You don’t need to be a caving expert to venture deep beneath the Earth’s surface and discover that nature can create genuine monuments of its own. This is all about rock — including the kind found above ground — because we’ve selected two caves and a village where stone takes centre stage. After all, we know you’re looking for getaways that will truly surprise you.

You might think that once you’ve seen one cave, you’ve seen them all. Then you discover the Coves de Sant Josep, home to Europe’s longest navigable underground river — and realise that it’s right here in Spain, in La Vall d’Uixó. Visits take place by boat and in groups. The site’s staff expertly propel the boats through the tunnels and chambers in single file — and when they tell you to duck, make sure you do. At one point, you’ll be asked to continue on foot for around 250 metres before boarding the boat that will take you back to the exit. Make the most of the walk to admire the extraordinary formations in this geological museum up close.

For the more adventurous, there is also the option of exploring the river by kayak. The activity takes place in a group with a guide — and yes, be prepared to get wet.

Where to stay: just an eight-minute drive from the Coves de Sant Josep is our Sercotel Hotel Plana Suites. With its versatile range of rooms, you’ll find the perfect option for your type of trip, whether you’re travelling as a couple, with family or with friends. The choice is yours. One thing you won’t need to think twice about is our buffet breakfast. And don’t worry about where to leave the car: we have a private car park. If you visit in summer, ask us about our swimming pool.

The Nerja Cave could be described in terms of its stalactites and stalagmites; the fact that it contains one of the tallest natural columns in the world; its rimstone pools, cave pearls and soda straws; its vast chambers; its galleries, which extend for almost five kilometres — although only part of them can be visited — and the fact that it is more than five million years old and home, among many other wonders, to one of the world’s largest collections of cave art.

Even so, no matter how hard we tried to describe each and every one of its geological wonders, words would still fall short of conveying the thrill of immersing yourself in the beauty that Mother Nature is capable of creating. Some say that this cave is a true natural cathedral — and they’re not wrong.

Where to stay: travelling deep beneath the Earth’s surface and stepping back thousands of years in time is all well and good, but when it’s time to rest, your body will be craving modern comforts: spacious rooms, beds that tempt you to hit the snooze button, buffet breakfasts and pet-friendly accommodation, should you wish to bring the whole family along. You’ll find all this and more at our hotels in Málaga: Sercotel Rosaleda Málaga and Sercotel Tribuna Málaga.

The people of Setenil de las Bodegas were not deterred by steep cliff faces, imposing rocks looming over the landscape or the winding shape of the Guadalporcún River gorge, where the village is located. Quite the opposite: since the Late Middle Ages, they have made use of the natural rock shelters to create their homes. Over time, these evolved into houses perfectly adapted to the unusual terrain, leaving today’s visitors open-mouthed in amazement.

It’s not every day that you see houses built quite literally beneath enormous slabs of rock or right against the side of a gorge. Here, you can even say you’ve been bar-hopping along a cave street. All this comes with the picture-perfect charm you would expect from an Andalusian village: narrow lanes where you can seek out the shade when temperatures rise, whitewashed houses with pitched roofs and brightly coloured flowers adding cheerful splashes here and there.

Where to stay: we recommend heading towards the coast — and don’t be put off by the journey. It will all have been worth it once you arrive at our Sercotel Aura Algeciras or Sercotel Cruz del Mar in Chipiona. Here, you wake up to the sea breeze, indulge in a lavish breakfast, ask reception what there is to see nearby and then head out to explore.