Location Guide - Motril

Motril, Costa Tropical by Vernon Grant 

In September 2006 there was much excitement in Motril, a town located on the eastern side of the Costa Tropical and a place that rarely makes the news headlines. 

The Spanish Royal family made their first recorded visit to the port of Motril. The visit of the Prince and Princess of Asturias coincided with the announcement that the princess, Letizia, was pregnant with her second child. Her husband Prince Felipe wore a white naval uniform. They flew in to Motril harbour by helicopter and were there to christen a frigate into the Spanish navy.

As is customary on such occasions, the princess – a former television presenter - wore a traditional black lace dress, black mantilla and peineta on her head. A crowd of over three thousand locals relished the moment.

Motril port is not the prettiest in Spain but it is one of the busiest. The first phase of vast improvements to the area is underway. The existing harbour will be extended and modernised. A new Marina is planned and that is just the beginning of big changes coming the way of Motril, a town that has always been looked upon as the poor relation of the more famous resorts along the Costa Tropical. Places such as Almuñecar and Salobreña.

One of the biggest developments in the whole of Andalucia will see two million square metres of land in Motril transformed. Two and a half thousand new homes will be built. New hotels and apartments will sit alongside a large shopping centre. The existing golf course at Playa Granada will be extended by twenty per cent. Fifteen hundred new jobs will be created.

The architect of the project to modernise Motril is Bernado Pozuelo.

He says: "This will be a perfect union between town hall and the developers. It is seldom that one speaks about a tourist, not a real estate, project. We will not build houses and then go away. The investment will be profitable for Motril."

The local Green party remains unconvinced. Their spokesman Juan Ruiz says: "These plans for Motril are simply property development madness."

Despite such protests, work is underway and phase one will be completed by 2009.

At present the working town of Motril is the largest along the Costa Tropical and that looks certain to remain the case. Its 60.000 inhabitants live in a town that is separated from its beaches by two kilometres. Sitting between the two is a wide sweep of farming land and sugar cane. Garden centres selling plants that can only survive in such a sub tropical climate line the main road that dissects town from beach. Much of the spare land will vanish as new housing developments are built. The last sugar cane factory in the area closed last year and soon there will be more golf greens along the Costa Tropical than there are Cherimoya trees or sugar cane.

The beaches of Motril, Poniente and Granada, are peppered with many a delightful chirinquito. Here it is possible to park you car outside the restaurants that serve fresh fish and vast quantities of paella. If you get bored of the sea view then simply turn your chair around and marvel at the view of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Last January it was possible to sunbathe on the beach in temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius while admiring the snow capped mountains that play home to the most southerly ski resort in Europe.

For many years holidaymakers and homebuyers from the UK have largely ignored Motril. For that reason it is the most traditionally Spanish town along this stretch of coastline.

Steeped in history the town has many fine ancient buildings. Located at a major road junction in the centre of Motril is the most splendid, La Virgen de la Cabeza. The luscious gardens, a park and a nature walk surround the building that offers panoramic views of not just the busy town but also the port and the sea. On this site once lived the wife of the last Nasrid King of Spain, Boabdil. Queen Aisha resided in a castle there that was knocked down by order of the Catholic Kings in 1499.

Other notable buildings that have played a significant part in the history of Motril include the Iglesia Mayor de la Encarnacion, which was completed in 1514. A street or two away, in Camino de las Cañas, is the pretty Iglesia del Carmen which is actually two churches built side by side but constructed a century apart.

Motril has dealt with many invasions over several centuries.

It is difficult to predict to what extent the character of the place will alter once developers themselves invade. Perhaps a clue lies a little further west along the Costa Tropical.

Salobreña is a white washed town just five minutes from Motril. Famous for a castle that perches high on rocks above the sea, the old town has retained much of its character. However, much of the housing built close to the beach lacks charm. Although not old, the villas and apartments look tired and are, for much of the year, unoccupied.

Alan Gordon lives in Motril. Originally from Dublin, he moved a few miles to the town from Salobreña. .

"I love the fact that Motril is so very Spanish in its feel. Long may it stay that way. Salobreña and Almuñecar are no longer Spanish towns. They have lost their identity. Please god, don’t allow Motril to make the same mistake and let tourism take over. I hope the new housing will be constructed in a traditional style and not just consist of ghastly urbanisations painted in different colours."

The coastal area of Motril is likely to be more affected than the well established town itself. Currently the newest housing is at Playa Granada. Apartments of all sizes and colours surround the golf course and many have sea views. Some agents say prices have actually fallen on these developments and yet large swathes of land are being cleared so that hundreds of more apartments can be built. In time a village atmosphere may develop but at present the area lacks identity. There are only a couple of restaurants and one shop to serve the predominantly holidaying golfers.

