Narnia Lodgings

If you’re keen on pedal power, there are mountain biking trails all the way round Los Bermejales lake 40 minutes’ drive away, with the added bonus of dips, canoeing, and fishing for barbel and carp. Should anyone want to immerse themselves in a bigger body of water, the Mediterranean is about 45 minutes away; if you fancy a break from the Costa del Sol’s beaches while still getting wet, the waterpark at Torre del Mar has all the required slides and flumes. Seeking walks and wildlife? Three very different national park areas nearby: the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama (50 minutes) is made up a trio of stark mountain ranges almost doing a sheer drop into the sea, where olives and vineyards abruptly change into a cactus strewn wilderness full of eagles and vultures. An hour away, the Montes de Malaga National Park is thickly forested and a land of owls, caves, chameleons and prehistoric sites, while the Sierra Nevada (an hour and 30 minutes) is all rivers, gorges, glacial lakes and ski resorts. With a pile of art galleries and an unbeatable bar and food scene, Malaga is well worth making the trip, and if you’re after Moorish palaces, flamenco fuelled nightlife and a top notch science park with a planetarium, it’s got to be Granada; both are around an hour and 15 minutes away.