Costa Tropical Press Review 2026-08-09

☀️ The Weather

Sunday dawns draped in gauze over the Costa, those high clouds that filter the light like a stained-glass window and turn the sea into a sheet of polished silver. The thermometers breathe at 30.6 degrees, with a southwesterly breeze so gentle it barely caresses the tops of the palm trees, while the humidity settles at that comfortable 47 percent. The sea, a mirror of barely fourteen centimetres of swell, waits patiently. Waking beneath this veiled sky and this serene temperature is, without doubt, the undeniable privilege of this Andalusian corner.

📌 Beach forecast: Our coastlines receive today a partially cloudy sky and an ambient temperature of 30.6 degrees, ideal for diving into waters that register a delightful 25.2 degrees. The southwest wind, at 5.5 kilometres per hour, barely ripples the surface, with waves of 0.14 metres. Sun protection is mandatory: the UV index reaches 7.8, a very high level. Clouds deceive; radiation gets through.

☕ THE FIRST COFFEE

There is a different silence this Sunday on the Costa. August has ignited the festivities of Motril, and the aroma of gunpowder and candy floss still lingers in the memory of the previous night, when the fairground filled with lights and laughter. But the morning, generous as ever, offers a reprieve: the streets breathe unhurriedly, the terraces stretch awake, and the coffee steams more slowly than usual.

One sits down, gazes at the hazy horizon, and thinks about what lies ahead. This week, the news that has shaken the foundations of the region has been neither a concert nor a party: it has been the confirmation that the road that brought us freedom, the A-7, that motorway that snakes between tunnels and cliffs, has been modernised to remain the artery of our land. And while the coffee cools in the cup, the people of Granada look to the future with the certainty that the road, at last, is worthy of the destination.

📖 FEATURE STORY

The tunnels that embrace the Costa: €16 million to make the road worthy of paradise

There are roads that are merely roads, and there are roads that are promises fulfilled. The A-7, that motorway that descends from the provincial capital of Granada to the sea, belongs to the second category. Since it opened to traffic, it has been the artery sustaining the economy of the Costa Tropical: down it come the trucks loaded with mangoes and avocados, up it travel the tourists seeking the Mediterranean, and along it commute daily thousands of workers who have made the asphalt their second home.

That is why the completion of the modernisation of four tunnels on the coastal stretch of the A-7, with an investment of 16 million euros, is no minor undertaking. According to sources at the Ministry of Transport, it is a comprehensive operation that reinforces the safety and fluidity of the main access route to our region. The tunnels, those passages that bore through the mountain and conceal the sea until the very last moment, have undergone a thorough overhaul: new lighting systems, ventilation, fire detection and emergency communications.

The importance of this infrastructure is not measured only in linear metres. It is measured in the lives it protects every day, in the minutes it saves those who travel through it, and in the peace of mind of knowing that, in the event of any incident, the response systems are state-of-the-art. For a region that lives off tourism and agriculture, where every hour counts in the middle of the campaign season, this improvement is a silent but constant support.

The four modernised tunnels are the gateway to the Costa Tropical. They are the threshold that separates the bustle of the mountains from the serenity of the coastline. And with this investment, the threshold has become safer, more luminous, more modern. The A-7 is not just a road: it is the memory of a territory that grew under the shelter of asphalt. And now, with these renovated tunnels, the road is, at last, worthy of the paradise it leads to.

✍️ INÉS CARMONA'S CHRONICLE

Seniors learn to navigate: the mobile phone no longer bites

The call came on a Tuesday morning. Carmen, 78, a resident of Motril, had received a message from her granddaughter and did not know how to reply. "My fingers tremble," she confessed. But since this week, Carmen and hundreds of seniors across the region have someone to teach them how to master that little screen that sometimes seems like a wild animal.

The 'Digitalízate' project, promoted by the Provincial Council and the Red Cross, has reached 19 municipalities in the province to reduce the digital divide among older people. These are not theoretical classes, but practical workshops where participants learn to make video calls, send photos, check their bank balance or book an appointment at the health centre. Everyday gestures that for many are a whole world.

There is something deeply moving about watching an eighty-year-old man light up when he manages to send his first voice message. Autonomy is not only being able to fend for oneself: it is being able to communicate with those you love. And while the deflagration in Salobreña tinged the week with concern — a woman seriously injured, airlifted by helicopter to Seville, according to Motril Digital — this news reminds us that life is also written in small gestures of dignity. Because learning has no age, and the mobile phone, in the end, also allows itself to be tamed.

🎭 CULTURAL CORNER

Salobreña continues to prove that summer has its own soundtrack. Ana Torroja, the immortal voice of Mecano, has once again enchanted the audience at Tropicalia Summer Music with a show that confirmed the spectacle is far from over. Classics that span generations, that unique way of performing that turns every song into a shared memory. The night was, according to those in attendance, a journey to the heart of Spanish-language pop music.

And while the coast vibrates with concerts, the Alpujarra is preparing its own cultural revolution. Órgiva will host from 18 to 22 October the first edition of the Meeting of Artists in the South, an event that will bring together 40 international creators from different disciplines alongside renowned figures from the artistic scene. The initiative, promoted by the Provincial Council, consolidates the region as a cultural benchmark beyond the summer. From music to contemporary art, the province demonstrates that talent knows no seasons.

🗺️ TRAVEL CORNER

The urban spa that never disappoints

There are beaches that settle for being beautiful, and there are beaches that also work hard to be excellent. Those of Almuñécar and La Herradura belong to the second category. This week, the data confirms it: more than 600 assists attended by the lifeguard services and a water quality rated as excellent support the smooth operation of a coastline that does not rest even in August.

Today, with a partially cloudy sky and a soft southwesterly breeze, is the perfect day to discover the cove of La Herradura, that crescent of golden sand that embraces a sea as calm as a lake. From the promenade, the views of the Peñón de Ifach and the silhouette of Cerro Gordo compose a picture that needs no filters. The water, at 25.2 degrees, invites you to stay. And the beach bars, with their sardine skewers smoking, complete the ceremony. Bring a parasol, sun protection and a great desire to do nothing at all. Enjoying oneself is also a local sport.

🍳 CHARLY'S RECIPE

Ajo blanco with Costa grapes

When the heat is intense and the body asks for something light, ajo blanco is the answer our land has known for centuries. It is prepared with one hundred grams of raw almonds, one peeled clove of garlic, fifty grams of breadcrumb, half a glass of extra virgin olive oil, a tablespoon of vinegar and cold water. Blend everything until a fine cream is obtained, season and leave to chill.

Serve well chilled, in a clay bowl, crowned with white grapes from La Herradura, which provide that sweet contrast that makes this dish a unique experience. It is the flavour of the fertile plain and the mountain gathered in a single spoonful. Fresh, humble and extraordinary. Just like this land.

🌆 AFTERWORK

The afternoon declines over the Costa. The clouds turn violet, the beach bars gather the last tables and the sea recovers its silence. It has been a Sunday to breathe, to remember that life goes on: the festivities of Motril shine, the tunnels of the A-7 await travellers, and on Wednesday, when the sun eclipses above our heads, the entire region will look to the sky with the wonder of those who know they are living a unique moment.

Tomorrow the cars, the paperwork, the urgencies will return. But today, in the calm of the falling night, all that remains is to give thanks for the silence. To breathe. And to remember that, although the road sometimes narrows, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Especially in this land, where even the tunnels are modernised so that no one is left behind.

— Alejandro Ortega