A great family holiday in Mojácar

Mojácar is on the Spanish coastline known as the Costa de Almeria in Andalucia. It’s not a famous holiday resort but I think it’s one of the best beach locations in Spain for a quiet and relaxed family holiday. There is a vast stretch of beach that’s not over developed but offers plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants. A lovely old village full of Spanish Andalusian charm and a number of nearby sights to explore.

We recently stayed in Mojácar (pronounced Mo-hak-ar) with my Sister, Brother-in-law and their 3 children. It was the perfect place to get away from Madrid, see my family, have fun with the kids and enjoy the sun and sea. It’s safe to say that my niece and nephews had a wonderful time and I really wanted to share what a great family holiday we had in Mojácar.

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Mojácar

Mojácar is divided into the playa (beach area) and the pueblo (old village). They are 2kms apart but can easily be reached by public bus or taxi. Mojácar is a quiet beach location which I think is great for a relaxed family holiday. While some Spanish coastal resorts get packed out during the summer Mojácar doesn’t have many big hotels so avoids attracting vast numbers of holiday makers. We found that lots of Spanish people have holiday homes here and families coming from the UK and other European countries rented properties short-term or stayed in the small boutique hotels.

With very little rainfall and summer temperatures rarely reaching 35°c, Mojácar offers a wonderful climate for a family holiday. Winter time is pretty quiet but during the school holidays things become quite lively along the playa and up in he pueblo. You will notice a symbol all over Mojácar, it’s an emblem known as Indalo and now adopted by the whole province of Almeria. The figure appears to be a man holding a rainbow shape in his outstretched arms. It’s said to bring good luck and protection and people place the Indalo by their door to protect the house and those within.

We stayed in an Airbnb rental on the North end of the playa. We were lucky enough to be just across the road from the beach. Within minutes we could find a spot to drop our towels and dip in the sea. We also had a great rooftop terrace and an onsite swimming pool. 

*RELATED article: To take advantage of a €25 discount off your 1st Airbnb booking click here

Mojácar Pueblo

The pueblo is the old village, a cluster of white washed houses inland from the coast. Perched up on the hillside, the pueblo overlooks the sea and open fields. The traditional Andalusian/Moorish style architecture creates a wonderful place to wander through. The narrow streets are filled with pot plants and colourful flowers. At every turn you will find interesting doorways, beautiful old tiles, plazas full of quaint restaurants or cute local shops.

Plaza Nueva is the main square near the first bus stop and the perfect place to stop for a drink at the outside terrace and to admire the views over the surrounding plains. Another great view point is from Mirador de Castillo, the highest point of the village. There are many buildings and church’s to admire throughout the pueblo. Plus you can go inside the Museo de la Canana to see what an old house looks like inside. Look out for the statue of La Mojqueras. It represents the women of Mojácar, who would carry water from the town fountain back to their homes.

We hopped on a bus from the Parque Commercial up to the pueblo and tickets were €1.50 each. The time table is posted at the bus stop and you buy tickets from the driver (have some change or small notes ready). The ride is less than 10 minutes and the buses are pretty comfortable and air conditioned.

Mojácar beaches

The water on this stretch of coast is very clear and the sand is quite coarse and grey in colour. We found it great for building sandcastles and easy to brush off our skin. It feels like one long continuous beach but is actually divided into different playas (beaches).

There are rocky areas dotted along the shore but they are easy to avoid and the water is shallow enough for kids to play and splash about in. Lifeguards are stationed in certain spots with buoy markers showing the area they cover. The water is warm and perfect for swimming, there were a few days when the waves crashed in a little ferociously but that would be good for body boarding. There are plenty of public toilets and beach showers.

Like most beaches in Andalucia there are many Chirunguitos on the beach. Amazing places for a cold drink and ice cream stop or a quick sandwich for lunch. In front of each Chirunguito you’ll find a few rows of loungers and umbrellas ready to hire for €5-10 euro per day. We found a few Chirunguitos that were also open for dinner and the children loved walking on the sand to get dinner and watching the sunset set as we tucked into our evening meal.

*RELATED article: If you are looking for more ideas of holiday spots that are off the usual tourist trail read – Lesser-known holiday locations in Spain

Things to do in Mojácar

As well as swimming in the sea, lying on the beach and exploring the pueblo there are a number of activities to enjoy in and around Mojácar.

Kids will love

• Playing in the many kids play areas located along the main coastal road
• Eating metre long pizza’s at Sottocasa restaurant
• Spotting fish in the shallows
• Watching their dinner cook on the espeto barbeque at Neptuno restaurant
• Visiting the AquaVera water park in nearby Vera
• Getting ice cream at Plaza Nueva in the pueblo
• Outdoor go-karting at Garrucha
• Hunting for pretty colour or unusual shaped stones
• Feasting on delicious paella at Aku Aku restaurant

Adults will love

• Shopping at quirky little stores in the Parque Commercial
• Kayaking around the rocky coastline
• Lounging on the colourful bean bags with a cocktail in hand at Maui beach bar
• Partying till the sun comes up at Mandala Beach nightclub
• Hiking up to the Periluco Tower
• Taking a guided quad bike tour around the outskirts of town
• Playing golf at Marina de la Torre
• Renting jet ski’s at nearby Garrucha Port

Other sights near Mojácar

If you are staying for a week or two you might be interested in venturing out to these nearby sights:

• Amazing coastline at Cabo de Gata near Almeria
• The caves in the National Park near Sorbas
• Mini Hollywood theme park with the old Western movie sets and daily shows
• The pristine natural beach Playa de los Muertes
• The stunning Alcazaba and Cathedral in Almeria city

Getting to Mojácar

The nearest airport to Mojácar is Almeria. There are low cost flights arriving daily from the UK or you can connect via Barcelona or Madrid. It’s a fairly small sized airport and doesn’t offer many public transport options. The City Bus number 30 goes from the airport to Almeria centre, from there you can take an Alsa bus to Mojácar.

The more convenient options are to book a transfer or hire a car. This is more expensive but a much quicker and hassle free way to get to Mojácar. A private transfer for 2 people is approximately €80 and a shared mini bus transfer is approximately €15 per person. The drive takes 1 hour and it’s a very smooth dual carriageway for most of the journey.

For airport transfers we always book with Shuttle Direct and for car hire comparison in Spain we recommend Discover Car Hire.

As you drive away from Almeria airport you will notice fields of white plastic reaching into the distance. These are intensive agricultural fields, kind of like a make shift greenhouse. They grow mostly domestic ornamental plants and cut flowers to be exported around Europe. The weather conditions, landscape and plastic covering are the perfect conditions to speed up the harvest.

I hope that this guide to Mojácar has been useful and we have given you a new idea for your next great family holiday in Spain. Mojácar might be a lesser known area of Spain but it’s full of things to see and do aswell as a rich history and local culture. For more information about Mojácar visit the tourist information website.

Other Seeking the Spanish Sun guides about Spain that might interest you are…

How to save money when visiting Spain

Nerja, the jewel of the Costa del Sol

Why Spain is the perfect holiday destination

Useful Spanish phrases for traveling in Spain