# Herradura vs. Nerja/Frigiliana?



## Melissa58275

It's time (possibly past time) to start looking for a longer-term rental (one year. I'm enjoying Nerja, where I am now but am very much drawn to the topography of the coast a bit further east, specifically Herradura. 

Can anyone shed any light on what living in Herradura might be like year round? How does it compare to Nerja in terms of restaurants, cultural and social life? Is it much quieter in winter? And less busy in summer? 
Aside from being a bit futher away from the Malaga airport and Malaga shopping, are there other things I should consider that would be different about living there vs. Nerja? I'm also contemplating Frigilliana, which I know will be quieter than Nerja, but still seems to have a nice social feel to it. And Nerja is just down the mountainside!

Thanks,
Melissa


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## Lynn R

Melissa58275 said:


> It's time (possibly past time) to start looking for a longer-term rental (one year. I'm enjoying Nerja, where I am now but am very much drawn to the topography of the coast a bit further east, specifically Herradura.
> 
> Can anyone shed any light on what living in Herradura might be like year round? How does it compare to Nerja in terms of restaurants, cultural and social life? Is it much quieter in winter? And less busy in summer?
> Aside from being a bit futher away from the Malaga airport and Malaga shopping, are there other things I should consider that would be different about living there vs. Nerja? I'm also contemplating Frigilliana, which I know will be quieter than Nerja, but still seems to have a nice social feel to it. And Nerja is just down the mountainside!
> 
> Thanks,
> Melissa


I've never lived there, but from visits I would say that La Herradura is very quiet indeed in winter, far more so than either Nerja or Frigiliana. At any time of year, there are less bars and restaurants there than in either Nerja or Frigiliana anyway, it's quite a small place.

In La Herradura you would be in Granada province for such things as state healthcare, rather than in Málaga proviince, whether that is better or worse I could not say, but it could make a difference. If you are a public transport user, your only real connections from La Herradura would be the infrequent buses which run from Malaga to Almeria, other than those connecting you with Almuñecar. As you say, it is quite a bit further away from Málaga airport and Málaga city centre.

If you fancy a change personally I would say Frigiliana would be a better bet as it does have a good bus service (during the day at least) to Nerja and stays fairly busy all year round.


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## Melissa58275

Thanks Lynn. That's helpful. I just LOVE the views available from apartments and homes I'm seeing posted as for rent in La Herradura. It makes my heart sing to wake up in the AM to the sight of the sea and the mountains. What's not clear to me is how much I would give up in terms of social life (and how much that would matter to me) in leaving Nerja. Mind you, I'm pretty new to Nerja, so I don't actually have much social life yet, but I know the here there are plenty of options for building it. I've seen a notice for a bridge group in La Herradura that seems promising, though. Hmmm....it's always a dilemma, isn't it?


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## Lynn R

Melissa58275 said:


> Thanks Lynn. That's helpful. I just LOVE the views available from apartments and homes I'm seeing posted as for rent in La Herradura. It makes my heart sing to wake up in the AM to the sight of the sea and the mountains. What's not clear to me is how much I would give up in terms of social life (and how much that would matter to me) in leaving Nerja. Mind you, I'm pretty new to Nerja, so I don't actually have much social life yet, but I know the here there are plenty of options for building it. I've seen a notice for a bridge group in La Herradura that seems promising, though. Hmmm....it's always a dilemma, isn't it?


I agree with you about the views, La Herradura does have a stunning setting. But remember those views are often from properties in an elevated situation and those hillsides are very steep indeed. As a person living alone, I fear you might feel more isolated there than in Frigiliana or Nerja, but of course you know yourself and your needs better than anybody else!


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## fcexpat

We live in Frigiliana and love it ! 
Been here fourteen months now and can't fault it. Everything we need here except a big supermarket. We use Supersol in Nerja who deliver everything we need from there for us. Plenty of bars / restaurants, shops etc for day to day living, good transport link. Don't think you'd regret it !!


