The Maro cliffs and cove

East of Nerja the coast becomes the Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo, a protected strip where the Sierra Almijara drops straight into the sea. There are no hotels on it: just cliffs, pine and sugar-cane terraces, with a string of small coves cut into the rock.

Cala de Maro is the accessible one — a short, steep walk down a track from the village, ending on coarse sand between two rock walls with water so clear the bottom shows at three metres. Above it, the cliff-top viewpoints give the wide frame, with the coves stacked one behind the other into the haze.

Morning is the time. The coves face south-east, so first light hits the water and the cliff faces while the sea is still glassy; by afternoon the coves are in their own shadow and the swimmers have arrived.

Treat the walk down seriously — it is loose, steep and unshaded, fine in trainers and awkward in anything else. There is no bar, no water and no shade at the bottom. Parking above is limited and fills in summer; some access points are restricted in high season, so check what is open on the day.