Costa del Sol
The former fishing villages of the “Sun Coast” welcome millions of international visitors each year – not counting the estimated 300,000 expats who call the coast home. The winning formula is 320 sunny days a year, warm, clean waters and beaches, and good-value, though somewhat brash, entertainment options. Heavy on neon and tower blocks, most of what’s here has little to do with local culture, but what is exuberantly Andalucían is the verve with which visitors enjoy themselves in the sun. Nights, too, are given over to typically Spanish merriment that continues until dawn.
1. Estepona
The first major resort on this coast is an excellent quieter choice, with 19 km (12 miles) of beach. In the casco antiguo (old town), Plaza Las Flores retains considerable charm.
Estepona • Tourist Office: Avda de las Flores s/n • 952 80 20 02
2. Marbella
The 15th-century Plaza de los Naranjos is the heart of the old town of Marbella, Spain’s most expensive resort. Nearby Puerto Banús is the town’s glittering marina, where you can admire the fabulous yachts and breathe the same air as the super-rich.Marbella • Tourist Office: Glorieta de la Fontanilla s/n • 952 77 14 42
3. Mijas
Come here for the views of the coast, as well as the maze of old Moorish streets filled with charming shops in the numerous tiny squares.Mijas • Tourist Office: Plaza Virgen de la Peña •
952 58 90 34
4. Fuengirola
This large resort is the most family-orientated, with a good beach and a
seafront promenade. There is a restored 10th-century Moorish castle overlooking the town.Fuengirola • Tourist Office: Avda Jesús Santos Rein 6 • 952 46 74 57
5. Benalmadena
This resort comes in three parts: the old town inland; the beach and port area; and Arroyo de la Miel, a lively suburb.Benalmadena • Tourist Office: Avda Antonio Machado 10 • 952 44 24 94
6. Torremolinos
Torre de los Molinos (Tower of the Windmills) refers to a Moorish watchtower that was at one time surrounded by 19 flourmills. The ancient Torre Vigia is still here, but surrounding it now is a big, brash and trashily modern resort that is the quintessence of inexpensive fun.Torremolinos • Tourist Office: Plaza Blas Infante 1 • 952 37 95 12
7. Malaga
Málaga is mostly a transit point for the average visitor and thus remains very Spanish in character. Andalucía’s second largest city has an interesting historic district dominated by a vast 8th-century fortress and the ruins of the 14th-century Castillo de Gibralfaro.Malaga • Tourist Office: Pasaje de Chinitas 4 •
951 30 89 11
8. Torre del Mar
This resort is favoured by Spanish families, so is less tawdry than others to the west. The tree-lined seafront promenade is part of an attempt to prettify facilities.
9. Velez-Malaga
The old quarter of this market town has beautiful Mudéjar features. An annual flamenco guitar competition is held here every July.
10. Nerja
No high-rises here; Nerja is all white-washed good taste, surmounting attractive, verdant cliffs with quiet pebble beach coves below.Nerja • Tourist Office: C/Puerta del Mar 2 • 952 52 15 31
Franco’s Costa Dream
It was General Franco, Spain’s dictator until 1975, who had the idea of transforming this impoverished zone of fishing villages into the “Florida of Europe”. He implemented his plan in the 1960s with money loaned by the US, in return for the right to build nuclear bases on Spanish soil. The jet-set glamour and cheap package deals were a runaway success, so much so that by the 1970s the area was an aesthetic and environmental disaster – with added corruption and organized crime. Since the 1980s, steps have been taken to clean up all these issues.
Tip: Note that most sights and many shops close for the siesta from about 1pm to 5pm.
