Salobreña

Salobreña, 10km further east on the coast road, is a compact and more laidback version of its neighbour Almuñécar.   A white hilltop town gathered beneath the shell of a Moorish castle and surrounded by sugar-cane fields, it’s set back 2km from the sea and is thus comparatively little developed.   Its beach – a black sandy strip, only partially flanked by hotels and seafront chiringuitos – is a far more relaxed affair than that at Almuñecar.

Just before Motril, the N323 heads north to Granada, a great route with spectacular views of the Sierra Nevada.   The coast road continues towards Almería through an unremarkable sprawl of resorts of which the most worthwhile for a stopover is Castell de Ferro.   It’s quite sheltered, still preserving remnants of its former existence as a small fishing village, with good, wide beaches to the east and west.   Avoid the small town beach fronting – a cluster of hostales and restaurants – which is litter-strewn and uninspiring.