The Western Costa del Sol

The visit of the western half of the Costa del Sol is the most representative sector: between Torremolinos and Marbella the journey passes through a real display of tourist attractions near beaches and yacht clubs. However, the visit, which begins in Malaga, must not omit many less known places, often still unchanged despite their proximity to more cosmopolitan and sophisticated places. (Total length of the trip: 213km.)

Malaga is a city with an attractive personality consisting of the most refined essence of Mediterranean traditions. It is no competition for other Andalusian capitals as regards sights - such as Granada, Seville and Cordoba-, but it does have a valuable series of buildings from each of the different periods of its history. A walk through the old part shows the visitor the different features of this friendly city. Beginning with the two Muslim fortresses - the Alcazaba and the castle of the top of the hill of Gibralfaro- and the nearby Roman theatre, the visit continues with the Cathedral, an excellent example of renaissance and Baroque architecture. A stones throw away lies the Paseo del Parque and the 18C Alameda, which - together with El Marques de Larios St - are the centre of Malaga. The Parish Church of Sagrario, next to the Cathedral, and the Churches of El Cristo de la Salud, San Juan, Santiago, Los Martires and the Sanctuary of La Victoria, which has an interesting crypt, are the most outstanding buildings apart from the Episcopal Palace. El Pasaje de Chinitas, La Merced and La Constitucion squares are other key places in Malaga.

As far as Torremolinos - once a fishermen's area of the capital - a busy motorway is used. About 8km from Malaga the Parador del Golf on the seashore has one of the best courses on the Costa del Sol. Torremolinos (12km from Malaga) is very near. The enormous concentration of recent buildings surrounds the former hamlet of La Carihuela, once a small seaside village, which was to turn into the summer paradise called Torremolinos today. In la Carihuela it is still possible to taste the Pescadito (deep fried fish and the fino (a sherry) as in the past. Apart from that the discotheques, night clubs, restaurants and other places of leisure practically occupy the whole extension of the multifaceted tourist centre, which includes recreational activities and entertainment of every kind, from the most sophisticated to the most informal. The beaches of La Carihuela, El Bajondillo, Montemar and El Lido stretch as far as the mouth of the Guadalhorce.

Almost without noticing, the traveller enters Benalmadena-Costa, a kind of natural extension of Torremolinos. There, however, the visitor should go in search of the old part of Benalmadena inland, a whitewashed, friendly village on the slope of a 2km beach. A huge funfair provides entertainment of all kinds. Further along the road skirting the coast, Fuengirola (17km from Torremolinos) comes into view almost immediately. It stretches along a very long beach. From there a road leads to Mijas which is so picturesque that it has produced an excessive surge of excursions. A visit is nevertheless worthwhile. The setting is a prototype of rural Andalucia: the impeccably whitewashed little streets, the small squares perfectly suited to the village and the two modest Mudejar style churches. The observation platform in the upper part provides a magnificent view over a good part of the Malaga coast.

Back in Fuengirola, the road passes through housing developments and continues skirting the coast. On the left there is the old Castle of Sohail, built by Abd el-Rahman III in the 10C and rebuilt in the 18C. A little later the traveller reaches the boundary of Marbella (17km). High hedges isolating the villages and luxury housing developments appear on either side of the road. The town still preserves its Moorish layout and the small whitewashed faηades around a pleasant tree-lined square. The most outstanding sights of this important seaside and agricultural town are the walls of the medieval caste, the 16C Casa del Corregidor (town hall) on the main square, San Juan de Dios Hospital and the Parish Church of la encarnacion from the 16C, 17C and 18C, apart from the 16C Hermitages of Santo Cristo and Baroque El Calvario. A slow walk through Marbella and along its beaches is a must for every visitor. The babel of languages and the string of attraction along the way turn the town into one of the most cosmopolitan and colourful places on the Costa del Sol. On the way out of the town, there is a modern mosque built by a Saudi sheik, which is proof of the presence of really exclusive neighbours. From Marbella a good, though winding road leads into the Sierra Blanca as far as Ojen, a peaceful mountain village. The Parador lies 10km away from Ojen. It is the meeting point of hunting sportsmen in search of a rare species, the capra hispanica. A visit to Ojen should include the 16C/18C La Encarnacion church with a good Mudejar coffered ceiling.

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