It's holiday time again!

This year we decided to take 2 overnight stops on the way down and another 2 on the the way back from our timeshare week on the Costa del Sol at Calahonda. So, on Thursday morning we set off with our 2 cats and dog plus suitcases to drop the pets off at their kennels / cattery near Tortosa and made our way down the coast to our first overnight hotel which I had booked in Benidorm.

Click left on any photo for the full size image.

As you can see from the photo Benidorm is still being built but it has a very good selection of hotels.

The next day, Friday, we had an easy drive to the Parador at Puerto de Lumbreras. Despite being called "Puerto" it is 33 kms from the sea. So we have crossed yet another Parador off the list, hardly one of the best we have visited but the food was good.


Saturday, and we arrived at our apartment for the week. The weather was generally fine, it was quite warm but not as hot as it has been on previous visits due mainly to a strong wind blowing along the coast. However, quite a few brave Brits managed to sunbathe around the pool.

Below is the traditional photo of "Margaret in the window". I have taken this photo each time we have visited over the last 20 years - must put them together for comparison one day!



Having said that, I have sorted out 2 photos - the one on the left from May 1990 and the one on the right from May 1991. Although we bought our "week" in 1987 and we went there the following year, we stayed in a larger apartment as we took my mother - that was a week to remember! The following year, 1989, we exchanged and had a week in the Algarve, so the first time we stayed in "our" apartment was 1990 and we have been back several times since. You can see from the photos how the fig tree has grown. Say no more.

The gardens are always well tended. I bought this hat from the market in Fuengirola last year, it's Australian. This year the same guy was there selling them and I bought another style and yes, it is made from kangaroo leather.


On Wednesday we visited the village of Mijas where there is a flamenco display at noon.


After our week we stayed on the Saturday night at an hotel near Cordoba which had great views of the typical Andalucian countryside.


Our last night was in the small town of Almansa which had it's 4th century castle open for tourists on Sunday afternoon.


On Monday it was an easy drive up the coast to collect the pets from their holiday and then home after a thoroughy enjoyable break