ALMERIA is the capital of one of the provinces of Spain with the same name. It is located in the southeastern tip of the Spanish mainland called Andalucia and faces the Mediterranean Sea. When it was founded in 955, Almeria used to have its own kings until it was conquered by Spain in the late 15th century.

Popular dishes in Almeria are pasta stew, stew mixed with wheat grains, pork, beans and herbs (this must be very nutritious), spicy clam stew and escabehe e sardines or fresh sardines served in hot sauce. The latter one is so popular that this dish is also one of the favorites across the world in the Philippines, a former Spanish colony (crucero)

If you want to go to Almeria, there are flights daily from Madrid and even from other Spanish cities like Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Melilla. There are occasional flights from other European cities (hotel in Rome) too like London, Munich and Dusseldorf although these are not daily.

If you want to tour around Almeria, there are various car rentals available and the prices are varied depending on the model of the vehicles. You can book cars from as low as 80 euros to as high as 944 euros if the car is a Mercedes (car hire Malaga). Various car models available for rental include a Renault, a Ford Fusion, an Opel Astra Ford Focus, a Ford Mondeo Peugeot 406, a Ford Focus Estate, a Citroen, a Ford Galaxy, an Opel Zafira, a Mercedes Benz Vito, a Suzuki and various other Mercedes models.

There are numerous budget hotels to stay if you’re here in Almeria. Some of them are Hostel Residencia Americana, Hostal Universal, Hostal Sevilla, Hotel Residencia La Perla and Hotel Torreluz III. All of them offer the same basic amenities though – decent sized beds, wash basins, cable TV, Internet connection for an extra charge and minibar. Recommended restaurants in Almeria are Restaurant Alfareros, Marisqueria El Alcazar and Restaurant Sol de Almeria.

One of the largest nudist beaches in Europe is also located here in Almeria. Even though it’s not a mainstream beach, El Playazo still boasts of exceptional facilities like facilities for handicapped persons, beach umbrellas and water skiing vehicles. Oh yeah, you can water ski in the nude too. Just don’t land on more reserved beaches or else the authorities will accost you. These amenities have made El Playazo accredited the blue flag or the highest accreditation the European Union grants to a beach resort. Other beaches located in Almeria can be found in Vera, Las Marinas, Almerimar, San Jose, Garrucha, Puerto Rey, Roquetas de Mar and Carboneras.

Another feature in Almeria is the Crystal Caves which were discovered 2000 although it is not accessible to tourists because of the obvious wealth therein due to salt deposits.

All these amenities, including a visit to Cabo de Gata Natural Park, make Almeria a haven for retirees especially those coming from the UK. Some who have not yet retired still do buy a house here as their vacation retreat year after year. If you do not like beach holidays, you can also use your holidays to study languages: sprachschule englisch Irland.