Hotels in Salobreña

Salobreña is the Costa Tropical's most striking town: a tumble of whitewashed houses climbing a rocky outcrop to a restored Moorish castle, with sugar-cane fields, now largely replaced by avocado and mango groves, spreading across the plain below. It is a real working town rather than a resort, and that is its main appeal. The old quarter's steep, narrow lanes and viewpoints over the sea reward an afternoon's wandering, and Granada and the Alhambra are within an easy day trip.

The beaches are long but grey sand and shingle rather than golden, and the seafront strip below town is scrappier than the postcard view of the hill suggests. The hotel stock is small, so book ahead in summer, and outside peak season things get very quiet, which some visitors will love and others won't. Stay near El Peñón beach for sea views and chiringuitos within walking distance, but expect a stiff climb up to the old town.