Holidaymakers look for cheaper alternatives as popular Andalusian resorts become unaffordable

However, the Costa Tropical has seen a rise in popularity and with that comes a hike in prices. Antonio, a resident of Granada city who has spent years holidaying in this area with his family, sits down in front of the computer and this time the numbers don't add up.

Four years ago, the family rented an apartment in Playa Granada for ten days for 1,200 euros. It wasn't cheap, but it was affordable. The following year he returned to the same flat, for the same duration and the same price. But in the third summer came the first shock when the landlord asked him for 2,400 euros for the same apartment and the same period of time. "I said no," Antonio says. However, after a bit of research that same summer he did find another option in the same area for 1,300 euros.

When Antonio wanted to go back to the same apartment the following summer, that second apartment had already gone up to 1,800 euros. This year he has found that the one that cost him 1,200 euros in 2021 would now set him back 3,300 euros for ten days. The same flat and with the same beach in front of it. Almost three times more expensive in just four years.

Playa Granada was Antonio's favourite place: "I liked it because of the family atmosphere", he explains. "Despite the crowds in summer, even on busy days in August you could go to the beach without the hustle and bustle of other areas, such as Almuñécar."

"For a family with small children, it's good because it's not so crowded," he says. "Children can go out to buy an ice cream in the evening without the stress of something happening to them, as can happen in more crowded areas," he says.

But, in his words, Playa Granada has changed. The construction of several new apartment blocks has transformed the area which he described as less saturated and quieter, into something that is beginning to resemble the Costa del Sol and busier areas of the Costa Tropical. "With the growth and the construction of several new blocks the area has been losing a little of that essence," Antonio says.

"The prices are driving out the average visitor from Granada in favour of wealthier renters who can afford these exorbitant prices. After many years of holidaying there, I am sad to see that speculation has ruined the possibility of continuing to go," he says. He adds that this is the first summer that he will not be spending his holidays in Playa Granada "because the prices are abusive, in the style of areas historically considered as exclusive, such as Marbella, when neither the beaches nor the services justify those prices."

According to data provided by Gonzalo Fernández, manager of several tourist apartments in the area, the profile of visitors who choose the Costa Tropical and especially Playa Granada for their summer holidays is Andalusian and also from Granada. "In terms of demand, we mainly receive visitors from Andalucía, especially from the provinces of Granada, Jaen and Cordoba. We also have an important presence of clients from Madrid".

In the end, the man who paid 1,200 euros four years ago will now holiday in Vera in Almeria province for less than 1,100 for the same days. He found exactly what he was looking for, but somewhere else that was more affordable.