The spring and summer season at the Costa del Sol is punctuated by the various festivities that take place in the more traditional neighbourhoods. The final summer fair, or feria, takes place on 19th October and marks four days of celebrations in San Pedro de Alcántara, located just a 10 minutes’ drive from Marbella.

San Pedro is a well-to-do neighbourhood that is very traditional and usually peaceful, but on the penultimate day of the feria, bullfighters turn the normally tranquil town into an arena celebrating ancient Iberian traditions and customs. While elsewhere in Spain the slain beasts are turned into food for charitable organisations, here in San Pedro the unfortunate creatures are burned on bonfires in a ritual that goes back thousands of years.

The nearest airports are Malaga and Gibraltar, both just an hour’s drive away, and for those fortunate people who own property along San Pedro’s new promenade, there’s plenty to do and see all year round. Just like the rest of the Costa del Sol, the little town enjoys at least 300 days of sunshine per year, but unlike other Costa del Sol resorts, San Pedro de Alcántara’s residents don’t have to put up with hordes of noisy, drunk tourists. The area is mainly residential and attracts more affluent visitors than the average package-holidaymaker.
 
Equally more upmarket and an interesting place to visit is the nearby town of Estepona. It’s a good place to search for real estate. Where San Pedro’s luxury beachfront apartments attract asking prices from EUR 900,000 upwards, in Estepona prices are far more modest and for around EUR 350,000 one can buy a nicely appointed, new 2-bed, 2-bath apartment.
 
Estepona old town is quite charming, offering two lovely plazas where one can relax and sip a refreshing drink or explore the cobbled alleyways and hidden courtyards on foot. Also worth a visit is Estepona’s traditional fish market, but it’s only for early risers: if you’re not there at 6.00am to buy your fish, you might as well go home, for at 7.00am there’s no fish left worth buying at this traditional auction.

Estepona’s bullfighting season starts early in the year in May and its highlight is the feria held at the start of July. The Fiesta y Feria lasts for a whole week and is a highlight in local residents’ calendar. Dressed in flamenco-style, traditional festive gear, they enjoy dancing to the music of whatever street musicians are at hand, munch grilled sardines on a stick and transform Estepona from a gentile modern beach resort back to the traditional fishing port it once was.

Real estate is varied, both in style and price. It is not uncommon to find second-hand property for less than EUR 100,000 at the moment. A good sized studio makes for an excellent starter holiday home for a young couple, but for families with children there are plenty of affordable town houses and small villas around. While prime property in Marbella and its satellite resorts is becoming quite scarce, the medium price range offers still plenty of choice.
 
If you’re looking for decent sized property costing less than EUR 1 million, you’re better off heading to Estepona or eastern parts of Marbella such as Elviria than looking in the city centre’s prestigious locations. Marbella Old Town, the Sierra Blanca urbanisation or the Golden Mile may have the occasional bargain to offer, but these are typically very small properties that wouldn’t do for longer periods of occupancy, should you wish to let out your home to holidaymakers for part of the year or live in the apartment or studio yourself.

Admittedly, much of Costa del Sol is conducted out of doors, the traditional Spanish way, but this means having an outdoor space like a sun terrace, patio or garden – and few properties for EUR 100,000 or less offer such a simple, but essential luxury.
 
Head out to Elviria in the east of Marbella, where you’ll find plenty of choice for around EUR 250,000 to EUR 450,000. The area offers well proportioned, modern 2-bed apartments with terraces, balconies, patios and communal gardens and swimming pools.