Almuñécar is one of the larger, better known towns on the Costa Tropical, and definitely among the most popular. It has roughly 26,000 inhabitants, including a large cosmopolitan community. The town also boasts long stretches of sandy beach with several small coves where people enjoy fishing. Scuba diving, hand gliding, jet-ski rental boat trips and boat rental are also available in Almuñécar along with a thriving nightlife which you would be hard pressed to beat anywhere else on the Costa Tropical. There are numerous late night bars and clubs throughout the town, as well as several nightclubs where you can dance until the early hours of the morning. During the day Almuñécar also has plenty of shops, bars and restaurants catering to a wide range of needs and palettes.

History

Although there is evidence of settlement by Paleolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age peoples, it was not until the Phoenicians discovered Spain’s southern coast around 3,000 years ago that the seed of modern day Almuñécar was planted. Archeological finds in the Cueva de Siete Palacios close to Almuñécar ’s castle reveal a thriving trading settlement known as Ex, or Sexi, which was further developed by the Romans. Little more is known of Almuñécar until the occupation of the Arabs or Moors, when the town rose once more to a position of importance with a flourishing economy and population. During the final expulsion of Moors from Spain at the beginning of the seventeenth century, Almuñécar was the last town to fall to Catholic forces, held for as long as possible by the Sultans because of its strategic location as a stepping stone to Africa. Since then the town remained a quiet agricultural and fishing community This remained unchanged until the latter half of the twentieth century when serious commercial agriculture and tourism expanded Almuñécar once again.