Mojacar and inland Villages

all of the areas you have quoted have central squares and plenty of decent bars and cafes for a tapas or coffee .  Some english and of course Spanish.  Hercal Overa has a really nice park with a water feature and a cafe in the middle plenty of parking and good market on a Monday morning.   Arboleas market is Saturdays Albox tuesdays Turre fridays and Vera town Saturdays.   We enjoy driving around all of these and never have a problem parking or finding a refreshment place.  Enjoy.

Thanks Alicia very helpful information especially the market and parking bit. We have hired a car for Monday to Friday so we’ll be able to visit some of the markets as well.

We are planning on doing the same. How did you arrange your villa and are you hiring a car for the full duration

Hi Andy we have booked a package holiday and combined a chill at a nice hotel half board and hired a car in Mojacar from Costa coches for the middle 5 days of our 10 days, half the price of the car hire  quoted by travel company .

Hi, in Alfoquia try the Almeribar for great tapas or Nico's terrace bar if you prefer a British vibe, in Arboleas there's Valkyrie or Cortijo Andalus for tapas or Azabache for a great value menu del dia, also Dora's bar in La Cinta for a lovely Spanish experience. The square in Zurgena has a couple of bars and is very pretty as is the main square in Albox. Cantoria is a lovely village and Sara's cafe is good for tapas and views. 

So many lovely little bars and cafes - hope you enjoy!

Hola Juliet wow so many lovely recommendations thank  very much.

I’m looking forward to trying out my Spanish I have been learning this last year.

Gracias 

Suzanne 

We did the same - we've been down there for a month, got home this week. We drove hundreds and hundreds of miles around inland Almeria just trying to get a 'feel' for places. And it was so worthwhile as some places we had on our 'we like the look of this' list....we really didn't feel we were right for us when we saw them in the flesh. And others that were not on our radar, we loved straight away! We did not intend to buy on our visit...but we saw something exactly right for us...so we did! And the place we bought...I wouldn't have given a second glance online!

It's such a personal feeling, but spend plenty of time in each place, and if you think you like somewhere go back at different times of day to see it properly.

De nada Suzanne. Espero que te gusta este region hermoso.

It's well worth learning Spanish as the locals appreciate it and you'll be able to deal with the endless bureaucracy much more easily. The local dialect is challenging though - they don't pronounce s, z, d and sometimes t. Hence, hasta luego is pronounced aaluego!

We are thinking of doing the same! Where did you end up buying? I’m very interested in hearing your thoughts. 
brst wisies, 

Liz