Tranquility & Space and the luxury of your own holiday apartment in the mountains of Malaga
Casa Junius is located in the middle of the AXARQUIA
The Axarquia: what to do
The Axarquía (Spanish pronunciation: [axaɾˈki.a]) is a comarca of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is the wedge-shaped area east of Málaga. Its name is traced back to Arabic الشرقية (aš-Šarqiyya, meaning "the eastern [region]"). It extends along the coast and inland. Its coastal towns make up the Costa del Sol Oriental - one of the sunniest places in mainland Spain with the average of 320 sunny days a year. Inland you will find a very mild climate and many olive- and almond trees and vines along the slopes of the mountains and valleys.
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The Axarquia is part of the province of Malaga. This province belongs to the state of Andalusia with its beautiful city of Sevilla as the capital. The state of Andalusia is highly independent, has its own parliament in Seville and its own laws. Spain is a federation of several states with its capital in Madrid.
Of course: The beach
Yes of course, many people come to Spain to visit its Mediterranean beaches and the Costa del Sol is no exception. Casa Junius is only 25 miniutes drive from the Costa del Sol beach at Caleta / Torre del Mar, east of Malaga city. The beaches are clean and spacy and well maintained every night during the summer. Close to the beach are many parking places in Caleta as well as Torre del Mar. During summer time you sometimes pay a little parking fee, in all other seasons parking is free.
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The beaches are organised and maintained very well. During the night, it is cleaned. Sand strips are also made every night, perpendicular to the waterline. There is a distance of 2 meters between these strips. The bathers are allowed to sit on a strip. So Spain prevents people from lying too close to each other. This is completely different from the chaos you see on a nice day at Zandvoort (Netherlands).
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On several places on the beach you can eat grilled fish for less than €5,- or rent 2 sunbeds for about €10,- /day. No, these prices are no Zandvoort prices either!
Hiking in the mountains
Hiking on the slopes of the Maroma is very popular. There are many old tracks, old stone bridges and a newly built metal bridge along side the sometimes steep rock slopes. A path is often very wide, somestimes it is narrow and on the sides steep down. Yes, it can be challenging and for a hiking fan the ultimate, but there are also moderate routes.
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You can find many hiking websites, but one good website from the area is of the Dutchman Bob Kraanen. He is also a tour guide and lives in the area. Visit his site: www.bobwalks.com
In the Axarquia you enjoy the panoramic sceneries, the many birds and of course most of the time the fantastic weather. Even in wintertime you can enjoy many sun days and excellent weather to walk. The best rime of the year to hike is from September to May. During summer it might be too warm.
Casa Junius is also located in the mountains and close to all walking areas. Our townhouse Casa Maria in Sedella is located in the heart of the hiking area. Read our hiking blog.
Hiking in the mountains around Casa Junius
8
found walks.
Sedella - Salares
Distance:
2.85
km
Average walking time:
01:20
Difficulty:
Easy
Min. height:
547 m
Max. height:
699 m
Positive height difference:
163 m
Negative height difference:
31 m
Bob Kraanen
Blog:
Small description:
A small challenging walk of about 1.5 hours between the two villages. Just outside the village of Sedella you walk over the entire old Roman bridge and then turn right into the mountains. There is a small cafe in Salares for a drink. Returning is not difficult and the paths are easy to find.
Sedella roundtrip
Distance:
5.08
km
Average walking time:
02:00
Difficulty:
Moderate
Min. height:
819 m
Max. height:
998 m
Positive height difference:
173 m
Negative height difference:
173 m
Bob Kraanen
Blog:
Small description:
Nice circular walk is easy to follow and offers surprising views. It starts at the barbecue and parking lot just outside Sedella and can be reached by car via an upwards winding paved road.
The weather in the Axarquia
Casa Junius is located in the middle of this region
Here's a general overview of the weather in Axarquia/Malaga throughout the year:
January - March:
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January tends to be mild, with average temperatures ranging from 10°C to 20°C and marks the beginning of spring with the almond trees blooming
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February sees slightly warmer temperatures with very little rainfall.
