Mainland Europe's Only Coffee Plantation Thrives In An Underrated Coastal Spanish Paradise

The southern coast of Spain is famous for its golden beaches, blue Mediterranean waters, and endless sunshine. As you leave the glitzy resorts around Málaga behind, you will start to find low-key villages with historic castles and whitewashed houses overlooking the water. In La Herradura, you will also find the only coffee plantation on continental Europe. (Spain's Canary Islands being the only other place in Europe with a commercial plantation.)

La Herradura is in the southern autonomous community of Andalusia, most famous for the Costa del Sol, where you have to watch out for jellyfish. But just an hour's drive from both the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) and the Granada Airport (GRX), in one of Spain's most underrated cities, the vibe starts to shift.

La Herradura is part of the laid-back Costa Tropical. The small town, home to fewer than 5,000 year-round residents, sits on a protected, horseshoe-shaped bay. It is guarded by the Maro-Cerro Gordo Cliffs Natural Area to the west and the Punta de la Mona headlands to the east. A family-friendly beach, a 17th-century castle, and ocean-facing tapas restaurants are in the town center. A 16th-century watchtower and a peaceful chapel are perched on the steep slopes behind it, and that unique coffee plantation stands just on the outskirts of town.

Coffee plays a big part in Spanish culture — locals drink it all day. Most of Spain's coffee beans come from the Coffee Belt, an imaginary band between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn where the majority if the world's coffee is produced. Africa, Asia, and South America are not the only continents that are able to grow coffee, though. The hills above La Herradura have warm temperatures, a lot of rain, and even more sunshine. This small area of Europe also has the perfect microclimate for coffee plants, which is how Herradura Coffee Farm thrives.

The northernmost coffee plantation in Europe, the farm is also proudly sustainable and picks all of its fruit by hand. It also grows more than 30 types of tropical fruit, including avocados, jackfruits, and lychees. So whether you love fruit or coffee, or both, a tour of the farm is a must while visiting La Herradura.

During the 90-minute walking tour (about $15 per person), visitors learn about the coffee process, from planting to harvesting, as well as the environmentally-friendly farming methods used here. You will also visit the orchards to see the oldest mango tree on the Iberian Peninsula and rows of 100-year-old custard apple trees. Keep an eye out for eagles and mountain goats along the walk. Then you will move to the farmhouse to taste some freshly picked fruit and buy a bag of coffee beans to bring home. You might even learn how to order coffee in Europe without sounding like a tourist. Be sure to bring sturdy footwear and sun protection for the tour.

After spending the morning on the farm, you will surely want to return to the water when the midday heat arrives. But instead of heading straight down to the beach, take a detour to the Maro-Cerro Gordo Cliffs Natural Area. The protected land has hiking trails that wind among large rocks, Aleppo pines, and endemic sea fennel. Sharp cliffs drop into the sea, where scuba divers search underwater caves for moray eels and endangered orange coral. The Cerro Gordo Watchtower, built in the 16th century to guard against pirates, offers fantastic views of La Herradura, its beaches, and the Mediterranean Sea. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the north coast of Africa.

Now it is finally beach time. There are three beaches in La Herradura. Playa de Cantarriján is a semi-nude beach in the Maro-Cerro Gordo Cliffs Natural Area. Nearby Playa de Calaiza, in a small cove, is only accessible by hiking or kayaking in. The third and main beach, Playa La Herradura, is considered one of the best beaches on the Costa Tropical. It's over a mile long and has sun loungers and watersport equipment available to rent, plus casual restaurants serving freshly caught seafood just steps from the sand. La Herradura feels like a little paradise on the coast of Spain.