Hostal Miguel

Hostal Miguel is a straightforward hostel for a diving trip built around practical comforts rather than resort theatre. You have a private bathroom, air conditioning, a television, a desk and a wardrobe in the room, with the restaurant and bar ready when you come back hungry and slightly salt-encrusted.

The setting suits you if your priorities are a bed, a meal and easy access to the coast. The reception is staffed in Spanish, while the property also has a terrace, free Wi-Fi and daily housekeeping. It is a compact base in Calahonda, with no need to dress the place up as something grander than it is.

You are in Calahonda, Spain, on Carretera de Almeria. Calahonda beach is about 100 metres away, with direct access, while Playa La Rijana is around 1.4 miles away. Torrenueva Beach is roughly 3.7 miles from the hostel, and Playa de la Joya about 3.3 miles away by road.

The immediate area gives you a few options on foot for eating out, including El Ancla and Chiriguinto Calahonda, both within a few hundred feet. Motril is about ten minutes away by car, with Los Moriscos golf course and the port also around ten minutes away. For a longer outing, the Peñón de Salobreña and nearby historic sites are about 10 miles away.

The room choice is mainly about how much space you need for the night. The single room suits a solo traveller who wants a private base without paying for room that will go unused, while the double or twin option gives two divers separate beds. The triple room is the sensible pick when three people are sharing and everyone wants an actual bed rather than a negotiation with the furniture.

Every room has air conditioning and heating, which matters when you return warm, tired and still carrying the day's salt on your skin. A private bathroom, towels, linen, wardrobe and desk cover the basics, while the television handles the quiet stretch before sleep. Daily housekeeping keeps the practical side moving, and non-smoking rooms are available.

The rooms are simple rather than spacious, so this is a place for sleeping and resetting, not for spreading kit across a suite. Upper floors are reached by stairs only. That is worth bearing in mind when you are carrying luggage, even if the room itself asks little of you beyond a shower and a good night's rest.

The in-house Restaurante Hostal Miguel serves lunch and dinner, with a menu focused on seafood and rice dishes. That gives the evening a clear Spanish angle rather than a generic hotel menu: you can sit down to something substantial without setting off in search of dinner after a full day outside.

There is also a bar and a terrace for the less formal part of the evening. The restaurant serves Spanish cuisine, and the seafood-and-rice speciality gives it a more specific identity than the usual all-purpose dining room. Breakfast arrangements are not part of the offer described here, so plan your first meal of the day accordingly.

The coast is the main distraction once you have finished with the day's serious business. Calahonda beach is close by, and the terrace gives you somewhere to sit without turning every pause into another excursion. Bicycle hire is available at the hostel if you want to move around under your own steam.

For a change of scenery inland, Los Moriscos golf course is about ten minutes away by car. Motril is also close enough for a straightforward outing, while Sierra Nevada is around forty minutes away by car for a very different sort of day. The rest of the programme is deliberately light: beach, terrace, a meal, and the rare luxury of not having to fill every hour.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 18:00, and check-out from 11:00 to 12:00. Share your expected arrival time with the hostel, particularly if you will reach Calahonda outside the middle of the afternoon. The reception is staffed in Spanish, and cash is an accepted payment method.

Federico Garcia Lorca Granada-Jaen Airport is about 49 miles away by road, roughly an hour's drive. Granada and its airport are also described as approximately an hour away by car. Children of any age are welcome, although cots and extra beds are not available. Pets are not allowed, and upper-floor rooms can only be reached by stairs.

Free Wi-Fi is available, and daily housekeeping is included. Cancellation and prepayment conditions vary with the accommodation booked, so check the terms attached to your chosen room before confirming.