Almerimar

Almerimar

Almerimar Marina


Welcome to this section on my home port of Almerimar – Yachting, golf, hotels and bars. 

A perfect overwintering base for yachts and winter holidaymakers. Let me take you through the various amenities that this marina resort has to offer, both for a short term stay or a permanent home.

Almermar to the south. Credit Anthea Dean
Almerimar marina
Sunset: Credit Vera Karas
Carnival: El Ejido
The first snow in October on the Sierra Nevada and still 28c on deck
The first snow in October on the Sierra Nevada and still 28c on deck

Some Useful Phone Numbers

Guardia Civil                   062
Ugencias Medicas            061 
Bomberos (Fire)               080
Policia National                091
Emergency general          112

For an emergency in the marina (if your Spanish is not too good) it is best to call the marina office on VHF channel 9 or telephone 950 60 77 55 or 950 49 73 53  and ask them to help.

Some Useful Phone Numbers

Guardia Civil                    062
Ugencias Medicas            061 
Bomberos (Fire)               080
Policia National                091
Emergency general          112

For an emergency in the marina (if your Spanish is not too good) it is best to call the marina office on VHF channel 9 or telephone 950 60 77 55 or 950 49 73 53  and ask them to help.

Places to visit

Just discovered this delightful tropical garden very close to Almerimar.
Click the picture to find out more

Open Air Markets in & around Almerimar

This is a general list of street markets in the area.

Mercadillo de El Ejido:
opens the three first Wednesdays of each month, between 9:00 and 14:00 hours. Calle Arquitecto Pérez de Arenaza.

Mercadillo de Santa María del Águila:
opens the three first Saturdays of each month. Santa María del Águila, El Ejido.

Mercadillo de las Norias de Daza:
opens the three first Fridays of each month, between 8:00 and 14:00 hours. Las Norias de Daza, El Ejido.

Mercadillo de Balerma:
opens the three first Mondays of each month, between 8:00 and 14:00 hours. Balerma, El Ejido.

Mercadillo de San Agustín: opens the first and third Wednesday of each month, between 8:00 and 14:00 hours. San Agustín, calle Algibe, El Ejido.

Mercadillo de Matagorda: opens every Thursday, between 8:00 and 14:00 hours. Matagorda, El Ejido.

To follow are the most popular.

And farm fresh eggs
A fun way to go shopping
Elejido market

El Ejido market is on the first three Wednesdays of the month

Around 10 minutes by car from Almerimar marina
To the top of the hill leaving Almerimar. Take a left on the roundabout after the motorway turn-off. Drive on down the hill and turn right on the second roundabout, about a kilometre.
Continue for another kilometre and you will see the market on your left. Plenty of parking on your right.

Roquetas market is open every Thursday morning.

Around 30 minutes by car or catch a bus at 10:30 from Mercadona, number 333 or 152. The market is located close to the Grand Plaza shopping centre. Head east on the motorway. Turn off at the junction marked ‘Roquetas’. Keep right and head down the hill. Around the first roundabout take the exit for Aquadulce. Drive for 10 minutes until you see the Grand Plaza with ‘Toys’r’Us and Leroy Merlin. Take the left on the roundabout and the market is straight ahead with parking on the right.

Vicar, probably the largest of them all is open every Sunday morning. 

Around 20 minutes by car. Head east on the motorway looking for the exit to Vicar. (Not the village ‘pueblo’ but the town itself to the south.) Take the road for five minutes until you come to a main junction, turn left – you are there –  look for people carrying bags. Plenty of parking on some wasteland next to the market.

To find search for Cafeteria-Bar Eureka on google maps. This is on the corner of the market. Or use this plus code  R926+PH 

 

English Speaking Dentists

Doctors in Almerimar

There are two medical centres in Almerimar. Both walking distance from Almerimar marina. The one on the map marked ´Servicios Medicos´ by darcena three is a private clinic, and thus will charge.
 Telephone +34 950 49 76 62.
The ´Centro de Salud´ is a national health clinic and provided you have an international health card they will attend to you.
Paseo Caleta  +34 950 10 35 91
Please be aware you will need at least some basic Spanish – or take along a Spanish speaker as, sometimes, they can be a little ´unhelpful´ when making an appointment or consulting with a doctor.
That said the medical care, in my experience, is very good and often very prompt.
The protocol is to make an appointment any morning at around 08:00
On the day of your appointment sit in the queue for either the doctor (medico) or the nurse (enfermera) and check with other patients what time they have on their appointment and the order  (orden)  – you will not normally be called, so without asserting yourself or engaging in some conversation you could sit there all day and feel a bit of a lemon.