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## Rabbitcat

I would LOVE to live in Frigiliana . Gorgeous place plenty going on. Would go there tomorrow


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## emlyn

Rabbitcat said:


> I would LOVE to live in Frigiliana . Gorgeous place plenty going on. Would go there tomorrow


Are you considering Frigiliana as a base for your" Pull a paddy" venture?


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## Rabbitcat

Sadly no as although I loved Frigiliana and its surrounding areas my dear wife pointed out that I didn't -so alas no Axarquia for me


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## Melissa58275

Rabbitcat said:


> Sadly no as although I loved Frigiliana and its surrounding areas my dear wife pointed out that I didn't -so alas no Axarquia for me


Rabbit cat: Exactly what is it your wife says you don't like about it? Just curious....


On another note, I tooled around Herradura this afternoon. Interesting...and some of the appeal has worn off. Cero Gordo is just plain gorgeous. But clearly way out of my price range. There seem to be lots and lots of unfinished developments just east of it and to the west of the Herradura centro. Lots of empty, unfinished homes, unpaved streets, etc. Aside from the obvious lack of appeal to these urbanizations, it's worrisome that the area is still so overbuilt. It will take a LONG time for that to balance out. And the town itself is, well, pretty much butt ugly. Little or no charm. I rather liked the Marinas del Este area and there seem to a number of attractive urbanizations on the east side of city with nice views and attractive mature trees.

Still thinking about it, going to see some apartments/houses on Monday. But I'm less enthralled than I was after my brief glimpse the other day. Also, met a man who runs an interesting furniture store/business there (a Brit, I think). He says he and his wife mostly go to Nerja for social life and dining and that "the people are nicer on the other side of the bridge in Malaga. In Granada, they're grumpy"...FWTW!


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## jojo

I have a friend who lives in El Herradura and loves it


Jo xxx


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## Lynn R

jojo said:


> I have a friend who lives in El Herradura and loves it
> 
> 
> Jo xxx


Where's that then? Melissa is talking about La Herradura.


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## Lynn R

Melissa58275 said:


> Also, met a man who runs an interesting furniture store/business there (a Brit, I think). He says he and his wife mostly go to Nerja for social life and dining


That's pretty much what I was trying to say earlier, that there really isn't that much going on in La Herradura itself (especially in winter). Incidentally, I always find that stretch of coast from La Herradura through Almuñecar to Salobreña much windier and colder in the winter than the stretch from Rincón de la Victoria through to Nerja is.


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## Melissa58275

jojo said:


> I have a friend who lives in El Herradura and loves it
> 
> 
> Jo xxx


Hey Jo: Would you consider putting me in touch with your friend? I'd love to talk to someone who actually lives there. If you think your friend would be receptive, PM me. Thanks!


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## Rabbitcat

Melissa58275 said:


> Rabbit cat: Exactly what is it your wife says you don't like about it? Just curious....
> 
> 
> On another note, I tooled around Herradura this afternoon. Interesting...and some of the appeal has worn off. Cero Gordo is just plain gorgeous. But clearly way out of my price range. There seem to be lots and lots of unfinished developments just east of it and to the west of the Herradura centro. Lots of empty, unfinished homes, unpaved streets, etc. Aside from the obvious lack of appeal to these urbanizations, it's worrisome that the area is still so overbuilt. It will take a LONG time for that to balance out. And the town itself is, well, pretty much butt ugly. Little or no charm. I rather liked the Marinas del Este area and there seem to a number of attractive urbanizations on the east side of city with nice views and attractive mature trees.
> 
> Still thinking about it, going to see some apartments/houses on Monday. But I'm less enthralled than I was after my brief glimpse the other day. Also, met a man who runs an interesting furniture store/business there (a Brit, I think). He says he and his wife mostly go to Nerja for social life and dining and that "the people are nicer on the other side of the bridge in Malaga. In Granada, they're grumpy"...FWTW!


