Costa del Sol Property Sales

A refreshing look at life on the Coast

Louise Cook writes:

This year, four million Brits alone will file through the doors of Málaga airport - and the Costa del Sol is the chosen destination of an increasing number of people each year. But, despite years of being maligned as a package holiday paradise for sun-seeking trippers, the Costa del Sol is now in demand by a more discerning class of tourist, attracted by a surprisingly sophisticated new way of life.

Anyone who came to the Costa del Sol back in the 1960s, when tourism began to rear its ugly head, would be shocked at the changes wrought on the Coast since then. Admittedly, the high rise blocks of cheap apartments still line the Coast from Torremolinos through Benalmádena to Fuengirola, but the “sun, sand and sangria” holidaymaker is not so much in evidence. Instead, residential tourism has taken a firm grip on this area of natural beauty, which offers more than 300 days of sunshine a year, and the average new Costa visitor is a youngish professional - from England, Germany or Scandinavia, with money to spend. Many of these people are buying a second home or even shipping out of their dark, cold climates to make a new life on a coast where they can find literally “everything under the sun”.

This widely diverse public - we mustn’t forget the smattering of Arab sheiks and international jet-setters that give the Costa del Sol such a unique flavour - has contributed to the creation of an upgraded, cosmopolitan way of life. A vastly improved infrastructure of roads has made the Costa del Sol not only safer, but faster to get around, while the standard and choice of leisure facilities available would not have been thought possible a decade ago.

Luxury Abounds

From the sumptuous apartments, townhouses and villas that have sprung up in all the best sought-after locations, when it comes to accommodation the Coast is now also replete with luxury hotels offering the last word in leisure, catering as much to residents as to overseas visitors. From the classically chic, Marbella Club Hotel, the avant-garde Kempinski Hotel, the smartly refurbished Hotel Don Carlos, the tasteful Almenara on the western extreme of the Costa del Sol at Sotogrande, these smart hotels’ facilities take in superb restaurants, golf courses, year-round heated pools and luxury health and beauty spas.

Then, the boutique hotel, ubiquitous in the UK and until recently an unknown breed on the Costa del Sol, is gaining ground. Take the Río Real Golf Hotel; with just 30 rooms, this is a masterpiece of design complete with a restaurant that would not look out of place in London or New York, with privacy and superb views across the appealing Río Real golf course. La Cartuja Club - a modern, rustic apart hotel - not far inland from Puerto Banús is another good find. Meanwhile a pleasant one hour’s drive beyond Málaga towards Antequera, and you can stay at the award winning La Posada del Torcal, voted best country hotel in Europe by the Johanssen’s guide. A haven of peace and quiet next to El Torcal national park, this traditional cortijo style hotel offers a wealth of modern comforts.

Capital Gains

Málaga itself was always considered the poor relation of the regional capitals of Andalucia - a drab contrast to Seville, Cordoba or Granada, whose Moorish charms are universally acclaimed. However, Spain’s fifth biggest city, which had surrendered to factories and trading estates with few concessions for the tourist, is now undergoing an extensive refurbishment programme. The port area has been extended to accommodate bigger cruise liners, the quaint main shopping street, Calle Larios is being given a face-lift, and some of the tired old hotels have benefited from serious investment. Visiting the Old Town still retains its magical charm of old world culture and is as welcoming as ever, with numerous ‘tapas’ and wine bars serving traditional Spanish fare.

Just a few minutes west of Málaga airport, Plaza Mayor, an impressive new leisure complex opened its doors two years ago. Built in the style of an Andalucian village with pastel-coloured buildings and grand doorways, this mall and more houses a 20 screen cinema, a vast bowling alley, numerous eateries and shops - including multinational fashion labels Hennes and Tally Weijl. It even has a large gym complex. No wonder the 3,000 space car park is already showing signs of strain at weekends!

Leisure is Served

The demand for “things to do” other than the beach or the obligatory trip to Ronda or Mijas, the most accessible of the area’s white villages, has created a wave of new activities to spring up at regular intervals along the entire coast.

Just ten minutes from Málaga, Benalmádena now boasts a cable-car ride, taking tourists on a vertiginous route from the sea front to the mountains and offering superb panoramics of the whole Coast. The town is also first in Andalucia with its purpose-built dolphinarium - and a penguin house with real snow and ice!

Nearby, Fuengirola has been taken apart and is slowly being put back together again. The sea front is adorned with sculptures, the once-sad zoo has undergone a re-vamp and now runs conservation programmes, as well as twilight visits in the evening, complete with restaurant facilities. Fuengirola also sports a serious go-kart track and the refurbished Moorish Sohail Castle is a regular venue for concerts and cultural events, while the elegant Mosque is a reminder of the area’s multicultural heritage.

Just west of Fuengirola, at El Faro, one finds the Hipódromo race track which attracts hordes of people on Sundays to bet on a series of races and enjoy a reasonably priced barbecue lunch. Night races are also scheduled in summer and are all set to become part of the social circuit.

