about

The Costa del Sol four times used to refer to the whole stretch of coast from Almeria to Cadiz, but nowadays it applies to the short strip inside the province of Malaga. Tourism started to take off there in the course of the lare fifties when Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe built the Marbella Club. This high quality holiday resort soon started to attract plenty of famous guests like Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, and the Duke of Windsor. About the same time the Malagas first true luxury hotel, the Pez Espada, opened in what was then the small fishing town of Torremolinos. More tourist hotels were soon added within the next few years and the Costa del Sol then became famous as a popular tourist location.

The region suffered a small decline in the eighties, so the local councils invested plenty of cash to bring things back up to scratch. New yacht marinas, seafront esplanades and golf clubs were built, while the beaches were tidied up and improved.

The quaint resort town of Nerja, famous for its Balcon de Europa viewpoint and coves, lies just 30 miles east of Malaga. close to the town are the Nerja caves, that were discovered in the fifties and now one of the top Costa del Sol attractions.

The 3 neighbouring towns of Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola are located just to the west of Malaga. Torremolinos is famed for the wild nightclubs, while Benalmadena has a stunning marina and visitor attractions like Tivoli World. The more quiet resort town of Fuengirola even has a small animal zoo, and four miles of fine beaches, and a water park.

Further west, just up the coast from Fuengirola is the renowned resort of Marbella with its closeby yacht marina of Puerto Banus. in the midst of Marbella is the elderly quarter of white villas and beautiful squares called the Casco Antiguo. As well as its beach, the town is also famous for its choice of up market fashion boutiques and quality restaurants. Closeby Puerto Banus is a contemporary boat marina with luxury yachts, bars and shops.

A few minutes drive from Fuengirola, in the foothills of the mountains, is the quaint town of Mijas Pueblo, which is sometimes swamped with visitors, but has some notable attractions including a folk museum and an odd square bullring. The vistas over the coast are impressive .

Malaga is the largest city and the main international gateway to the area. plenty of of the budget airlines have flights to Malaga Airport, like EasyJet, Ryanair and Monarch. there is and a coastal rail line between there and the towns of Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola.

The pleasant town of Estepona, which still has much of its original italian character, is located further west of Marbella. The resort has several lovely attractions, like the church on Plaza del Reloj, and a wide golden sand beach and fishing harbour.