We could tell you that Alicante has beautiful beaches, an amazing historic quarter, attractive festivals, a tasteful cuisine, a myriad of natural treasures and a varied entertainment menu, but let’s get pass the obvious and tell you about a single thing that will make you want to exchange houses to visit Alicante:

The walks.

Yes, it is that simple. Alicante is the perfect place to walk. It’s mild weather makes it perfect for taking a stroll any time of the year. If you like the coast you can walk near the marina, in “La Rambla” or in the beach; if you like to discover little colourful streets then you can head on to the old town to get immersed in its characteristic Mediterranean style; for a “cultural walk” we can suggest the museums and for a more active “walk” you can choose one of the many golf courses, any of the nearby Nature Reserves , or defying Benacantil mountain.

You are invited.

Image: Guenter Wieschendahl / Wikimedia Commons.

We are going to sound repetitive because we do say similar things about every city we write about, but Almeria is a truly a beautiful city and will be a pleasant surprise to home swappers that arrive only enticed by its beaches. Born in the 10th century as a defensive fortress , it is now the capital city of the homonymous province and shares the Muslim heritage with the other provinces in Andalusia. Almeria stands out has the largest citadel ever built in the Caliphate of Cordoba.

Honouring the origin of its name, related to a watch-point, from Almeria you will view natural, architectural and cultural sites.  Almost untouched beaches bathed by the Mediterranean Sea, the nearby Nature Reserves of Sierra Nevada and Cabo de Gata-Nijar, the historic quarter, the Alcazaba, the Jayran Wall, the fortress-temple cathedral…

An interesting fact: Almeria is one of the European cities with the most registered sun-hours per year which was the inspiration for the 20s motto “where the sun spends the winter“, would you care to discover if this is true?

Image: Photograph by Frank C. Müller / Wikimedia Commons.

Winter is here and since we are travelling along the Spanish portion of the Mediterranean coast, it would be good to remind you that there are great places in Spain to enjoy a winter house swap, specially if you like winter-sports. If you enjoy skiing, we have an interesting fact for you: Spain has 35 ski resorts of varied sizes and almost 1000 kilometres of ski slopes. Would that be enough for you?

The Spanish Pyrenees, besides beautiful, are the largest area for skiing and enjoying other winter-like activities, something always attractive to people of all ages. But today, since we were supposed to move west from Malaga to Almeria, we cannot but mention what is probably the second most important ski area of Spain and the one with the best view: the Nature Reserve of Sierra Nevada, in Andalusian territory.  Here is the deal you can get:  skiing in a designated UNESCO Reserve viewing the Mediterranean coast while you go downhill with the warm sun hitting your face. Sounds like a good deal!

We’ll mention more about Sierra Nevada’s surroundings in our next post, when we do arrive to Almeria, but if you would like to know more about your skiing in Spain, visit ATUDEM’s website (in Spanish).

Image: BY-YOUR-⌘ / Flickr.com

We leave Marbella behind and we now head on to another lovely destination in the Spanish Costa del Sol, it is time now to invite you to visit and discover Malaga.

An important detail that you should keep in mind when you look for home exchange opportunities in this area, is that between Marbella and Malaga there are other smaller but equally sunny and enjoyable cities, like Fuengirola, Benalmadena or Torremolinos. Our Map Search could be the key tool to find a great place for your next holidays, or alternatively, use the Search filters: select Spain and then Malaga (Region) and choose from the list of cities at the bottom of the page (see image). 

If you want beach, sun and entertainment, you can’t go wrong with the 300 Km (~190 miles) coastline in the Costa del Sol, and the city of Malaga is the area’s main hub. A unique attraction is the Malaga Picasso Museum in the Andalusian Renaissance style Buenavista Palace. A must for art lovers and anyone who wants to take a peek at the genius’ work.

We wrote more about Malaga in a previous post