Practicalities and Places
In Bedar:
The shops in the village are all very friendly. English is not spoken but they are used to those whose Spanish is limited or non-existent and will be pleased to help you.
SuperClara, the 'village shop', stocks the basics - deli, meat, vegetables, groceries and household goods. Clara opens every morning (except Sunday) from 9 - 2 and again from 5.30 - 8 on weekdays.
Hairdresser (Peluqueria): Clara's daughter has a salon above SuperClara. She cuts men's and women's hair and has a good reputation.
The Bakery (Panaderia), near the town hall (Ayuntamiento) is open each morning. Sells two sorts of loaf, a long baguette style (barra) and a round loaf together with excellent croissants and pastries.
Tabac, just opposite SuperClara for cigarettes, stamps and limited hardware.
Bank: Cajamar has a branch in the village, offering limited service (changing travellers cheques etc.) from 8.30 - 12 each day.
Pharmacy: The Farmacia is very helpful and is open morning and evening on weekdays.
Medical Centre: There is a medical centre in the village, signed Consultorio, near the Ayuntamiento.
Post Office (Correos): Open from 1.30 - 2.00 only each weekday. On Saturdays, it opens 10.30 - 11.00 only. There is also a post box on the wall of the Ayuntamiento.
The Fish Van comes to the Square (where you park), every Tuesday morning and the Gas Van comes every Tuesday in the winter and alternate Tuesdays in the Summer. Each are heralded by a blast on their horn.
The Bread Van, with a good range of loaves and cakes, comes on a Friday between 12 and 1.00pm. You will see people hanging around the square from around 12 onwards waiting.
Outside the village:
Supermarkets:
There is a wide selection of supermarkets in the area. Among the most useful are:
SuperTurre in Turre (in the main shopping street) is fairly small but comprehensive and opens all day.
Mercadona on Mojacar Playa, behind the Parque Commerciale, is excellent and again open all day.
Intermarche on the Garrucha Road into Vera is bigger and more comprehensive.
There are others down on the Playa. If you feel a sudden yearning for Marmite or some other British product not widely available, then there is always Mr UK on the Playa.
Internet
La Tienda in Los Gallardos is run by an English couple and has good internet access, a small DVD rental library and sell English books and cards.
Total Entertainment in Turre has five computers, are cheap and helpful and make good coffee. They also sell English books, newspapers and have a DVD rental library.
The Word in Turre also has a small internet area.
There is an Internet Café on the Playa above Ferreteria la Collera, opposite Bar El Patio 2000 and several of the bars and shops have a computer you can use.
Markets
Los Gallardos Tuesday
Bedar Wednesday (very small)
Mojacar Wednesday
Garrucha Friday
Turre Friday (excellent for vegetables)
Vera Saturday (huge, covers several streets in the town centre and sells everything)
There is also a flea-market on Sunday mornings at the bottom of the hill up to Mojacar village. Can be fun.
Gas Bottles
If you miss the Gas van in the village, just take the empty one down to the garage on the main road (bottom of the hill, turn left and it's on the left) and they will replace it. SuperTurre also sell gas.
Launderette
Bish's Launderette (on the beach side of the Playa opposite Ferreteria Lopez). They are very helpful and you can either do your own washing or leave it for a service wash.
Eating Out
In Bedar:
The Miramar (950 469 308) is excellent, good value and the menu is also in English. Open for tapas, lunch and dinner. They are closed on Thursdays and, usually, for all of November. A lovely terrace open in Summer, book if you want to be sure of a table.
El Paso - a proper Spanish bar, run by Rodriguo and Dora and their family. They offer Tapas and, although there is no menu as such, there is always another dish or two available (lomo (pork loin), chicken, lamb or pork chops). Just ask. They do an excellent leg of lamb but you need to book a couple of days beforehand - and it's a good idea to remind him the day before. Good for a late night drink when you come back to the village after an evening out.
El Pelao - good Spanish food, excellent value with a Menu del Dia for 8 euros. They do have a menu behind the counter if you ask.
El Cortijo - again a Spanish bar, offering Tapas, and other meals. Opening times and days are somewhat unreliable so if you plan to eat there it may be worth checking and ordering the day before.