The campsites nearby are very popular with regular visitors and have more of a community feel than the unfinished housing development close by.

Martin Bright of www.tropicanaproperties.com told me about current market trends along the Costa Tropical.

"It is very different to how it was two or three years ago. Then everyone bought according to budget, whether it was houses to renovate, off plan investments or high end villas.

"Buyers in 2007 continue to look for both vacation homes and for more permanent, change of lifestyle properties. However, since the market price of properties in this area has continued to climb at a rate of 15-20% per annum, more buyers look to supplement their budget with a mortgage. Properties such as cortijos were, not so long ago, available for 30.000 Euros. Today they will likely cost you over 100,000 Euros."

One property located on the beach at Motril does stand out. Villa Astrida was the home of the former King of Belgium, Baudoin, who died in the house fourteen years ago. The villa is surrounded by sub tropical gardens that are so prevalent along this stretch of coastline.

The more typical type of property in the old part of town is a terraced cottage historically popular with local sailors. Above the shops in town are many high rise apartments. Towards the rear of the town newer homes are located off a minor road that climbs its way out of Motril, inland through pine forests in the direction of Granada.

Take this road and you will come across another area of construction that will radically alter the area. Work is well underway for a motorway that will link the existing coastal autovia to Almeria with the one that runs from the pretty Lecrin Valley to the City of Granada.

Close by is the increasingly popular inland town of Vélez de Benaudalla.

Just ten minutes from Motril, it is seen by many UK buyers as the perfect compromise. Here you are a short distance from the beaches but homebuyers are paying inland prices. Despite being fifteen minutes closer to the coast than the ever popular villages of the Lecrin Valley, property is cheaper In Vélez de Benaudalla

Something that even surprises local agent David Riordan.

He says: "I confess I do not understand that at all. I don’t get it. The Lecrin Valley is lovely. It is also the case that prices just ten minutes inland from the beaches of Motril can be 50% less than what they are directly on the coast."

Gualchos is another traditional inland location that has attracted British buyers. Graham and Sue Turner run an agency dealing in such traditional Spanish property.

Sue told me: "The new motorway will bring an increasing number of tourists to the villages. The local town hall has re-classified zones of land in the area and they are now considered to be urban land suitable for development. Another plus is that three airports at Almeria, Malaga and Granada airports will each be about 90 minutes away."

On the coast there are other overlooked resorts close to Motril. Travel east for three kilometres and you arrive in Torrenueva.

For the residents here a new stretch of motorway cannot come quickly enough. It will bypass a town that is plagued by traffic congestion. Torrenueva is undeniably slightly shabby in its appearance. However, it is a very Spanish seaside resort. It is far removed from its more famous neighbours. The beaches at Torrenueva are wide and there are some authentic bars and restaurants close by.

Carachuna is a further three kilometres further east towards Almeria. It has largely deserted bays, a handful of quaint fishing restaurants and is famous for its castle built in 1783.

The neighbouring province of Almeria is home to the legion of greenhouses, or invernaderos, under which are grown tons of tomatoes, countless courgettes and other produce that finds its way to the supermarkets of France, Germany and the UK. So great in number that they can be seen from outer space, the greenhouses are now spreading along the coastline in a westerly direction.

Growing culture has enveloped towns like Calahonda and the only view from hundreds of apartments built in the past ten years is that of a sea of plastic glistening in the sunshine. Calahonda has all the appearance of one vast market garden.

It seems that after many complaints about how they spoil the coastal resorts, fruit and vegetable producers are moving inland and into the pretty Alpujarra mountain range. In some towns and villages the local Mayor will pay a homeowner handsomely to erect such structures on their land. In other areas there is an outright ban on them.

Environmental protestors have campaigned against the greenhouses chiefly because of the pesticides and fertilisers used by farmers.

A more pressing concern for residents of Motril is the increasing number of illegal immigrants arriving on the local beaches. It seems they are the only people prepared to work in the greenhouses. The pickers endure long hours in temperatures of 50 celsius for little financial reward.

It is the all year round tropical like outside temperatures that convince many people to buy along this coast. It does have a unique climate within Europe. Motril can suffer from strong winds but the beaches are big and, even at the height of summer, there is room for everyone.

It is to be hoped that by the time the planned major development is complete, there is still sufficient breathing space for all the people who want to enjoy the town, including visiting royalty.