For those who enjoy riding, or wish to view the famous dancing horses of Andalucia, the Centro Ecuestre of Estepona offers weekly shows, and riding instruction. While in Sotogrande, an upmarket residential area and a favourite haunt of Princes Harry and Andrew, polo is rivalling golf as a top sport, with big tournaments in the summer as well as year-round polo action at the Santa Maria Polo Club.

People who enjoy nature and wildlife will be impressed by Selwo Park, a large animal reserve featuring every type of creature, from monkeys and reptiles, to big cats and bears. Set out like a mini safari park, the animals enjoy relative freedom, while visitors can walk up through the huge exotic bird sanctuary and then take safe routes in safari-style trucks to view the other wild inhabitants.

Just inland from Marbella, you can spend a day at the Marbella Gun and Country Club, clay pigeon shooting into the unspoiled campo, quad biking or just relaxing by the pool soaking up the fabulous views.

Every sport imaginable, from waterskiing, jet-bikes, tennis, paddel, canoeing, lawn bowls and, of course, golf is available to residents and visitors of the Costa del Sol. With a collection of new courses making the tally around 40, between Málaga and Gibraltar, and several more in construction, there is no reason for golfers to get in a rut.

Food for the Soul

Shopping has become a new passion on the Costa del Sol - with Marbella being a focus for excellent stores. From the quaint leather and shoe shops of the Old Town, to the designer labels and yachts of Puerto Banús, all tastes are catered for. La Cañada the huge shopping centre on the by-pass to the east of Marbella, has been extended further to include many more High Street and designer names, and the new futuristic Marina Banús, opposite the high-class El Corte Inglés department store, forms another welcome extension to what Puerto Banús has to offer.

The ports are generally as much about eating out and social life as about boating. Puerto Banús is packed with eateries, from the cheap and cheerful to the extravagant seafood emporia, as well as trendy bars which attract locals and tourists in a nightly parade of fast cars, over-tanned flesh and for many, the dream that the holiday may never end. While the port at Benalmádena, with its eye-catching modern development of Moorish-style domes and minarets housing restaurants, bars and shops, has won the coveted ‘Best Marina in Europe’ title.

Those seeking culture will find solace from the Irish pubs and salsa bars at Málaga’s Teatro Cervantes, where you might catch anything from Zarzuela, the Spanish equivalent of operetta, to the Corrs, who played there recently, Fuengirola’s Salon Varieties, in which old pros produce amateur versions of classics such as My Fair Lady, or Marbella’s three year old theatre which houses first rate shows, such as the Russian ballet, or Spanish contemporary dancer Sara Barras, for whose show you could probably not acquire tickets over the counter in Madrid or Barcelona. Málaga and Marbella have their own film festivals attracting international starts such as Robert de Niro, Bo Derek and of course Málaga’s own Hollywood star, Antonio Banderas and wife, Melanie Griffith. Málaga also boasts the recently opened Picasso Museum, in homage to its other most famous son, Pablo Picasso. Housed in the birth place of the celebrated artist, this museum is a feast for lovers of contemporary art.

Consuming Passions

Eating out has never been so good on the Costa del Sol. Always the home of fine, fresh produce, the beach bars and tapas bars continue to yield a daily harvest of delicious goodies from spit-roasted sardines, gazpacho soup, tortilla and succulent fish cooked a la sal, under a bed of encrusted salt. Meanwhile the various nationalities that have taken up residence in the area have brought the Coast’s restaurants a unique flavour, superb Belgian chefs at ‘Zozoi’ in Marbella, authentic Italian’s with ‘Caruso’ in San Pedro de Alcántara, or Michelin-star excellence at the hand of German master chef Heinz Winkler at the ‘Lido Restaurant’ at Las Dunas Beach Hotel and Spa, Estepona. Even oriental cuisine has taken off with the excellent Thai Gallery at Puerto Banús, or for superb creative Spanish cuisine, try El Portalón on Marbella’s Golden Mile, or trek up to the spectacular town of Ronda, Hemingway’s haunt on the gorge of El Tajo, and try the unique creations of Tragabuches - another award-winning establishment.

Even the humble chiringuito or beach bar has taken a leap forward in recent years, with such sophisticated versions as the world-renowned Nikki Beach of St Barths, St Tropez and Miami fame, and also the Silks Beach Club - famous not just for fish but also for the many British sporting personalities and soap stars that dine there - or ‘Bora Bora’, a tropical paradise offering fine Mediterranean delights along with watersports. For the most spectacular Mediterranean buffets, you can’t beat the beach clubs of the Don Carlos Hotel or the Marbella Club, where your lobster will be served complete with views of pristine pools or the gentle lapping of the waves on the seashore.

Article kindly contributed by Louise Cook, Director of Media Machine International, Marbella, creative communications agency. Originally published in Spain Magazine 2002 and updated for HomeSalesontheWeb 2004.