La Fuente (950 469 185) - A restaurant on the Serena road, by the Fuente. A lovely terrace with views over the village and the valley. Josef closes on Monday and Tuesday, open evenings only from Wednesday to Saturday and for Sunday lunch. The owner/chef is American and English is spoken. Good idea to book.
In the immediate vicinity:
Bar/Restaurant El Pinar. (950 469 036) The turning to El Pinar can be found around three-quarters of the way down the hill on the right. The village is about a mile off the Bedar/Los Gallardos Road. El Pinar is a mainly English village with a lot of development currently being undertaken. Keep going through the village and follow the signs to the bar.
The food is very good and Janet and Kevin put on some entertainment evenings. They close on Mondays in the winter.
There is a Friday Quiz Night combined with a fish and chip supper (great fun and very cheap at under 10 euros per head including a two course meall). Phone to book. They often have live music on a Saturday and some other nights so it's well worth popping in to see what's on early in your stay.
There is also a pool which, for a small charge you are welcome to use. Lunch on the terrace followed by a swim is an excellent way to while away a sunny afternoon.
Casa Las Ysaris (950 069 013): A bit off the beaten track. Signed to the left as you go down the hill from the village, Casa Las Ysaris is about a mile off the road. A good idea to leave the car at the road and enjoy the walk. They will serve you a beer and lunch and, again there is a pool available for patrons to use. Worth phoning first to check that they are open.
El Paniajo, at El Marchal (950 477 202). One of the best in the area. Go up the hill instead of down and over the mountain to El Marchal, the next village (towards Lubrin). Turn left up the river bed! English is spoken and the food tends towards the French. It is slightly more expensive than others but well worth a trip. They also serve a bar menu which is cheaper and very good. It's a good idea to book for the restaurant as it's small and they like to know you're coming! They also sometimes put on live music. Closed Thursday.
In the area:
There are far too many restaurants to list here and you will undoubtedly find others. If you find somewhere you like, do leave a note in the drawer in the coffee table so that others can go too.
There are numerous restaurants on the Playa. Many are very good and it's well worth just taking pot luck. At the Hotel Indalo end of the beach are several English bars (Roly's is good for a breakfast!) and Badgers, run by an ex-Aston Villa footballer, show sport and do good English food.
In the Summer, the beach bar Maui Maui beach does good food and has loungers and umbrellas on the beach.
Others that we have tried and liked include:
On the Playa:
La Cabana - Argentinean restaurant which does excellent steak and other meats. They also now have a second one at Garrucha which is said to be even better.
Felipe San Bernabe (950 422 735). On the right, past the Pueblo Indalo, opposite the Agora restaurant. Excellent tapas at lunchtime and a smart restaurant too. Pleasant terrace. Wise to book for the restaurant.
El Atrio. (950 475 214) In the Indalo Centre - opposite the Red Cross, under the Post Office. Upmarket and good. Interesting menu. Run by an Englishman..
Agora. On the beach side of the Playa. Good and well priced Italian. Excellent pizzas.
Winking Frog (950 475 359) (opposite Agora). A cosy bar with a lovely terrace restaurant. It offers excellent International food. English spoken and menu.
In Turre:
There is a very good Chinese Restaurant at the Mojacar Pueblo end of Turre. Well worth a visit.
Casa Adelina: Popular Spanish restaurant with daily specials. They bake their own signature garlic bread. Menu is also in English.
Pizzeria Tito Paco: (950 618 957) Excellent pizzas and pastas which are also available to take away.
Meson de la Pobre: Just off the main street. Long-standing restaurant, very Spanish and popular.
In Turre old town, just off the Square, try a bar called Los Cazadores. Very cheap tapas, with wild boars' heads and photographs of the latest wild boar hunt on the walls.
Towards Sorbas: Off exit 504 of the motorway. A lovely restaurant, particularly for lunch with a pool to use. Juan Sanchez is an excellent chef and his wife Renata is very welcoming front of house. Phone for directions and to book. 670 500 843
In Lubrin
El Molino: Spanish, good tapas, lunch and dinner. Menu del dia is amazingly cheap. Lubrin isn't big - you'll find it.
Agua Armarga
There are a couple of very pleasant beach bars right on the beach at Agua Armarga which do excellent food on the terrace and in the restaurant.
