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February 14th - February 27th 2018
17 17
February 14th - February 27th 2018
WILD WEST: Walking out from Manilva you reach some stunning green countryside
Sabinillas ups the tempo, a local pleasure port, it adds a touch of flea market with an international authenticity he appreciates. If resting on your well-earned reappeal. Held weekly at the fairground off tirement laurels sounds too tame, the Camino de los Banos de la head for the rugged hills of MaHedionda, it’s a bargain hunter’s nilva which open like a fan along paradise stretched across 300 several walking and off-road stalls piled with jewel-coloured trails. fruit and veg, antiques, local These capillaries are ever more deeply etched into handicrafts and second the landscape by the hand designer wear. coast’s growing number Running further west of biking and walking the other side of enthusiasts who enjoy Duquesa, the coastline the trip into nature. just gets wilder and Sybarites should less and less dealso make a veloped. pilgrimage to Here, you will Manilva vilfind an exlage which tensive natraces its ture zone d o m i of golden n a n c e beaches back to e d g e d 1 6 t h with wild century grasses vineyards and flowf a m e d ers. throughThe Punta out the Chullera world for area is a their sweet rock pool potmoscatel wines. terer’s paradise The story of its and offers the thriving wine indusoccasional curious try is beautifully told at sight such as squid LOCALS: the Nilva Wine Museum hanging on washing Celebrate with and you can take a lines to dry. vineyard tour. This is where Belgian the Virgen del While meandering biker Robert Vermeulen Carmen, the through a tangle of winds down ‘to do nothpatron saint of vines I bump into Dave ing’ but enjoy his retirefishermen and and Nicki who only ment. sailors, on an come here now for oldThe 68-year-old makes annual outing time’s sake. the journey to the that attracts Having run their own beach from his Casaproperty business for thousands res pueblo apartment 15 years on the Costa by motorbike to take of locals and de la Luz, they came long walks and soak up expats to to Manilva to open up some rays. Sabinillas shop and capitalise on “I think the coastline is seafront each the throngs of holidayjust beautiful,” he says, year home buyers eyeing up looking hot in his leaththe area. er biker’s jacket as the The 2007 economic sun comes out. crash changed that and The local fisherman their business suffered. still have a place in the community, he tells me, pointing “People stopped coming, even out the numerous vessels parked the Brits,” recalls Nicki. Despite a tainted experience, the in front of the promenade. Next to the gin palaces bobbing couple say that Manilva is back at anchor in Duquesa’s tourist in business and shows no sign of
HISTORIC: By the Roman baths and (top right) treading for wine
slowing down, with ‘more Brits here now then there have been in previous years’. Nearby, on the border with Casares, you will find one of the true secrets of the Costa del Sol, the Roman baths of Hedionda, which will stop you in your tracks: the cloudy blue pools under arched brickwork allow you to relax Roman-style.
This medicinal sulphur spring flowing out of limestone is said to cure a whole host of ailments, including sunburn. Julius Caesar is one of many to have taken advantage of its healing properties, and came to Manilva to cure a nasty skin infection. Apparently, it worked!
NATURE: Green gecko and (above) huge squid
Pablo Gozalo MRCVS & Susana Rodriguez MRCVS
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