A bit of Andalucia and Costa Del Sol

We are lucky enough to have a family apartment there so go quite often and the kids adore it there (and so do I)! However, to make our summer holiday this year a bit different we decided to two centre our holiday by spending 10 nights in La Herradura and 3 nights in an all-inclusive near Estepona.

The 10 nights in La Herradura passed in a pleasant whirlwind of eating, drinking, relaxing, swimming and reading a lot of books. We did also visit a few places.

Marina del Este is a beautiful little harbour close to La Herradura with a lot of very expensive yachts and some lovely restaurants overlooking them. A nice place to while away a couple of hours drinking sangria and eating delicious Andalucían food. At weekends Marina Del Este comes alive and people visit into the harbour to drink and eat while listening to live music in one of the many open-air restaurants. The kids particularly liked the fish that are plentiful and very hungry in the marina, perfect for feeding leftover bread to!

Motril is another fantastic town not too far from where we were staying in La Herradura. It's a white washed town with many pedestrian streets winding their way up the hillside. It's very pretty and we found some fantastic little cafes with amazing views. Definitely worth a visit.

Cerro Gordo is a restaurant we had been recommended and we spent a fantastic afternoon here eating and looking at the spectacular views over the Sierra Nevada and sea beyond. Worth it for the view alone!

Now onto part two of the trip - Iberostar Costa Del Sol.

We only spent four days at this hotel and enjoyed our time there. However, for longer trips you may be a little bored as it's a bit small. Saying that, the kids club was really well run especially for the under 7s and the staff ridiculously helpful and friendly. They couldn't do enough and their energy was tireless. A special mention should also be made for the food, I don't think I've ever had such good buffet food at an all-inclusive. We were initially disappointed that the all-inclusive price did not include the a la carte restaurant on the beach. However, we soon realised the buffet was incredible and varied.

Drinks were also good. If you like San Miguel then this is the local beer on tap. Cocktails are made to order and are varied and it is waiter service at the buffet or you can serve yourself beer and soft drinks.

All in all a good hotel choice but maybe not for too long - I can thoroughly recommend hiring a car in this region as there is so much to see in Andalucía and beyond.