Finca Fernandez is an ideal base to explore from, whether your interests are sports and the outdoors, the beaches and hot lazy days, or history and culture, Andalucia has it all.

Outdoor Pursuits Our son-in-law has an Adventure Consultancy business and can tailor make trips for you ranging from snow skiing, gorge walking, downhill cycling, even kite surfing.

Cycling is very popular in this area and the Spanish are pretty good at it, winning many international events.

Bird watching. A twitcher guest counted no less than thirty species in a day in our garden. This is the first stop for the birds migrating from Africa. Spring brings the flamingos
( visit Laguna de la Fuente de Piedre, breeding ground of the wild flamingo—50 mins drive ), irridescent honeybee eaters, swallows and in summer, the eagles continuously circle overhead in the village on the hot thermals over the village in summer.

Clay pigeon shooting. Gun club is 5 mins drive and a paint ball shooting area nearby.
Tennis Lew Hoad’s famous tennis club is about 25 mins drive away plus there are public courts in both Alhaurin towns.

Sports and Water Sports Jet skiing, boat trips, scuba diving, dolphin watching, water skiing, deep sea fishing on the coast plus Alhaurin el Grande has a new indoor sports and swimming pool complex. There are two Aqua Parks in Torremolinos and Fuengirola, Seaworld and several interesting marinas on the coast, including Benalmadena.

Hiking There are some lovely parks and trails in this area but October to spring are best times for walking.
Horse riding I ride in Alhaurin el Grande in the evenings in summer. Many people have their own horses, of course, and the Andalucians are renowned for their horsemanship and beautiful horses.

Places to visit These are my personal favourites, if I have visiting family members staying with me for a week or two. I have given the approximate travel times in our location section—these are all day or half day trips.

RONDA See the dramatic gorge and the oldest bull ring in Spain.

ALHAMBRA PALACE at Granada—make sure you book in advance

MALAGA People are surprised when I suggest the city but you will find it fascinating if you go off down the side streets and look at the beautiful architecture, the port, the castle and don’t forget the feria in the second week of August , the largest in our province. Try chilled Malaga sweet wine in one of the old bodegas with a plate of cold prawns or go to the lovely old indoor market and shopping is wonderful, ladies ! Picasso museum, birthplace of the artist.

SIERRA NEVADAS Visit the little Moorish villages high up in the Alpujarras. Chris Stewart from ‘Driving Over Lemons’ fame, lives near Orgiva, which is a charming little mountain village, nestling in the valley, with its own well established hippy colony close by. It’s worth going if only for the free tapas in the bars, one of the few places left in Spain that actually does serve them free unless you go to the far North. Good for ceramics and nick nacks.

GIBRALTAR It is a fascinating place and steeped in history. Visit the apes and the caves. The botanical gardens are pleasant and a poignant moment for me was to see the little graveyard where a very young drummer boy was buried—the battle of Trafalgar was fought just off this coast.

MORROCCO Yes, you can go there and back to another continent in one day. You can see the coast of Africa. Take the ferry from Gibraltar and go to Tangiers.

CHORRO LAKES No need for beaches when there are the beautiful lakes at Chorro. Stop at the dam and see the railway where Von Ryan’s Express was filmed.

JEREZ Go sherry tasting and savour the architecture of this fine city.

SEVILLE Another beautiful city, known for culture, flamenco and architecture.

CAVES AT NERJA - spectacular illuminated cave system.

MIJAS Ride a donkey through the cobbled streets of the charming nearby village.

PUERTO BANUS and MARBELLA Mix with the rich and go star spotting—watch out for Antonio Banderas or you may see him in his home town Malaga !

SELWO SAFARI PARK near Estepona or the Botanical Parks at Malaga and Churriana near Alhaurin de la Torre.

HOT SPRINGS at Alhama de Granada, massage, thermal springs.

FINE DINING AND FISH RESTAURANTS so many to choose from—we have a good guide book for you to choose from at our house and can recommend some. Start at the Albatross near the Golf course and dine on beautiful Scandinavian salmon with boiled potatoes or try a paella 2 minutes up the road in a local Venta.

ZOO at Fuengirola, a small but well kept zoo, the lemurs are hilarious in their open island enclosure where you can get to meet them out of their cages.

SHOPPING Malaga, La Trocha in Coin, Miramar in Fuengirola and there are markets every day of the week.

TEN PIN BOWLING AND CINEMAS at Plaza Mayor, only 10 mins drive away with 70 bars and international restaurants to select from.

Adventure Consultants S.L. are adventure holiday specialists working throughout the Southern region of Spain. Please feel free to visit their website for more details regarding available activities and reservations.

Temperatures seldom fall below 15c during December to February and the summer breeze in the valley keeps the oppressive humidity of the coast at bay. We recommend that you have transport to fully appreciate the surrounding areas. We can arrange car hire or pick you up at Malaga International Airport.