For the last week I have been staying in Nerja (Spain) with my family and have returned in time for Easter day.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, as my previous experience comes only from a hot, dusty and long drive across central Spain from Portugal to reach a horribly remote airport. However I’ve also read a fair amount about Andalusia due to my love of flamenco which I’ve played for years.

Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the region. Our villa had a magnificent view of the ocean and had a backdrop of an impressive mountain range. Every street appeared to be blooming with beautiful flowers and the fragrance of jasmine often followed you around. I even found my favorite flower growing on the Balcon de Europa; the Bird of Paradise which I first saw growing wild in South Africa.

While in Nerja I experienced some amazing food, and tapas is a wonderful way to eat. In some tapas bars you are given a little dish of food with each drink so you can spend hours relaxing with breathtaking views, enjoying an amazing variety of food and drinking small Spanish beers.

My only regret was that I didn’t see any flamenco while I was there, however I didn’t really go looking for it and gives me another reason to go back and visit!