Horse Riding in Almerimar

Horse riding on the Parque Natural in Almerimar from Hipica riding stables.

Cost around 10 euros an hour. 
Telephone + 34 630 90 80 87
Calle de Roquetas, 
(Look for an obscure plywood sign that denotes the entrance)

 

Weather in Almerimar

The coast around Almerimar is the warmest in mainland Europe.

The ‘Costa del Sol’ used to be called the ‘Costa del Vente‘- the coast of the wind. I does, indeed, get very windy here. The strongest wind I have ever experienced was last April with a wind speed of 74 knots.
Click > here to see a typical winter storm in the marina.
The Autumn is nearly always the best time of year and shorts and t-shirts are the norm up till Christmas. In the Spring when the wind comes from the west and over the Sierra Nevada  it can be relatively cold – Summers from about June till late September are always hot – often too hot but there is plenty of sea to cool down in.
I have found that the weather forecast centred in El Ejido is pretty accurate if one transposes the wind speed from kilometres to knots for Almerimar. 
For the  web click > here
Winter snow January 26th 2006
Alway amazing to wear shorts on deck in the winter and look at the snow on the Sierra Nevada
March 2018 wind topped 74 knots. Credit Pascal Yacht Tanca
Long hot summers, sea & sailing © Chris Southwood

Tradesman,Shops & Services

Colin Dixon.

Your sailmaker in Almerimar

www.AlmerimarSailLoft.com

Lava Centro

Your laundry in Almerimar

Darsena uno, Darsena de la Batea, 41

Monday till Friday
09:30 – 16:00
+34 681 01 87 31   +34 638 47 67 96

I have found a great company to insure both my boat and my car.

Glenn Unwin SL  

For example:  Third-party only for my yacht, a 53ft steel ketch, cost around 98 euros for the year.

They are an English company, speaking fluent Spanish and are very efficient and friendly.

I conduct all business by telephone and online, paying by credit card

Contact:  (0034) 950 121 943      infoalbox.libertyseguros@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alboxinsurance/

Say that Chris Southwood recommended them to you.
I have no affiliate connection although I am sure they will smile when it comes to my renewal. 

 

BEST CAR HIRE PRICES

www.doyouspain.com

During the winter if you can collect from Malaga (the cheapest), Almeria airport or right here in El Ejido, you can hire a car for an incredible price depending on the exact time of year.
A few points to watch out for.

Excess Insurance

*Take out separate excess insurance as they will hit you in an expensive way if you cause damage to the car.
Look at https://www.insurance4carhire.com

* Similarly check the car thoroughly for damage before driving away.
* Make sure you tick the box to bring back with a full tank of fuel.
* Tick the box for unlimited mileage.
* Check the tyres and check there is a spare tyre before driving

 

Getting to Airports

To get to local airports click the picture

Some very useful shops in this area

TodoMotor

A fantastic range of engineering bits, bearings and tools, drive belts and hoses.
Voted  ‘The best toyshop in El Ejido.’ by Chris Southwood

Their blurb … “Todomotor is a company focused on industrial supply, with a stock of more than 22,000 products, as well as the installation, repair and maintenance of industrial equipment. We also offer a wide variety of services so that our customers have their equipment and processes fully operational.”
Map reference
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4eZYpPe4jgcETSJr5

Damasco Tapicerias

I great range of fabric, leather cloth, sunbrella, canvas, foam, headlining.
Located close to Almeria bus and train station
Calle Soldado Espanol, 28
950 25 68 83   &  950 25 68 50

Now for Something Completely Different

Three Hotels Demolished in 5 Seconds

In May 2004 three hotels on the east side of Almerimar were very rapidly removed to make way for a brace of super five-star hotels. Witnessed by a gathering crowd they were simply blown up.
As with grand plans the recession hit southern Spain very badly. The hotels were never built and instead over the following  years, a set of new apartment blocks were constructed adding to a disastrous over-supply situation thus further reducing property value.
At last, a decade later, property prices are recovering but, alas, the hotels that once housed many hundreds of holidaymakers that spent much-needed cash in Almerimar were not replaced.


© Chris Southwood
Click the picture for a few clips & video of the actual demolition.

 

 Chipirones & chupitos. 

This is a great site for the best wine and tapas in the area.
Click the link to check it out

 

 

 Chipirones & chupitos. 

This is a great site for the best wine and tapa in the area.
Click the link to check it out