Welcome to the Costa del Sol. Coming up we have got some insight to Malaga, Marbella,
Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Nerja. Flights land in Malaga Airport and from here
you’ll be hiring a car or getting a transfer bus to your resort.
However, before setting off to the beach, we really think it’s worth spending a day
or two in the city.
Malaga is the place to go for culture and history, with famous sites such as Alcazaba
Fort and Malaga Cathedral spread across the city. Behind me is the Cathedral de Malaga
or Malaga Cathedral and it’s an awesome opportunity to just find out about Malaga’s
culture and history. It only costs 5 euros and I’d really recommend it; you’re not
going to be let down.
Last on our must-see list in Malaga is the Pablo Picasso Museum. It just seems to me
that if you’re in the home town of Pablo Picasso himself, one of the greatest artists
of the 20th century, it might just be worth a visit to check out some of his works.
First stop for us out of Malaga is Torremolinos. It’s everything you’d expect from a Spanish
beach resort; with a huge variety of beaches, hotels and activities. La Carihuela would
be our pick of the beaches for families with young children, as it’s a bit smaller with
lots of shade and there’s lots of restaurants right on the beach.
We found that many of the beaches in Torremolinos were huge and really wide open; none more
so than Los Alamos beach, up near the airport. It gets really huge and a little bit sparse,
which means that if you want to get away from the main crowds, you can just enjoy all of
this space.
We stayed at the popular 4-star Cervantes Hotel, which is just 500 metres from the beach.
The thing about this hotel is that it is a product of its time. It was built in the 70s;
the decor in the bedrooms in particular certainly reflects that, as does the wifi speed. It’s
clean, it’s quiet…there’s plenty of food, even if you don’t really know what
you want and it’s not actually that expensive.
Just 3km along the coast, Benalmadena is the next town along from Torremolinos. What we
really liked the most was the huge amount of activities you can do. Up first on our
list was to visit the Marina. So we’ve just been round Benalmadena Marina. It was so lovely,
lots of bars, restaurants. You’ve got all the different types of food you could want;
it’s easy, you can just take your time. And then you’ve got this side, which is
a bit more relaxed, if you want to get away from it all.
Next up, beaches! The beaches in Benalmadena are similar to those in Torremolinos. Expect
long stretches of sand with sun loungers, shops, restaurants and plenty of things to
do. Away from the beaches, the cable car takes you 771m to the peak of Mount Calamorro, where
you can look down on the whole of the Costa del Sol. Another reason to come to Benalmadena,
Mariposario House has hundreds of butterflies and is a great place to take the family to
learn all about their lifecycle and environments.
While in Benalmadena, we stayed at the super popular Holiday Palace Resort Hotel. We’re
here at the Holiday Palace in Benalmadena. It overlooks the sea and you’ve got the
gorgeous mountains right behind you but you’d never really need to leave this hotel because
everything is here on hand. There’s a huge pool, mini golf, garden, kids play area, activities
every day, shops and more. The rooms are huge and ours had mini kitchens and balconies.
The only real downside for us was that the wifi was slow and really expensive.
Further west along the coast are Marbella and Puerto Banus. These resorts are where
the rich and famous come to holiday, so it’s pricey down here, but you’ll find some of
the Costa del Sol’s nicest beaches, clubs and hotels. Marbella has 17 miles of coastline,
split into 24 different beaches, the most renowned of which is the 4-mile stretch famously
referred to as the Golden Mile. Another thing to bear in mind if you plan to visit Marbella
or Puerto Banus are the high prices. Food can be especially costly. For four of us to
have 1 dish and a couple of soft drinks each, it came to 80 euros. It’s a pricey one here
in Puerto Banus! But if you’re coming here, that’s what you need to expect.
With that said, the shopping in Puerto Banus is not to be missed. The streets around the
harbour are where you’ll want to go for designer brands and big names. For something
a bit more authentic, head into Marbella’s Old Town. What’s cute about this place is
that it’s still very traditional, you’ve got all these cute little shops, balconies
coming out into the square, locals enjoying afternoon/late lunches and tiny winding streets.
Which is surprising when you have the big money and the commercial scene out on the
seafront. It’s quite a nice little find.
We stayed at the Melia Marbella Banus, which is typical of the more high-end hotels you’ll
find here. It’s really expensive but you do get what you paid for, as it’s a resort
hotel in every sense of the word. The food was excellent, there are multiple pools, tennis
courts, a kids’ play area, high-speed wifi that’s actually high-speed and they offer
tonnes of excursions and lots more. The great thing about this hotel too is that it backs
right out onto the beach, which gets a big thumbs up from us.
Nerja is the last stop on our guide to the Costa del Sol. About an hour’s drive east
of Malaga, Nerja is where to come to get away from the tourist resorts and discover the
secrets of the Andalusian countryside. The Balcon de Europa is one of the most popular
tourist sites in Nerja. It’s a viewpoint that gives you some magnificent views of the
coastline.
Hiking is a popular activity on this part of the Costa del Sol and for the authentic
and safest experience, we recommend hiring a local guide. We took a tour with John Keo’s
guided walking tours and it was worth every penny. He took us through secret paths, through
canyons and along streams, and showed us sights that we’d never have seen without him, including
some traditional goat-herding.
As well as hiking, we delved deep into the caves and explored mountain-side villages.
Of course there are beaches here too; our favourite was Burriana Beach, which had a
nice mix of tourist-y convenience, while not being too crowded.
That’s the entirety of the Costa del Sol. Click subscribe and keep watching. Bye!!