El Toyo holidays

El Toyo holidays are all about getting to know Andalucia's softer side. It's perched by a sandy beach and is a 20-minute drive from historic Almeria.

Laidback shorelines

The town of El Toyo’s on a part of Spain’s southern coast that’s yet to be discovered by the herds of holidaymakers who flock to the sun-swept costas for their summer holidays. We wouldn’t be surprised if that all changes soon, though, considering El Toyo’s winning waterfront. It’s covered in cappuccino-coloured sand that’s sprinkled with smooth pebbles, while the calm water’s perfect for cool-down dips. A few sand-side restaurants are part of its recipe, too.

Great for golfers

Tear yourself away from the coast for a couple of hours and you can let out your inner Rory McIlroy during a game of golf. The town’s doughnut-shaped course has 18 fairways that are speckled with sand bunkers and scenic lakes. You can reach the club house in a five-minute drive from the beach.

Amble around Almeria

A holiday to El Toyo also puts you within reach of Almeria, one of the biggest cities in this patch of Andalucia. To get there, it’s a 20-minute drive through the countryside that surrounds the city. When you arrive, you can browse Almeria’s collection of chic boutiques and shopping malls for souvenirs – ceramic kitchenware and Andalusian leather goods are popular picks here. And, don’t forget to go for a stroll along the giant sandstone walls of Alcazaba, the city’s 11th-century Arabian castle.