Wifey thought it could be possibly too touristy- I certainly did not get that feeling


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## WeeScottie

Not at all, the tourists come in for the day, do the noddy train then disappear into the back streets and the restaurants. Gone by teatime. It's a proper sleepy Spanish village unless it's fiesta time. Love it. Maybe you need to revisit off season. Have a look at Frigiliana.es webcam. I'll wave at you x


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## jojo

Melissa58275 said:


> Hey Jo: Would you consider putting me in touch with your friend? I'd love to talk to someone who actually lives there. If you think your friend would be receptive, PM me. Thanks!


I'll ask her and him - and pm their details. They're a couple who have lived there for years and love it. 

Jo xxx

Sent from my D5803 using Expat Forum


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## Rabbitcat

WeeScottie said:


> Not at all, the tourists come in for the day, do the noddy train then disappear into the back streets and the restaurants. Gone by teatime. It's a proper sleepy Spanish village unless it's fiesta time. Love it. Maybe you need to revisit off season. Have a look at Frigiliana.es webcam. I'll wave at you x


You're preaching to the converted Scottie.

I adore the place and have had the webcam installed for ages- sadly it's been down for months now


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## Jakibowman

LA Herradura is very much a village,so less on the cultural side than Nerja or Frigiliana, but is very pretty, has lots of bars and restaurants, and eleven months of the year ,you can park ON the beach ! Nearby lovely tennis club, loads of water sports, and even A little six lane bowling alley , and outdoor cinema ,music performances in bars almost every night , a couple of decent supermarkets too! We have lived here for seventeen years and have never found another village that could measure up to it ....great village !


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## thrax

A British tourist wandered up our road this morning. He was on his mobile and we heard him say, 'I'm walking up a mountain and you just wouldn't believe the views. I have mountains in front of me, the Med behind me and stunning views over Frigiliana and Nerja. You couldn't pay for this it is simply stunning.' We live in the campo above Nerja and halfway between Torrox and Frigiliana. You might have a wander up here and see how it compares. All three towns/villages are 20 minutes or less from where we live.


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## Rabbitcat

Lucky sod


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## Melissa58275

thrax said:


> A British tourist wandered up our road this morning. He was on his mobile and we heard him say, 'I'm walking up a mountain and you just wouldn't believe the views. I have mountains in front of me, the Med behind me and stunning views over Frigiliana and Nerja. You couldn't pay for this it is simply stunning.' We live in the campo above Nerja and halfway between Torrox and Frigiliana. You might have a wander up here and see how it compares. All three towns/villages are 20 minutes or less from where we live.


Hi Thrax I am actually wandering around Frigiliana at this very minute. I intend to take a drive down the F to Torrox road a bit later! It's a lovely day up here


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## WeeScottie

Hey Rabbitcat, webcam working....did you see me wave??


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## Lynn R

Imo, there's tourist and then there's touristy.

In the case of Frigiliana, it means that it's one of the prettiest villages in Spain, officially. Touristy means the village is prosperous and immaculately kept. Touristy means it has more bars and restaurants than would be usual for a place of that size, and a number of cultural events throughout the year. It means there is a good public bus service connecting it with the coast, much more frequent than most inland villages. 

What it does not mean is that the bars and restaurants are all offering cheap meals to suit tourists from other countries, like Sunday roast dinners, fish and chips or bratwurst and sauerkraut. It does not mean there are drunken and rowdy people wandering the streets, fighting and causing trouble, late at night. It does not mean that the village is overrun in summer and ghost-like and desolate in winter, as some seaside places are.

I liked it better 25 years ago or more, before all the new building on the outskirts went up, but at least the new builds have been done tastefully and in keeping with the area.


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## fcexpat

Rabbitcat said:


> Wifey thought it could be possibly too touristy- I certainly did not get that feeling


Tourist coaches come and go but it's never packed, not like the beaches along this coast !!


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## Rabbitcat

WeeScottie said:


> Hey Rabbitcat, webcam working....did you see me wave??


