We went to Nerja last April and drove to Torrox (the next development along back towards Malaga). I have to say it is not the most pleasing to the eye resort as there are a group of older dark coloured apartment blocks right along the beachfront. There is areal mix of developments here and it is basically built along each side of the coastal road.The beach is a mix of peebles and brown/red sand and my children quite liked it and the walkway along the beack of the beach was clean and tidy and there are numerous restaurants along the front. If you want to visit a real Spanish town then go to Nerja which has an old part to it and plenty of sandy beaches and shops . If you drive along the coast road from Nerja towards Almeria there are two more beaches which don't have any development around them at all (can't remember the names of them sorry.) Its also easy to drive up into the mountains from TORROX if that takes your fancy. Hope I haven't put you off.

we went to Nerja in February, never heard of this place but the deal was a good one and we could do with a break

wizard

Brian.

These sites might help you.

http://www.turismotorrox.com/ing/index.htm
http://www.torrox.to/
http://www.spanish-hols.com/torrox/torrox_costa.htm

Besos xxx
SanJi

thanks sanji

gany suggests Nerja for a "real Spanish town", while Nerja is lovely, I would suggest a trip along the coast past Torrox, and along to Torre del Mar. The drive through Torre is pretty ugly, but if you take a wander there are some nice shops, good places to eat and the Paseo is lovely. It's very Spanish and the tourists in the main are Spanish ones! In fact there are some lovely beaches to choose from all along the coast from Torrox to Torre, all different and much quieter than the ones in Nerja. Try El Morche, Mezquitilla, Algarrobo (don't be put off by the high rise buildings here, the beach is nice) and Caletta where there is a nice fishing port.

We thought we were going to Torrox Costa but we were in Tore del Mar
found a couple of nice local bars, the town was not as busy as Nerja although a lot of new build is going on including a high speed tram way