OMEGA ESTATE
Inmobiliaria Real Estate
See us in 2007
on BBC1's 'Living in the Sun'
GRANADA AND THE COSTA TROPICAL
Climate
The term Costa Tropical is well deserved, as the sun shines, warming and illuminating, longer here than anywhere else in Europe. Winters are short and summers long, while autumn and spring are delightful. Almuñécar, in fact, enjoys a unique microclimate which has led to it being known as the Tropical Coast, though the climate is more exactly subtropical, as humidity is very low. Pleasant sea breezes refresh the heat of high summer, while the mountains parallel to the coast protect it from the cold northern winds. The Mediterranean, itself, serves as a thermostat, regulating and moderating brusque changes in temperature. In other words, the climate here is very mild and temperatures moderate. In the winter season, temperatures very rarely fall below 10-12°C, the average being around 18°C. In summer, this rises to about 25°C, with midday maximums of 30°C, though these are greatly alleviated by the sea breezes. The effects of this marvellous climate are immediately apparent: the markets are full of delicious, exotic fruits and vegetables and flowers carpet the mountain sides while not very far north, ice and snow cover the ground. Here, the first flowers appear on the almond trees before Christmas. 
Cascades of tropical flowers in clear, bright colours. The reds, yellows and blues are like an explosion from the paintbox of Miró. The trees are laden with tropical fruit. There are mangoes, avocadoes and huge bunches of bananas. You're still in Europe, but yet you aren't. Because this is the Valle Tropical and Almuñécar, the Spanish town with the tropical climate.
Unique location
Almuñécar is a picturesque little town surrounded by high mountains. It's these mountains that make Almuñécar unique, for they keep the cold air away and thus ensure the town its tropical climate.
Thousands of years of history
Almuñécar is one of the oldest towns in the Mediterranean region, and can trace its history back to the Bronze Age some 1 500 years B.C. The collections you can see in the town's archaeological museum provide an exposé of 3 500 years of human activity. The Iberian Bronze Age and Phoenician, Roman and Moorish cultures have succeeded each other over the ages. If you want to experience history live, go to the Barrio del Castillo, the old Moorish quarter of the town. In its narrow winding streets, where the houses almost reach over to touch each other, everything is a shining white. And at the highest point in the town stands the old Moorish fortress, an impressive castle with three defensive walls built within one another.
Pulsating with life
Almuñécar's long and interesting history is something every visitor will learn about. But what will strike you most during your stay is the town's pulsating life, its climate, the verdure that surrounds it, its people and, last but not least, its fiestas and festivals. Here's a Spanish city that's really generous in the discoveries, impressions and experiences it offers. The town has some 25.000 permanent inhabitants, and is fast becoming one of the most sought after locations on the whole of the Southern coast.
Province of Granada
Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Málaga, Córdoba, Jaén, Albacete, Murcia, Almería, and the Mediterranean Sea.
Although slightly too far east to catch the floods of British tourists coming to the Costa del Sol via Málaga, Granada brings in a number of tourists with its Moorish architecture and famous Alhambra. In the winter the mountains of Sierra Nevada plays host to a small but thriving ski industry, Europe's most southern ski resort. The region was the subject of Chris Stewart's book Driving Over Lemons, in which the former Genesis drummer moved to the area seeking a new lifestyle.
Its area is 12,635 km² with a population of 818,959 (2002), of whom about 30% live in the capital, and its population density is 64.82/km² It contains 168 municipalities. There are Roman Catholic cathedrals at Granada and Guadix. The tallest mountain in continental Spain, Mulhacén, is located in Granada. It measures 3 481 m. Granada shares the Sierra Nevada National Park (in the Sierra Nevada mountain range) with Almería province.
