Andalucía is the most populous and the second largest, in terms of its land area, of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain, its capital is Seville. It is an autonomous community of Spain consisting of eight provinces – Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Sevilla. Within these provinces there are four Costas – Costa de la Luz, Costa del Sol, Coasta Tropical and Costa Almería.

Andalucía is the place to experience the rustic side of Spain with Spanish fiesta's; where dusty tapas bars and old palaces look unassuming within this region but enchant visitors. Gaining 3,000 hours of sun per year, many miles of golden sand beaches and beautiful natural ports, the region became a safe refuge for travellers, thousands of years before Christ, and is today a haven for sun worshippers and golf fanatics alike.

Inland Andalucia is one of the most mesmerising regions, reverting to its traditional culture, with whitewashed villages clustered around castles and palaces in a timeless faultless landscape, within communities that frequently flare into fiestas that last through till sunrise. In Granada you will find the depth of medieval Arab architecture at Alhambra, providing a combination of palace, fort and park. Jerez is home of thoroughbred horses and world famous wines, take your time to savour the oldest sherry blends and see a performance in the equestrian school.

The small village of Casares, located inland into the hills, is the most well known of the classic Andaluz ‘White Towns'. The Islamic ‘hanging village' clings tenaciously to a steep hillside below a Muslim castle and remains still comparatively unknown. From a distance, the village looks like a splash of white paint on the hillside, this is the ‘real Spain', where goats must be tended, olives picked and early loaves baked. The surrounding countryside offers excellent hiking opportunities, horse riding, bird watching and fishing.

Andalucía offers a range of magnificent beaches, some 900km of coastline! Families should head to the beaches along the Mediterranean coast together with those along the Costa de la Luz in Huelva which are more suitable for children where the sea is calmer. The typical beaches here are more expansive and likely backed by sand dunes and pine trees. The beaches on the Atlantic coast of Cadiz including Tarifa are great for surfers and windsurfers, where the international windsurfing and surfing championships have been held. It can however, be very windy with large waves and undercurrents which are really only suitable for the professionals. Between Cadiz and Tarifa is one of Andalucía's most unspoilt coastlines, much of it protected, punctuated by small resorts that sit alongside pristine sandy beaches. Northwest of Cadiz is the seaside town of El Puerto de Santa María, with a charming historic quarter and a well-earned reputation for producing fine sherry and brandy, also some of Cadiz's best seafood tapas. Further along the coast are the fishing ports of Rota and Chipiona, Chipiona with a beautiful 12-km stretch of sandy beach that few tourists visit. The historic sea port of Seville, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is famous for its Manzanilla sherry that tastes of salty sea air.

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