More Choice than a Pick n’ Mix

The Costa del Sol is still one of Europe’s best loved holiday destinations. Many tourists fall in love with places like Estepona, Marbella or Fuengirola and decide to call it a permanent or semi-permanent home after their second or third visit.
 
There is more choice for property buyers than in a traditional pick n’ mix: property buyers will find whatever they can afford, from EUR 66,000 2-bed apartments to multi-million euro mansions, the Malaga province has it all.

Estepona is a good place to start your search if funds are limited. Here you can find a 2-bed, 2-bath apartments with around 90 sqm floor space for around EUR 66k.
 
Las Joyas is a small apartment complex within the golfing community of Estepona, a short 15 minute drive from glamorous Puerto Banus and a mere 30 minute drive from Marbella, where you can enjoy shopping to your heart’s content, join a vibrant nightlife or indulge in cultural sophistication in galleries, theatres or hurl yourself headlong into family fun at various theme- and water parks just outside the city.

If you’ve got more money to spare and are looking for a real family holiday home, Benalmadena, also in the Malaga province, offers great value for money. Here you can purchase a 3-bed, 2-bath detached villa set in its own 607 sqm plot for around EUR 252K. Torremar is an urbanisation near golf courses, just a 10 minute drive from shops and other amenities. Boasting a private pool and terrace, older style resale villas like this 1976 villa make good rental properties, too.

At the other end of the pick n’ mix scale there are deluxe sweeties like the EUR 7m mansion Belmont Drive in Marbella. Boasting 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a wine cellar, swimming pool, tennis court, gym and its own 7,280 sqm plot, the mansion has gorgeous sea and mountain views and sits in a quiet, prestigious neighbourhood of Marbella.

Certainly a bargain compared to the refined luxury of Belmont Drive, the EUR 4.5m you pay for a huge 9-bed villa overlooking residential Marbella will give you a stylish home with an elevated 4,300 sqm plot and its own detached 3-bed guest home. Landscaped gardens, staff accommodation, private pool, wine cellar and garage space for four cars complete the picture. The villa also commands sea and mountain views and is located a short drive from the beach and Marbella city centre.

Investors with “real money” will be looking for top of the range prime property. If your sweet tooth can be satisfied with an 8-bed, 8-bath beach mansion costing EUR 18m and sitting pretty in Puerto Banus, this luxury property is for you. Boasting an indoor swimming pool on the lower floor, the mansion also has its own bar and discotheque area and a dining room that can accommodate up to 20 guests at a time. If one of your guests happens to be Elton John, he might be persuaded to give your baby-grand in the salon a friendly try.

Marbella offers so many distinctly different neighbourhoods it is easy to see why so many foreign buyers aspire to own a property here. From the quiet gentility that is El Madronal in Benahavis to the ostentatious beachfront properties at Puerto Banus and the Golden Mile, from the super-rich residences of La Zagaleta to the cheerful homes in Elviria in the east, Marbella offers an amazing choice of property styles, plot sizes and design.
 
For families with children there are wonderful amenities and attractions right on their doorstep: up in the Estepona hills the Selwo Adventure Park with its huge animal enclosures, shows and petting farms offers small explorers the chance to go on “safari”, where you can travel off-road in an open-top lorry past snoozing lions, grumpy hippos and perhaps not quite so cuddly bears.

Over in Fuengirola parents and children alike can enjoy the educational aspect of the Fuengirola Bio Park project. A new style zoo dedicated to the preservation and conservation of natural species, the bio park is informative and fun and makes for a great day out.