SPORTS AND LEISURE FACILITIES IN SALOBRENA AND THE COSTA TROPICAL
Monte de los Almendros Community Sports and Leisure Area
Guests of our villa in Salobreña have free use of the recreational facilities of the private urbanisation Monte de los Almendros.
Our vacation home is conveniently located within a 3 to 5 minute walk of this recreational area. This is the perfect distance because it is close enough that children can walk there on their own, but it is far enough that you won't hear any noise from these facilities at the villa.
The facilities include a large communal pool, a children's pool, playground, tennis court, table tennis, football pitch and a basketball court. If you like to play tennis, bring your racquet along because it isn't possible to hire racquets here. During the summer there is a kiosk here that sells drinks and refreshments. Sometimes there are dinners and activities in the evening.
Municipal Indoor Pool & Gym
The town of Salobreña has a wonderful sports complex. There is a 25 meter heated indoor pool and a large gymnasium with all type of weight machines, tread mills, ellipticals and stair masters. The facilities are open to the public. One-off visits to the pool are 2.50 euros and to the gym is 3 euros. Swimming classes are also available.Visit the website for more information.
Yachting
In the next few years, a yachting marina is scheduled to open in Salobreña directly below the urbanisation Monte de los Almendros, where our villa is are located. This will be wonderful for the area. In the meantime, the nearest marina is located in Motril. It is less than a 10 minute drive away from Salobrena.
Another marina, which is only 30 minutes away, is Marina del Este. This is located in the town of La Herradura. It is the harbourside. It is possible to charter boats in Motril as well as in Marina del Este. See the Viento y Mar website for more details.
We have additional information in the information books in our villa. Further East of us in Almeria, there is another marina called Almerimar. As you can see, we have a good choice of quality marinas in the vicinity.
Snow Skiing
The Sol y Nieve ski resort is purpose built and has all amenities from hotels, shops, restaurants to ski-hire and bus service to Granada. Skiing is good with a range of slopes to suit all abilities, but perhaps the expert would be a little bored on an extended stay. The ski season in the Sierra Nevada ski resort runs from 1st December to 30th April. The cable cars run all year long for those wishing to walk in the mountains during the warmer months.
The travelling time is about 75 minutes from Salobreña. The roads and sign-posting are good. The mountain road is spectacular.
The tourist office in Salobreña has details of all schools and ski hire companies. There are many ski schools and one can simply turn up and book, but it is a good idea to phone around first. Most ski schools give a discount on ski hire. Both lessons and ski hire are very reasonable compared to the Alps, Scandinavia or North America. The British Ski Center offers professional ski and snowboard tuition in English. Other ski schools offer classes in English, but this school has English instructors. Private and group options are available. They also offer ski/snowboard guiding and they hire quality equipment. See their website for more details and to learn about their qualifications. Another ski school that offers classes in a variety of languages is Escuela Internacional de Esqui. They are located in front of the Information office. Visit their website or phone them on 958 48 01 42. Other schools include: Escuela Oficial de Esqui Sol y Nieve (Phone: 958 480 011), Telemark Sierra Nevada (Phone: 958 481 153) and Escuela Nacional de Esqui (Phone: 958 487 394).
Equipment hire centres are all over. Some options include Monitor Techno. You can reserve equipment online if you register on their website. Their phone number is 958 48 04 75. You can also try Esqui Factory on 958 481 068 and Telemark on 958 481 153.
Lift passes can be bought in full day or half day packages and are the most expensive item. The price may vary based on the time of year. Packages can be bought with accommodation from Friday to Monday or Monday through to Friday. These are arranged through the Sierra Nevada Tourist Centre or can be booked independently so a weekend of skiing could be added to a stay at our villa.
Car parking (for those not based in a hotel) can be expensive: 9 Euros for half a day, but it is central. There is free car parking just out of town (a very short walk of only five minutes or so) at the base of the second gondola system towards the end of the season.
Aquatropic is a waterpark located 10 minutes away from our villa, in the town of Almunecar. The setting couldn't be better as it is directly in front of the sea. This is a great place for the entire family to spend the day.
Their opening hours are:
11:00 to 18:00 in June and September
11:00 to 19:30 in July and August
They have water slides, mini golf, beach volleyball, an aquarium, a quad track and a playground. To allow Mum and Dad to relax, they even offer massages. Needless to say, it is easy to spend an entire day there. In the evening, they have a disco that is quite popular.
For more details and prices, please see the Aquatropic website.
Science Museum in Granada's Parque de las Ciencias
The Parque de las Ciencias in Granada is a science museum with over 30,000 m2 of outdoor space holding the different premises and scientific experiences. This museum presents the visitor with more than 270 interactive activities about the biosphere, perception, inventions and scientific discovery.
One of the rooms is geared specifically to children from three to seven years old, where they can play and explore with total freedom.
The planetarium, which is part of the museum complex, has a special children's programme that introduces youngsters to astronomy through storytelling and drawing.There is also an Observation Tower, an Astronomy Garden, a Tropical Butterfly House, Botanical Walks and a Plant Labyrinth.
Watersports
A wide variety of water sports are possible on the Costa Tropical. This includes everything from kayaking, sailing, jet skits to scuba diving. There are several scuba diving centres nearby.
Walking
There are countless, beautiful places to walk throughout the province of Granada and Malaga. Some of the nicest places include Las Alpujarras, the Lecrin Valley and in the mountain villages of Los Guajares. It is possible to walk in the Sierra Nevadas in the summer as the cable cars run year round. In Maro and around Nerja, there are many signposted walks up into the mountains and some walks even take your through dry river beds and places where you can see waterfalls. Maps can be found in the local book stores and there are quite a few books that are available in English that have suggested routes.
Sports and Leisure Links
There are many sports and leisure opportunites in Salobreña and the surrounding area. Some of our favourites are listed below.
Body, Mind and Spirit
Armonia Alpujarras Healing retreats, Yoga and Yurts for holiday rentals. Run by Ziza and Yair, well known body mind therapists (as shown on UK Style TV)
Walking, Biking and Horseriding
Spanish Highs Mountain Guides We offer walking and mountaineering tours in the Sierra Nevada and Alpujarra mountains, Spain. Also trekking, ski touring, rock and snow adventures.
Sierra Essence Guided walks and other useful information about the Sierra Nevada in Granada Spain.
Biking Andalucia Guided cycling holidays in the Sierra Nevada mountains of southern Spain. They use their unrivalled local knowledge to create a holiday customised to meet exactly what you want and to get the best from the area.
The Life of Riley Year round walking, trekking and scrambling in the Sierra Nevada, Alpujarra and Sierra de Huetor of Granada with a qualified mountain guide.
La Herradura Riding Centre Horseback riding in Salobreña. Beautiful well trained Spanish horses available for mountain treks, beach rides and tuition. Horses available for all ages and abilities.
Paragliding
Parapente Tropical Paragliding school for all levels of tuition and guiding.