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March, with temperatures rising to around 13°C to 23°C. Some rainfall happens before the dry summer comes.
April - June:
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April brings warmer weather, with temperatures ranging from 15°C to 25°C. Rainfall decreases.
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May is pleasant with temperatures averaging between 15°C to 24°C and marks the start of the summer.
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June, with temperatures ranging from 18°C to 28°C. It's generally dry and sunny during this period.
July - September:
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July and August with temperatures ranging from 23°C to 35°C are the hottest months at Casa Junius, with temperatures often exceeding 35°C. It's dry and sunny with no rainfall.
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September remains warm with temperatures ranging from 22°C to 30°C. It can be very hot in this month as well.
October - December:
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October sees temperatures gradually decreasing, ranging from 17°C to 25°C. Still no rainfall.
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November is cooler with temperatures averaging between 13°C to 22°C. Some average shower can happen. The harvesting of the olives take place.
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December marks the beginning of winter, with temperatures ranging from 10°C to 17°C. It can be cold in the morning, especially towards the end of the month.
Overall, Malaga enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters. However, microclimates within the region can result in variations in weather patterns. In general the Axarquia is a bit more dry.
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Sierra Nevada Skiing
The most southern Ski area of Europe
The Sierra Nevada, with its mountains above 3000 metres near Granada, is snow covered for most of the year with thriving winter ski resorts. At Casa Junius you are also close to Europe's most southern ski-pistes (1,5h drive from Casa Junius) in winter.
So it is possible to ski in the morning, drive to the beach and pick up some sun at 22 degrees in the afternoon.
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Note: It is not unimportant that prices in Spain are considerably lower than in the well-known ski areas in France, Switzerland and Austria.
Yes, that is southern Spain,
in what we call wintertime.
Here are some site suggestions about the ski area near Granada:
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Information site about the area www.sierranevada.es with information about ski passes, accommodations, slopes, open/closed, etc.
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General site www.absoluteaxarquia.com about Axarquía/Andalusia. Lots of information on many topics.
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Ski school website www.blancanieve.net with lots of additional information and options for booking accommodation.
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Much more information is available in multiple languages on Google.
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Traveling from the Netherlands to Granada:
There are no direct flight connections to Granada from the Netherlands yet. You therefore always had to fly with a connection or, for example, via Malaga. However, Transavia has decided to fly from Schiphol Airport to Granada from September 2024. This allows you to fly from the Netherlands to Granada with a travel time of 2.5 to 3 hours.
If you fly via Malaga, you can easily take a train to Granada. First by metro from the airport to the main station Maria Zambrano in Malaga. You travel by train from the railway company RENFE from Málaga to Granada. The train journey of approximately 165 km requires one transfer, in Antequera. The fastest way to travel from Málaga to Granada is 2 hours and 14 minutes. Costs for a ticket are approximately €24. The trains are very accessible in Spain.
Beautiful villages to visit
Built on the slopes of the Marona are many lovely small villages, just 30 minutes from Casa Junius. Yes, you need a good car, as many road are dirt roads, winding between the olive groves and vineyards. Villages, which history go back over 2000 years with the Romans and Moors. Cruel and bloody battles have been fought, people were deported and replaced by others from other northern regions in Spain. These traces are still seen after hundreds of years in buildings and churches.
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What remained were the white villages like Competa or Canillas de Aceituno. Part of its history is written on the side of the church of Competa. Also Frigiliana, the old town was partly Moorish and even medieval. Don't forget Sedella at the foot of many hiking trails. Or Nerja, in the vicinity are the famous caves of Nerja with especially the more than 20,000 year old wall paintings. It is certainly worthwhile to visit them or enjoy sunbathing at Burriana Beach, surrounding high cliffs .
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But don't forget, Casa Junius is just 40 minutes drive from Malaga city as well as from the airport. It is a beautiful city, size Amsterdam. Malaga is modern, full of life all year around, excellent shopping and nice restaurants along side the harbour and the famous food hall.
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Last but not least: Casa Junius and the Axarquia is more than laying at the beach. There are tons of information on internet and you don't have to be an expert to find it.
Or:
Just find out by staying with us a couple of days!