The westerlies were kind to us and we had a great sail past the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains. There was an increasing occurrence of plastic greenhouses. Larger than poly tunnels and the source of much of the U.K.s winter vegetables.
The sea was kind with an underlying groundswell, the mountainous scenery was splendid.
As was usual the wind increased during the afternoon and some whitecaps were in evidence as we approached the headland hiding our destination, the Marina del Este.
With just a little help from a marinéro we got Dark Tarn snugged into a berth. The marina is based around a holiday development and is quite pretty, it’s also very expensive. Unfortunately the facilities don’t match the price tag. The wi-fi however is first class.
The development itself is tasteful and reminds me a little of Port Marion in Wales. There are some interesting examples of topiary. I was particularly taken by the example below!
In the evening we explored the beach beyond the marina. It would have been nice to walk into town but that was away up and over the steep headland.
The development itself consists of accommodation, restaurants, cafes and one small supermarket for essentials. But in the evening sunshine it did look pretty....
The waters were crystal clear and we were very tempted to swim but decided to save it until tomorrow...
Things seemed to be getting ready for the season, the restaurant on the beach wasn’t open yet and the dive school was still getting equipment ready.
It would be a pleasant place to holiday, and we decided to stay another day just to relax.
The rest of the Costa del Sol, the marinas were in "low season" Marina del Este had invented a mid season which meant our two days stay would cost us the equivalent of 5days anywhere else ( we did get a complimentary bottle of wine though)
The following day we spent lounging on the small beach by the marina entrance and swimming, only for short periods as the water was still s bit chilly. We had met up with a couple of yachts we had seen before and were delighted to meet Frank and Chrissie on a Westerly. Franks scouse accent made us quite homesick!
The photo below shows the beach and Marina entrance including the reason to give the mole a good offing!
The Mediterranean was proving more interesting than I had given it credit for and the coastline I had been expecting to hurry past was slowing us down for a closer look. Why I am still surprised at this I really don't know.......
I think it can probably be summed up by the phrase " stop and smell the coffee", take time out to appreciate and let a place permeate your skin.
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