More about Costa del Sol

Costa del Sol, or the Sunny Coast, is a 150 kilometer stretch of coast found in the autonomous community of Andalusia in the southern region of Spain. It comprises of the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province and the periphery of the Cadiz province. It is made up of the city of Málaga, and the towns of Marbella, Benalmádena, Mijas, Torremolinos, Fuengirola, and Puerto Banús, Estepona, San Pedro de Alcántara, Nerja, Vélez-Málaga, Torrox, and San Luis de Sabinillas, as well as the communities of San Roque, Sotogrande, and La Línea de la Concepción.

Formally composed of a series of quiet fishing settlements, Costa del Sol was discovered and radically transformed to meet the demands of international tourism in the 1950’s. It is now one of Spain’s most prominent and world-renowned tourist destinations, characterized by a highly urbanized agglomeration of low-rise white-washed villas and high-rise apartment blocks which are concentrated in the resorts that run along the entire stretch of the coastline.

Its main attractions are undoubtedly the coast’s numerous beaches, where in, one could enjoy a variety of water sport activities, such as boating and yachting, fishing, kite and wind surfing, snorkeling, diving, surfing, and water skiing, all-year round. Adventure sports and outdoor activities, such as ballooning, camping, hiking, hunting, bird watching, and horseback riding, are also favorite activities in Costa del Sol.

In recent years, Costa del Sol has been known and frequented by golf enthusiasts due to its numerous world-class golf courses, many of which are concentrated in and around Marbella. It is a town reputed as Costa del Sol’s playground for its super rich and famous visitors. Facilities for other sports are also found in Costa del Sol, of which includes tennis, football, paddle, bossaball, and polo.

Costa del Sol, as a well-established tourist destination, offers more than facilities and venues for recreational activities. Amenities for leisure activities are also found in abundance in Costa del Sol. These include a plethora of top quality cosmetic and beauty clinics and spas, lively nightclubs, superb local and international restaurants, and shopping outlets for various products, ranging from high fashion goods to souvenir items.

Aside from its leisure and recreational attractions, Costa del Sol also boasts cultural, historical, and stunning natural attractions that are often located within the several towns and villages that compose it. The most famous and wealthiest of all these towns is Marbella. Apart from being an important beach resort for the extremely wealthy tourists from Northern Europe, Marbella is also home to a number of historical landmarks and monuments. First of these are the Murallas del Castillo, which are ancient castle walls that are reminiscent of the town’s Arab heritage. Another important structure in Marbella are the Basilica Vega del Mar and the Iglesia Mayor de la Encarnación, which houses many local religious treasures. The latter is the oldest church established in the city. The Villa Romana de Rio Verde, on the other hand, is a truly ancient landmark which showcases Roman remains that dates as far back to 2,000 years. And as Marbella was once under Roman rule, remains of Roman baths can be found in Marbella, such as those located in Las Bóvedas. Other notable landmarks found in Marbella include a Bonsai museum, Museo del Grabado Contemporáneo, Puerto Banús which is a marina built by José Banús and frequented by the most rich and famous visitors, the Golden Mile which encompasses the Marbella Club Hotel and its beach club, and the late King Fahad's palace.

Due to its many attractions, Costa del Sol is one of the first locations in Spain that had benefited from the first wave of boom of the Costa del Sol property market. The peak of this property boom came during the late 1980’s where most property investors were making considerable profits from their property portfolios. During its heyday, villas and apartments, located in or near the most popular coastal strips, appreciate in their value in less than five years. Undoubtedly, the 1970’s and the 1980’s were the most profitable years for both the property developers and investors.

By the beginning of the 1990’s, the ludicrous property prices of the 1980’s began to slow down. II It was followed by a feverish rush to snap up Spanish properties in the lead-up to the Introduction of the Euro in January 2002.

With the current slow down in the overall Spanish property market, analysts had predicted an impending crash and the bursting of the property bubble, wherein the effects would be most devastating in areas whose house prices have raised far too quickly, as with Costa del sol.

Despite such gloomy predictions, the property market has crashed, but rather experienced a marked slow down in its property prices since 2004. The slow down was rather inevitable due to several factors, of which includes the unchecked construction of new developments, hence creating an oversupply. The dismal prediction of a “bubble” burst created many speculations and deterred many from investing. In addition, new property markets were emerging in Eastern Europe, which offers less expensive holiday homes at prices that were not seen in Spain since the 1970‘s.

Yet in spite of the halt in the local property market, Costa del Sol will not all-together lose its list of interested buyers and investors. Its year-round sun, unrivaled leisure and recreational facilities, and its excellent transport links, Costa del Sol will always be a most sought-after location for property purchases. Gone are the buyers who are seeking for a quick capital gain of his three or four property investments. What are left are second-home buyers and retirees who are truly attracted to living in one of Spain’s most prestigious resort areas. In addition, profits could still be made from properties in Costa del Sol, especially for those cautious investors who seek the right kind of property in the right location.

Costa del Sol can be divided into two divisions, with each one a bit distinct from the other. One of these is called the Western Costa del Sol, which is the 100 kilometer section of coastline that begins in the city of Malaga and stretches westward all the way to the border of Cádiz province. Part of this coast is highly developed, in terms of both property and infrastructure. The property market on this side of the coast has proven to be extremely popular and a profitable location to invest, wherein it often offers a significant yield in investment. The towns located in the Western Costa del Sol are Benahavís, Estepona, Casares, Duquesa, Alcaidesa, Manilva, Punta de la Chullera, Sotogrande, and Algeciras,

The Eastern Costa del Sol, on the other hand, is the 54 kilometer stretch of this coast, where in, it begins from the east of Malaga City. Although it is highly developed from a property point of view, it is nothing like the developments found on the Western end of the coast. Its urban landscape is surrounded by plots of land used for traditional agriculture. Its most well-known town is Nerja, which is the area’s most important urban center and accommodates much of Eastern Costa del Sol’s international tourists. The towns composing the eastern end of Costa del Sol includes Nerja, Axarquía, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Benalmadena Pueblo, Fuengirola, Mijas Costa & Pueblo, La Cala de Mijas, Riviera del sol, and Calahonda.

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