Nerja Self Catering

Planning a Nerja self catering holiday will give you the option and flexibility of eating in.

Ok, so we all love eating out, but let’s face it, eating out every day can work out to be expensive ... so having the choice of eating the occasional breakfast, lunch or dinner in your Nerja holiday accommodation can save you quite a bit of money.

But no need to worry.

Here are my tips and advice to make your Nerja self catering experience fun and food shopping in Nerja a breeze!

Nerja Supermarkets

There are 3 big supermarkets in town:

Mercadona on Calle San Miguel:

• Open Monday to Saturday 09.15 to 21.15
• Has an underground parking but the parking spaces are small and there’s not a lot of room for cars to manoeuvre, so I wouldn’t recommend it for big cars

• Open Monday to Saturday 09.30 to 21.30
• Has an underground parking but again the parking spaces are small and tight.
• Also has a lower floor selling electrical items, garden furniture and gardening items, clothes, toys etc.

another SuperSol on Avenida de Pescia, going towards Maro;

• Open Monday to Saturday 09.30 to 21.30
• Has ample parking outside

Most, if not all, supermarkets in Spain are licensed to sell alcohol, so you can also purchase wine, beer and spirits at these supermarkets.

There is a smaller supermarket called Iranzo on Avenida de Pescia that stocks many of the more popular foreign products and brands that you might not normally find in the other big supermarkets (in case you really can’t do without that can of Heinz baked beans!).

One thing to remember is that you are not allowed into these larger supermarkets with carry bags.

You are allowed to take in your handbag of course, but all other carry bags must be left in the lockers at the entrance to the Supermarket.

You’ll need 50 cents for the locker which you’ll get back when you return the key.

There are also a number of smaller supermarkets dotted around town.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

... buy your fresh fruit and vegetables straight from local growers.

Here's how ...

Nerja Fishmongers

Most of the fish is fresh “fresco” but some may be frozen “congelado”, so ask if you are unsure.

The fishmonger is generally only open in the morning but you'll need to get there early if you want to make sure you get that kilo of fresh prawns or sardines.

The fish does tend to sell pretty quickly.

Fishmongers are not open on Monday as the fishermen don’t work on Sunday night.

You might find my food glossary useful when shopping at a Spanish fishmonger.

Nerja Butcher

We only buy our meat from there.

The butchers are a lovely couple called Loli and Miguel Angel.

They do very tasty “filetillos en adobo” which are filets of pork which come already marinaded in garlic, olive oil and parsley.

Delicious and ready to put on the BBQ or grill.

You might also find my Spanish food glossary useful when shopping at a Spanish butchers.

Shopping Etiquette in Spain

Here are some tips and advice on Spanish shopping etiquette that you can put into practice during your next Nerja self catering holiday:

Saying “Hola” - If you walk into a shop in Spain, particularly the smaller shops, it is common practice to say “hola” (hello) when you walk in. By doing this, you are not actually saying “hello” to anyone in particular but really to everyone in the shop even if you don’t know them.

Note, you don’t need to do this in the big supermarkets.

Now, you may not get a response to your “hola”, but that’s OK and is not considered rude.

Queuing in Spain - The concept of queuing in a straight line in Spain does not exist.

So when you walk into a Butcher or a Fishmonger or any type of small shop you will not find all the customers queuing up one after another to get served.

It is common practice in these situations to ask “el ultimo?” which literally means “the last one?”. What you are asking is “who is the last in the queue?”. So if you’re the last one in the queue and someone walks into the shop and asks ‘el ultimo?” you would say “yo” (me).

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