Cheap package holidays have created an image of the Costa del Sol as a down-market tourist destination, offering mass produced beach holidays – "sun, sand, sangria and sex". Some resorts, especially to the west of Malaga, certainly deserve this description, but head for the city of Malaga itself, or further east into Axarquia and the Province of Granada, and you'll gain an entirely different view of Southern Spain.
Malaga is an elegant city whose splendid buildings and gardens bear witness to its turbulent two Millenia of history. Beyond lie wild mountains divided by deep valleys and rushing mountain streams, charming hill villages clinging to rocky slopes terraced with olive groves, avocados, almonds and vineyards, delightfully welcoming wayside bars serving home cooked tapas, ancient churches and castles, and a spectacular coastline of rocky bays and hidden beaches where the traditional brightly coloured fishing boats still land their catch.
To all this, add 300 days of sunshine a year, and an average of six hours sun a day in winter, cheap flights into Malaga from most European airports, short journey times, and plentiful hotels, villas and holiday rental accommodation, and the Costa del Sol, region is hard to beat as an easily accessible vacation destination for the discerning traveller prepared to explore beyond the popular mass resorts.
Where to Stay on the Costa del Sol
There is a huge range of options in choosing a base for a Costa holiday with a difference. However, they can be grouped in 4 main areas, all with distinctly different characters and scenery:
The Western Costa del Sol. The coastal strip between Torremolinos and Gibraltar, once a delightful string of fishing villages, is now the most heavily developed area, and the one most affected by tourism. Many of the coastal towns focus on cheap holidays for the mass market, although some, most notably Marbella, still attract the rich and famous. These resorts to the west of Malaga offer the full spectrum of beach holidays from the cheap and cheerful to pampered luxury, but head eastwards to find a different Spain of romantic history and culture.
Malaga
Just 15 minutes bus ride from the airport, which most of Costa del Sol that visitors see of Malaga, lies a bustling city combining a rich and varied history, a vibrant cultural life, splendid architecture, a wealth of street cafés, restaurants, bars, old markets and stylish modern shops. It also has a splendid selection of parks and gardens and good beaches with enticing beach seafood restaurants or merenderos. There's plenty of good value holiday accommodation, offering a base for exploring the city itself or the coastline and mountainous interior to the east.
More about Malaga city.
The Eastern Costa del Sol
Between Malaga and Rincon de Victoria the coast is still quite heavily developed but beyond here, building thins out and the coast becomes steadily more interesting. Here you'll find a variety of coastal resorts such as Torre del Mar and Torrox Costa. While popular with both Spanish and foreign visitors, these are less developed and more "Spanish" than those west of Malaga, and sit against a backdrop of unspoiled farmland and mountains. The gem of this coast is Nerja, where mountains of the Sierra de Almijara sweep down to the sea, creating a chain of delightful sandy, rock girt bays. Nerja itself retains much of its old character and charm as a fishing and farming village, but offers a wide range of hotels, restaurants, bars and shops from the sophisticated to the simple and "tipico".
More about Nerja.
The Mountain Villages of Axarquia
Behind the coast of the eastern Costa del Sol lies a spectacular landscape of rich farmland and wild, soaring mountain peaks. Closest to Malaga are the Montes de Malaga, and further to the east, in Axarquia the huge unspoiled natural park of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama. Both areas offer wonderful walking or horseback riding, and clinging precariously to the slopes of the mountains are a series of delightful villages, the traditional white pueblos such as Frigiliana and Salares, where heavily laden mules clatter up the cobbled streets, oxen plough the nearby olive groves and vineyards, and simple village bars offer shade, a refreshing drink and home-cooked local dishes or tapas to the traveller.
Holiday Activities in Eastern Malaga
Beyond sightseeing or simply enjoying the climate and stunning landscape, there's plenty to occupy the more energetic holiday visitor. As well as golf courses, marinas and mountain walking, you'll find facilities for sailing, water skiing and paragliding, for organised walking or painting holidays, festivals of local music and dance, guided tours of castles, cathedrals, museums and churches, and a host of other activities - as well as a lively nightlife in the main resort towns.
More about walking in Axarquia.
Tony Allen - In 2004 I began my "fourth career" as a freelance writer. In my first career, after training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, I ...
