Subject: Re: Arroyo de la Miel, Spain |
Good morning Don, Linda and other Ziners,
We moved to Arroyo de la Miel 4 years ago now. Located on Spain's south coast (Costa del Sol) between Malaga and Fuengirola in the province of Malaga. Malaga Province is part of the autonomous region of Andalucia. Arroyo is part of the municipality of Benalmadena, which consists of Benalmadena Costa (on the coast), Arroyo de la Miel and Benalmadena Pueblo (Benalmadena old village, nestled in the mountains). We live in Arroyo de la Miel (lit. River of Honey) which is where the majority of the shops is, the supermarkets and a wide range of restaurants and bars to choose from. Arroyo de la Miel is serviced by the local train line, which runs from Malaga in the East to Fuengirola in the west. There are plans to extend the train line to Nerja in the East and Marbella in the west, but that is a long way off yet. The weather is hot in the summer (July and August) with temperatures possible of close to 100F or 40C, but in general the summer sees temperatures of around 35C. The winters can be cold. In January the temperature hit -1C on the coast and there was even snow on the mountains. This is very unusual, but in general it does get quite cold in winter. The rainy season is from November - March and it sure can rain. However like in most of Europe, rain was not there last winter, so there might be a water problem next year if there is no significant rain again this coming winter. Benalmadena/Arroyo is right in the heart of the main tourist area of the Costa del Sol and therefore there are a wide range of holiday rentals (short and long term) to be found. Rental prices vary quite a lot and can be quite high in high season which lasts from May-September. A useful website for finding out about rental prices is that of the local English newspaper (weekly) http://www.surinenglish.com/ - in the classifieds section. Transport is excellent, especially when in Arroyo de la Miel with the train on the doorstep, but the buses are also quite good and taxis are cheap. Car rental is very popular on the coast, but parking is always a problem. On the culinary front, there is something suitable for everyone. The proximity of the sea makes for great seafood availability, but the high volume of tourists ensures that restaurants from countries and kitchens all over the world can be found here. (a selection: English, Dutch, French, Chinese, Thai, Indian etc.). The Spanish kitchen is varied and very popular are the tapas, which are little snacks, normally consumed with a caņa, a drink of wine or beer. http://www.andalucia.com/taste/tapas/home.htm Naturally all budgets are also catered for on the restaurant front, but very popular with the majority of the tourists and the locals and expats are the menus of the day, which are served in many restaurants. They normally consist of 3 courses and cost anywhere between 7 - 10 euros per person. This normally includes a bottle of wine as well. There is lots to do on the Costa del Sol as well for young and old. A very useful information point for all things Andalucian is http://www.andalucia.com/ which will give you a very broad insight in what is going on around here. I shall close off for the moment with a very nice website, made by a friend of ours http://www.stuartinarroyo.com/ with lots of useful information and photos of Arroyo de la Miel, Benalmadena and other towns and cities in the province. Regards, Bard Vos Arroyo de la Miel (Malaga) |