Costa Del Sol Hotels

Southern Spain's Costa del Sol sizzles through summer with golden beaches, crowded streets and jet-set yachts. Inland, eagles soar through the mountains and heat rises off white hilltop villages. Winter brings golfers, sunseekers and those in search of Andalusian culture.

Stand on the edge of the continent at Nerja's Balcony of Europe, take in the Andalusian flavour of Málaga's Old Town and sip cocktails in glitzy Marbella. Spot millionaires' yachts in Puerto Banus or spend the evening in a San Pedro de Alcántara beachfront restaurant. Strip to your bare essentials on the volcanic sands of Arena beach in Estepona.

Go underground in the Neolithic Nerja Caves, immerse yourself in Picasso's works at his museum in Málaga and wend your way from Renaissance fountains to exotic churches in hilltop Antequera. Choose the best of Andalusia's pueblos blancos (white towns) from Zahara de la Frontera to Grazalema or brave hairpin bends to Moorish Ronda, perched either side of a 150m gorge.

Spot eagles in the wild Sierra de Grazalema and wonder at the strange limestone formations in the Torcal de Antequera near Málaga. Find a picnic spot in UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Parque Natural de la Sierra de las Nieves, a haven of flora and fauna encased in deep ravines and winding gorges. Look out for Spanish ibex.

Go rock climbing in El Chorro, a 60m gorge with turquoise lakes and dense pine forests, or get a bird's-eye view from a paraglider. Come back to earth and cycle the olive-oil vias verde (green way) through stark countryside near Jaén. Take to water with dolphin watching in the Straits of Gibraltar and water skiing off Torremolinos and Estepona.

Cool off with gazpacho, a tomato-and-garlic soup served cold. Colonise chiringuitos (beachfront restaurants) and feast upon grilled sardines, platters of fried fish or rich rabbit stew. Try local sweet Muscat wine, Málaga reds and whites and icy fino sherry from Jerez. Treat the taste buds to honey-coated pastries and almond cookies.

Book dinner and a Spanish ballet performance or try your luck in the gambling rooms at Benalmádena's Hotel Casino Torrequebrada. Party till you drop in the marina or hang out in Estepona's beachfront restaurants and bars. Take plenty of cash for Marbella's glitzy nightlife or immerse yourself in the tapas bars and clubs of Málaga's historic centre and port.

Buy olive oil directly from a village mill, local leather goods from Ubrique, handcrafted pottery from Alfajar, woollen shawls from Grazalema and esparto-grass shoes and bags from Málaga. Splash out in Marbella's fancy boutiques or head to Torremolinos for reasonably priced brand names.