Still not working for me- been 2 months now 

http://www.frigiliana.es/el-tiempo-en-frigiliana/webcam.html


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## Lynn R

If you think about it, given that tourists can be found practically everywhere on earth these days, if a place had nothing by way of scenic beauty nor historic interest to attract tourists, what sort of miserable Godforsaken place would it be?

We get quite a lot of tourists, school parties and tour groups, wandering past our house. Sometimes we stop and have a chat with them. I don't mind the odd one or two peering through my window, it all makes life a little bit more interesting than just seeing the same faces day in, day out. There's a bit of noise when the parties of school kids are coming up and down the street, but it doesn't last for long, and the tourists we get are mostly here just during the day except for the Noche en Vela when there might be a couple of thousand wandering up and down until the early hours of the morning. Even that's not really noisy, though, it is just multi-generational families enjoying themselves, and I find it nice to see.


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## WeeScottie

Hey Rabbitcat, try this. 
Ayuntamiento de Frigiliana - Webcam Frigiliana


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## Rabbitcat

Thanks Scottie

Always cheers me seeing such a beautiful scene whilst sitting here in ultra dreary Belfast


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## thrax

Rabbitcat said:


> Thanks Scottie
> 
> Always cheers me seeing such a beautiful scene whilst sitting here in ultra dreary Belfast


I went to Belfast once but then I left...


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## Rabbitcat

Wise move

We recently asked Raqqa if they were interested in town twining- but they declined.......


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## Melissa58275

Jakibowman said:


> LA Herradura is very much a village,so less on the cultural side than Nerja or Frigiliana, but is very pretty, has lots of bars and restaurants, and eleven months of the year ,you can park ON the beach ! Nearby lovely tennis club, loads of water sports, and even A little six lane bowling alley , and outdoor cinema ,music performances in bars almost every night , a couple of decent supermarkets too! We have lived here for seventeen years and have never found another village that could measure up to it ....great village !


Thanks, Jaki. I'll PM you with some specific questions.


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## Melissa58275

*Hi J*

Hi Jaki: Turns out I can't PM you....you need to be a member of the forum for longer before PMs are allowed. I sent you a FB friend request though. Maybe we can communicate through it.
Melissa


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## Brangus

Lynn R said:


> if a place had nothing by way of scenic beauty nor historic interest to attract tourists, what sort of miserable Godforsaken place would it be?


Albacete.


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## jamtart98

I have visited all three places many times and like them all. A relative has an apartment in La Heradura and I visit there several times in the summer months. I have also visited in February and March in different years.
La Heradura in summer is lively and there is plenty to do.Restaurants,bars,shops,supermarkets and all types of activities. I,m not impressed with the beach which is mainly shingle but I have to say the water always seems warmer than where I live on Mijas Costa.
Nearby is Almunecar which is larger and so offers a bit more than La Heredura. (Maybe you should consider there?). Almunecar also has a large outdoor market every Friday.
Nerja you know so don,t really need my views on there.
Frigiliana is where I always take visitors because it is traditional Andaluz. It is quaint and has a fair proportion of bars,restaurants and shops all of which are very good.
However personally If I wanted to move from Nerja and had to choose between Frigiliana and La Heredura I would plump for La Heredura on the basis that I love the sea and the views.Even in winter the sea and the sky are always different.
Good Luck wherever you choose.


