OUT AND ABOUT - PLACES TO VISIT

Granada:  Just 45 minutes inland, the provincial capital is easily accessed on the excellent N323.  The Alhambra is of course a must-see visit, but you must book in advance as tickets sell out every day of the year (see www.alhambra-tickets.es).  In Granada you can watch Flamenco in the gypsy caves, indulge in some serious shopping or just enjoy this very cosmopolitan city.

The Sierra Nevada: Europe's most southerly ski slopes are reached from the Granada ring road - just another 30 minutes further on.

The Alpujarras are the foothills of the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada.  Within 45 minutes of Salobreña you can be high in the cool Alpujarras enjoying the pretty villages that offer their own regional specialities both in terms of food and handicrafts.  This is an important area for hiking and there are organised excursions readily available.

Nerja: On the way to Málaga, Nerja is now a major tourist town which attracts many visitors to its prehistoric caves with paintings from 20,000 BC and Europe's largest stalactite!

Málaga: One of the latest cultural attractions to Málaga is the new Picasso Museum which opened in November 2003. Why not make a visit here on the way back to the airport - but don't forget to leave plenty of time to negotiate the traffic to this, Spain's fifth largest city.