SECUOYA: ABOUT THE AREA

SECUOYA RESIDENTIAL RESORT is situated on the edge of the small Spanish village of Las Herrerias. Cuevas Almanzora in the province of Almeria.

Approximately three kilometers inland from the thriving harbour resort of Villaricos, you will find the charming traditional rural village of Las Herrerias. Set between the sea and the Sierra Almagrera, this tranquil little village still bears interesting traces of its mining history. Las Herrerias, in common with neighbouring towns, is gaining the benefit of new investment into the area and will shortly see the development of an attractive new plaza in front of the church. The village boasts an excellent bar and restaurant serving authentic local cuisine, including a superb choice of tapas and the best spanish Sunday lunch in the area. For those feeling a little more lively there is a popular bar and disco on the outskirts of the village.

Approximately ten minutes drive is the coastal village of Villaricos

Villaricos is a small but thriving coastal fishing village. At the turn of the century it was a busy port occupied with the transporting of lead and tin ore from the various mine workings in the surrounding hills. This ended in the 1930s with the demise of the local mining industry, and the small port subsequently became used exclusively for fishing. In place of commerce the port has now been developed as two individual flourishing small marinas. In recent years the village has attracted the attention of a ambitious developer, who has heavily invested in the port, including the building of a prestigious harbour front residential development. This new investment has enhanced the overall development of the entire village, and is now growing as a popular holiday location.

To the east and again about ten minutes drive is the Internationally known Desert Springs Golf course and to the North East the historic and picturesque town of Cuevas Almanzora.

Cuevas del Almanzora, set at the head of the coastal plain, on the Rio Almanzora, was once one of the richest and most important towns in the region. It was the centre of the gold, tin and lead mining industry which had its origins in Roman and Phoenician times. It is a bustling medium size town and is the municipal centre for the whole Palomares / Villaricos area The main attraction is the Renaissance fortress of Marquis de los Velez,

inside which is a museum devoted to the history of the region and where many cultural events take place. Surrounding the town and clearly visible are the caves, from which the town is named, that has housed many of the towns residents for centuries past. These are now mostly places of interest but a few of the caves are again being developed as holiday apartments and duplexes. Further up the valley the town has built a boating complex, which will become part of a water-sporting complex after the 2005 Mediterranean games.

A Little further along the coast are the resorts of Vera Playa, Garrucha and Mojacar, all of which host full facilities for both residents and holiday makers. These include shops, banks, medical and sports facilitie

Mojacar, Almeria’s main and growing tourist resort is split between the ancient hill top village known as Mojacar pueblo, and the resort area of Mojacar Playa which ribbons for a couple of miles along the coast. The pueblo is a striking medieval town of white cubist houses, wrapped around a harsh outcrop of rock, featuring some distinctive Moorish architecture and made up of a myriad of narrow winding streets, giving an intriguing hint of the kasbah . The highest point of the old town is the Mirador Castillo, which provides an absolutely spectacular view of the Mojacar coastline and surrounding plain. The old town was largely deserted until the mid sixties when the "then Mayor" offered free land to anyone willing to build within a year.

The result of this was to create a flourishing "artist colony”, lending a bohemian ambience to the whole town.  At the foot of the hill is now Mojacar Playa, which stretches from Garrucha in the east , along the whole Mojacar bay: an excellent beach with warm and brilliantly clear waters, flanked by lots of fine beach bars and discos. Mojacar is now one of the most desireable tourist towns along the whole Costa de Almeria and property demands a premium price for the region.