from the stony, downhill sections at the end, we thorougly enjoyed it - especially the sweeping views of the sea. At the final hotel, because of the link with the Dona Pakyta Estate, we were able to experience the most stunning scenery of all - so much so we repeated the walk the next day. We would happily recommend this Inntravel holiday but we would grade it as mostly level 2.

The walks were superb. Well chosen, well described and a great mix of challenging and straightforward terrain that led to superb views and great locations. We particularly enjoyed the transfer day walks with the added frisson of arriving at a new location to sample new tastes and experiences.