top of page

Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Mini

  • michaellatour
  • Jun 15
  • 4 min read

A few weeks ago, we safely arrived in Alicante, Spain, a town we love. After settling in, last week we decided to take a quick trip and explore another area of the country.


On Sunday we picked up our rental Mini in Alicante and drove 7 hours southwest to La Linea. The town borders the Territory of Gibraltar and is home to many of the Spanish population that work in the Territory. (Fun fact: Since Gibraltar is a British Territory, because of Brexit, the border between these two towns has been the center of tense negotiations for over five years!) We got a great deal on a hotel, so this was our base the first two nights.  It was a charming little community; perhaps a bit more weather-worn that other coastal towns, but it had a bustling town center, and we had an amazing Indian dinner (thanks, British influence!).


On Monday we continued west, first visiting the city of Cadiz, the oldest continually inhabited city in Western Europe (since 1100 BCE). Cadiz is a hotspot for Cruise tourism- and the streets were packed with slightly lost, wandering tourists. Our initial impression was of a vibrant city full of locals trying to navigate the consequences of their successful tourism industry. The ancient city core means roads are 3 meters/10 feet wide, and sometimes narrower… so crowding was very real.


Three hours wasn’t enough time to see the city, but it was all we could handle of the crowds. So, we left Cadiz and stopped in the coastal town of Barbate for a cup of coffee. Its white-washed buildings and (almost) empty beaches were a welcome break. After that, we headed to one of the windsurfing capitals of the world, Tarifa. This town that rests at the point of transition between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea had overwhelming winds that day, and wind warnings were in effect; even the locals said it was some of the strongest they’d seen.

Windswept in Tarifa

On Tuesday we drove two hours up to the mountain town of Ronda. Famous for its Puento Nuevo (New Bridge) that spans the El Tajo Gorge, the town offers some of the most spectacular views of the Andalucian Region. The town’s architecture was particularly interesting, as it dates back to Roman times, but then has layers of Moorish influence on top of it.



Moving hotels, we migrated further east down the coast. On Wednesday morning we went to check out Estepona- a vital large town/small city that splits its industry between tourism and fishing. After a coffee and churro break, we headed to the town of Fuengirola. It’s a charming tourist spot that had some pretty decent Thai food.  The beach area was pretty heavily filled with tourists and British influence, but the town behind it retained much of its non-tourism identity.


That evening we checked into another hotel (slowly heading back east) in Rincon de la Victoria. We’d been curious about this town for many years, so it was a fun evening of exploration. Although touristy, and beachy, Rincon felt very different from the other locations we’d visited as it was much more…. Spanish. It was also much older, so it was built in a way that, sadly, blocked the beach from much of the town. But, perhaps because of this, the beach side felt a bit magical…. And it was full of families. We stumbled upon a great little art exhibit before having a lovely dinner on the beach before returning to the hotel.


On Thursday, our last full day, we headed first to Torremolinos. We were curious about this community, as it is one of the gay-friendliest towns on the coast- and has been that way since before it was okay to be so. Like so many of these coastal towns, Torremolinos was an interesting mix of locals trying to live their lives while navigating around throngs of tourists. The beach boardwalk was stunning here… and many, MANY tourists were making use of it.


In the afternoon we headed to Nerja, which is at the eastern edge of the Costa del Sol. Because it was quite separated from the other towns, we thought it might be a little less touristy. Oh, how we were wrong. Everywhere we turned there were misbehaving Brits and fatigued Spaniards. We originally thought we’d spend a few hours and then have dinner; instead, after a coffee we fled quickly.


This unexpected departure led to one of our favorite adventures- the town of Cómpeta. This mountain town wasn’t on the agenda- it was a last-minute decision as we drove away from Nerja. At 2,400 feet elevation, it’s white-washed buildings and scarily-small roads led to a delightful, unexpected final dinner on our drive.


By Friday morning, we were… full. Full of information about the coast, full of impressions of the towns, and full of a new-found appreciation for our temporary home in Alicante. As such, we opted to sleep in, not visit anywhere else, and drive the 5 hours directly ‘home’.  


I promise we'll post a love-letter to Alicante before we leave.

1 commentaire


kate
16 juin

I loved reading this! I’ve been to the area a couple of times and love Andalucia. It was fun to read about it from your perspective. I stayed in Torremolinos once and it felt incredibly British and touristy. I was not a fan. My last time I stayed in Malaga and that I loved. It felt more Spanish and also cosmopolitan. I imagine you didn’t make it across to Gibraltar? It’s an interesting place to visit as well. Keep traveling and keep writing - love these updates.

J'aime

OUR GALLIVANT

Email

Whatsapp

(+1) 206-353-3745: Erik

(+1) 206-310-5240: Michael

© 2025 by Michael LaTour

This website is intended as a personal diary of our travels, to be shared with friends and family for personal use only. All rights reserved. 

bottom of page