Family Hotel: (950 138 014) Agua Armanga is on the coast road past Carboneras towards Almeria. When you reach the village, keep straight on until you reach the river bed. Turn left into the river bed and the entrance to the Family Hotel is straight ahead of you.
For non-residents the Family Hotel offers lunch on Saturdays and Sundays only. Fixed price includes everything. You can turn up late morning. Lounge around the large pool or walk into the village before lunch. Essential to book.
Things to do and places to visit:
Walking: There are numerous lovely walks around the village, though they are unsigned and largely a matter of trial and error.
Take the track to the left of El Cortijo up over the hill on that side, or take the Serena road and take the track to El Pinar and back to the village.
For a guided walk and a chance to meet people, there is a walk every Tuesday morning at 10a.m. Hermann, a Dutchman who lives in the village, organises these popular walks. Meet at the bottom of the village on the Serena road, at the bottom of Calle Mar by the dustbins. It's fine just to turn up and walks last around an hour and a half to two hours. They are not, generally, too strenuous.
If you have a dog with you, be very careful if you walk on a Sunday. This is the day when many of the Spaniards go hunting with guns and a dog could easily be confused with another target. There is a convention that your dog should wear a red scarf in the hills on a Sunday so that the hunters will realise that it is not game.
Swimming: As well as the bars that let you use their pools and, of course, the Playa, there is also a Piscina Municipal in the village which is open in the summer months. Head towards the Fuente and you'll see it and be able to suss out whether it is open.
Golf: There are several good golf courses in the area. Notably:
El Cortijo Grande. (950 468 176) (www.cortijogrande.net). Off the road from J520 of the Autovia to Turre. Also has bar, restaurant etc. etc.
Desert Springs (near Vera and Cuevas de Almanzora)
Valle del Este Golf
Marina Golf, Mojacar
Horse riding: There is a stables just off the road to Cabrera. Pass the restaurant and clubhouse at El Cortijo Grande and head on towards Cabrera. Follow the signs. You can go hacking in the hills riding Western style. Nice people and well run.
Mini Hollywood: (950 365 236 or 950 165 456). A 'theme park' tribute to the Spaghetti Westerns which were filmed here. Good fun, scaled down in winter but with more to see in Summer, including staged shoot-outs twice a day. On the N-340 between Tabernas and Almeria.
Visit www.absoluteaxarquia.com/attractions/miniollywood.html for more info.
Granada: The Alhambra. A couple of hours drive away through the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains. The easiest route is to go towards Almeria on the E-15, then turn right onto the A-82 towards Guadix and Granada. When you turn off the A-92 at Granada (well-signed as you'd expect) you are on the Granada ring road and you stay on that until you see signs for the Alhambra.
If you wish to visit the Alhambra it is essential to book first and arrive there early, otherwise you could find yourself making the trip and unable to get in. You book both your ticket and an entrance time for the Palace. Telephone bookings are easy, English is spoken. In Spain, call 902 224 460, or from abroad use 0034 915 379 178. A printout of the whole procedure is in the coffee table drawer or visit www.alhambra.org for more information.
As you approach the palace in the car, it's possible that someone may try to wave you into a private car park, telling you that the official car parks are full. Ignore these people.
Nijar; Not a particularly inspiring town but excellent shopping for well priced rugs and ceramics. If you continue beyond the 'main drag' of rug and ceramic shops the old town is clustered round the Church and there are a few very Spanish tapas bars there.
Almeria: Good city for shopping and the Alcazaba, Moorish fortress, is well worth a visit. You can park close to the main Rambla.
There is a shopping mall at Roquetas de Mar about twenty kilometres south of Almeria.
Aguilas: Another nice town with a pretty port (good tapas bar overlooking the port). Well worth a wander round. Beautiful drive back along the coast road to Garrucha with some excellent views on a clear day.
Guadix: Famous for its cave dwellers. There is a Visitors' Centre in the town, a cave that you can visit and a cave hotel if you fancy spending the night.
Carboneras/Parc Natural Cabo de Gata: The seafront at Carboneras boasts some nice bars and places to have lunch. The area by the lighthouse in the Parc is well worth a walk.
Sierra Espuna: About an hour's drive north on the Autovia Mediterraneo. Turn off near Lorca and follow the signs. The Parc Natural is beautiful with stunning mountain views. Lovely drives and wonderful walking.