Costa del Sol Property
Andalusia is a large area extending across the south of the country incorporating the deserts of Almeria, the wetlands of Donana, the snowcapped peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the beaches of the Costa del Sol. The inland cities of Granada, Cordoba and Seville share a rich Moorish heritage.
There is of course more to Andalusia than just the Costa del Sol. The Costa de la Luz sits on the Atlantic side of the region and the Costa Tropical has sprung up as the coastal area of Granada province.
But it is the Costa del Sol that holds our attention. It may be one the most over-developed strips of coastline in the world, but thanks to 300 days of sunshine per year this area of Spain is home to many. It hosts the jet set sophistication of Marbella, and over 30 golf courses lying just inland. There are many resorts aimed at the mass tourist market, but some of the older developments, just south of Malaga, have a tired, well-worn look, with planners now facing the difficult task of renovation in this now seedy area.
The highlight of the area is unquestionably Marbella, a stylish resort with Puerto Banus its ostentatious marina. Expensive shops, restaurants and glittering nightlife reflect the wealth of its inhabitants and visitors. Close behind is the up and coming Sotogrande, an exclusive resort of luxury villas with a marina and golf course. Estepona is quieter, not so built up and not attached to the long concrete strip that unfortunately is a characteristic of this Costa. Nerja and Almunecar too are gleaming white modem towns, good examples of popular residential areas. Malaga is another fine city with a thriving port; its new shopping centre presenting an interesting blend of the old and the new.
There are other towns but it is best to give them a miss. A home to highrise holiday hotels, perhaps less brash than it was, and now run down, adequately describes Torremolinos and Fuengirola.
A few miles inland from the coast at Malaga a different Spain opens up. It is the Alpujarras with lots of greenery and many thousands of classical white houses covering the slopes of its rounded hills. Even small towns blend into the contours of the landscape. For a person looking for something different, and wishing to blend into the lifestyle of Andalusia , then this is the place to be. This is the land of thefinca, a country house surrounded by olive trees, possibly lacking in all mod cons, but well away from other humans. It is rural life... where time is not important.
Some Andalusians chose to live in former fortified hilltop towns now known as pueblos blancos (white towns) whitewashed in the Moorish tradition and today working agricultural towns. Ronda is the best known.
