La Granja de Antonio

The ranch is a mere 10 minutes’ drive from Alhaurín el Grande and close to several good golf courses. A little further afield on the famed coastline of the Costa Del Sol, there’s heaps of family-friendly stuff to get stuck into; a tiptop spot for families is Aquamijas waterpark in Fuengirola: it’s got a wave pool, ski-high waterslides and a kids' splash pool too, so while the tiddlers are off getting wetter and wearier as the day wears on, grownups can spend time recharging on the poolside loungers, intermittently taking dips in the pool and refuelling at the snack bars alongside. While you’re in this part of the world, a trip to see the mountaintop city of Ronda should be top of your sightseeing ticklist; highly photogenic, the city is split into two parts and set dramatically atop the El Tajo gorge, with the lookouts from the stone Puente Nuevo bridge and the Plaza de Toros 18th-century bullring being the city’s two most notable landmarks. It’s about an hour’s drive to the edge of the UNESCO-listed Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park and its wooded hills, olive groves and orchards. Head here for no less than 15 spectacular waymarked walking trails, for a highly scenic cycling trail along the Port of La Mujer, or for mountaineering around the Torrecilla ascent. To take things down a notch, you can always try your hand at foraging for mushrooms, or keeping peepers peeled for local wildlife.