| Besides the tried and tested destinations of Marbella, Fuengírola, Benalmadena and Torremolinos other areas such as Calahonda, Mijas Costa and Estepona are establishing a reputation for quality and style. Back to the main map Andalucia
The Mediterranean shore of Andalucia, from the Straits of Gibraltar to Almería, is known to holidaymakers, jet-setters and assorted hedonists, as the Costa del Sol. Marbella and Puerto Banus
Over the years, the coast has acquired other, less flattering monikers, reflecting a few years of decline in the 1980's, when unchecked development and bad press tarnished its image and turned the rich and famous away, at least for a while. During the last decade, wiser local administrations and a sleeker PR operation have engineered a renaissance of the Sunshine Coast. Gone is the alliance of dubious politicians, unscrupulous developers and imaginative accountants, responsible for the concrete aberrations once associated with the Costa. New developments are stylish, low-rise and designed to blend as unobtrusively as possible with the environment, using traditional materials and motifs taken from the vernacular architecture of Andalucia. Some of the old blots on the landscape remain, here and there, but are becoming less and less obtrusive as the time passes and a newly vibrant Costa del Sol comes into its own once again. Tourists and residents are coming back in droves and the beautiful people are busy again being beautiful, in their habitual haunts of Marbella and Puerto Banús. As new marinas are being built, a transient population of yachtsmen fills the sea-front bars from Malaga to Sotogrande. Golfers come too, in ever-larger numbers, to enjoy the longest golfing season outside California and some of the best courses in the world, like the renowned Valderrama at Sotogrande, host to the 1997 Ryder Cup. Malaga, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Nerja and Axarquia
Climate is the supreme asset of this region, with mild winters and hot summers, due to the protection afforded by the Sierras and the close proximity to Africa. Besides favouring the practice of outdoor sports, the region's pleasant weather attracts elderly visitors and temporary residents who, like migratory birds, fly every winter to Málaga and repopulate Torremolinos and Fuengirola, Benalmádena and Nerja. The stretch of the coast east of Málaga is less developed and maintains a more pronounced Spanish character, particularly in resorts like Nerja, which is surrounded by the impressive mountain scenery of the Axarquia. This wild inland region, where bandits still held sway up to the 1950's, is now beginning to shed its air of remoteness and to open its doors, cautiously, to outside visitors. The upgrading and replacement of the previously frustrating N340 coast road is almost complete, bringing journey times throughout the region down noticeably. There is also on-going, large-scale investment in water treatment and sewerage systems, hospitals, schools and leisure facilities, plus talk of a new theme park. - All in all, an area very much in the middle of a renaissance | |