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## Bev Dowling

fcexpat said:


> We live in Frigiliana and love it !
> Been here fourteen months now and can't fault it. Everything we need here except a big supermarket. We use Supersol in Nerja who deliver everything we need from there for us. Plenty of bars / restaurants, shops etc for day to day living, good transport link. Don't think you'd regret it !!


hello fcexpat
I wonder if you can help me please? We are thinking of visiting Frigiliana for 17tH March 2017 for 11 nights and wondered if everything is open and also what what we can expect of the weather please (so many variations on different weather sites? Also, can you please advise me of the transport available as we don't arrive in Malaga until 10.30 pm. Your help would be greatly appreciated Thank you Bev x


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## Lynn R

Bev Dowling said:


> hello fcexpat
> I wonder if you can help me please? We are thinking of visiting Frigiliana for 17tH March 2017 for 11 nights and wondered if everything is open and also what what we can expect of the weather please (so many variations on different weather sites? Also, can you please advise me of the transport available as we don't arrive in Malaga until 10.30 pm. Your help would be greatly appreciated Thank you Bev x


You can see the weather forecast for the rest of this month here. Doesn't look too bad, but things can change quite quickly.

El tiempo de marzo para Frigiliana 2017 - Pronóstico de AccuWeather para Andalucía España (ES)

Shops, restaurants and bars will be open, I'm sure. It is pretty busy with tourists all year round, we have some people staying at a house opposite ours at the moment and they went to Frigiliana last week, said it was extremely busy (during the day at any rate, no doubt quieter in the evenings after the day trippers have left).

If you are arriving in Málaga at 10.30 pm your only option will be to take a taxi, if you aren't hiring a car. You could prebook one from a company like Nerja Taxis (they cover Frigiliana too) which would be cheaper than taking one from the rank at the airport, and you don't need to pay anything upfront. My nephew used them when he went to Nerja for a holiday and arrived late at Málaga airport, and was very happy with the service.

http://www.nerjataxis.net/


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## Gardenofengland

jamtart98 said:


> Nearby is Almunecar which is larger and so offers a bit more than La Heredura. (Maybe you should consider there?). Almunecar also has a large outdoor market every Friday.


After much research we decided on Almunecar for our winter long stay 3 months and another 6 weeks in sept/Oct. We love the town. It's not too busy in winter but most places open and lots to do and plenty of social life. I like the mix of English Scandinavians and Belgians. We like to visit Frigiliana with friends and family when they visit. It is very beautiful but not for us . We prefer the sea and the walks along the paseo. Herradura is OK but you need a car and it is very quiet in winter. Almunecar has buses to most places easy to get to Grenada, Malaga and Motril for shopping but plenty shops and supermarkets in Almunecar. Nerja we found is just too big for us.


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## LDN2ESP

La Herradura is great in the summer months, very chilled with some great bars and eateries. However, it's very quiet in the cooler months. As for Nerja? Always liked the place for a night out, but when I read an article in the CDS News regarding the lack of a sewage treatment plant in Nerja still ... It made me rethink taking a dip in the sea when I next drop by. "Float, float on" if you get me drift?


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## Gardenofengland

Never swim in the sea. Many years ago my daughter got a bad ear infection from Morocco...doctor said why let you child swim in a cesspit...


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## LDN2ESP

Gardenofengland said:


> Never swim in the sea. Many years ago my daughter got a bad ear infection from Morocco...doctor said why let you child swim in a cesspit...


Luckily, Almunecar has a treatment plant up on the hill, on the A340 going towards ... Nerja! I believe a few more towns want to be hooked up to the plant as well, so swimming in the sea locally [Almunecar] has got to be as safe as anywhere else where the local council like to look after the environment. Where about's in town are you?


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## Gardenofengland

We are in Playa Calabajio. It is beautiful with the Mediterranean park but I'm still unsure of swimming in the sea.


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## thrax

And in addition to unwelcome bits floating in the sea next to you, don't forget the occasional blooms of jellyfish... I much prefer to watch others 'having fun' in the sea whilst I nurse a beer or five...


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## Harry in Spain

Hi Melissa,

Are you currently still in Nerja?
I was wondering if I could pick your brain from time to time. 


I'm currently in Nerja for three weeks to prepare my relocation to Nerja/Frigiliana or any place that compares to this area...
Sunday I'm planning on taking a drive to Herradura to see what all the fuss is about 

Anyway, I could use your advise on a couple of things, thanks very much.
cheers,
Harry.


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