I made my monthly visit to Marinas del Este on Friday, around midday so you would expect a few people to be milling around. The ‘powers that be’ in Nerja still regard such items as marinas as the salvation of tourism in the area, but it is extremely hard to see any justification for this idea.
Marinas del Este is very nice, but the majority of the locales are empty, some condemned I’m led to believe. There were two cars in the car park, one boat going out, two children sunbathing on the deck of one boat, one man washing his boat, another making repairs and two people walking around.
Midday in September? The busiest I have seen the marina was in the spring when a total of seven people (four of them workmen) were milling around and a group of five or six were setting out for a diving excursion.
There were more fish around than people. One can see the potential benefit for the municipal coffers with all the numerous building and licence fees for luxury villas, bars, restaurants, mooring fees, terraces etc and, of course, it is a great place for occasional visitors to park their boats for the majority of the year.
Perhaps it is busier at other times of day, although from what I have been told it is not much more lively at other times, and perhaps it would be better/more successful/beneficial if it were a little nearer the town centre.
The Nerja marina is, however, currently being planned for Vilches beach, which is quite a way from either Nerja or Torrox Costa centres.
Locals and visitors certainly do need somewhere reasonable to park their craft, that is not in dispute, but the idea that a marina is the future of tourism seems a little far-fetched. Far more people would be attracted to the town itself, and therefore generate income for the local businesses rather than the municipal coffers, if, for example, the ban on street artists on the Balcon de Europa and other areas was ‘relaxed’ in order to create an ‘atmosphere’ and make things more lively and interesting.
The carriages were a great attraction for tourists when they were on the Balcon de Europa, but now there are only a couple still operating since they were relocated to the Plaza Fabrica de los Cangrejos where, incidentally, shade for the animals is decidedly lacking.
stuart says:
Hi,
A good article. Maybe they should invest in proper roadsigns. I on 3 occasions have tried to visit the marina but sadley have never found it.
Lynne Hanson says:
I agree Stuart. We cannot find it either and we have lived in Nerja for 18 months now…. and no, we are not stupid! We just end up driving around the headland.
will says:
hi nerja news, yet gain i find it hard to believe that the carriages which were a great attraction for tourists have been lost in the ether and along with the “street artists” musicians on the balcon, just seem to enhance the charm of nerja life.
As a frequent traveller to nerja i have continually asked the question, where are the horses? where are the musicians?
You can sit and people watch, on the balcon night, after night, and wish for a bit of music.
when the local council decides to organize an event or a cheeky musician tries to play a tune on the balcon, watch the crowds gather in appreciation of their charm and character.
a note to the nerja minister of tourism, please allow people to maybe “Xfactor” audition to you so that we tourists can enjoy anything from local musical talent to the guy who is just trying to make a living with a bit of musical talent. please bring back the horses and allow the musicians to audition to enhance the life of what is simply a charming place in spain.
will says:
I like the look of the marina, can i have a map and directions as i would like to visit it on my return to nerja
regards will
Tom says:
Agree entirely with this article. MDE has always been empty and the shops were all closed and run down even back in 2009. It is a pleasant place but there is nothing to do there. When the new 7 star hotel comes to the Almunecar coast in 2013 this marina may as well give up.