Costa del Sol - Coast of the Sun

A trip to Malaga is not complete without a visit to the Costa del Sol.

Costa del Sol – literally, ‘Coast of the Sun’ is a stretch of beach, in the Malaga Province of Spain. The stretch of beach of about 150 km is touted as the heartbeat of Malaga linking a number of towns popular with the British, Germans, Scandinavians and French.

Benalmadena sits in the center of this very popular coast. The area's sunny climate is the main tourist attraction. This is where sun seekers head for in summer. It reportedly accounted for about 35% of Spain’s tourist income.

This is looking at the beach in one direction, from the road...

and, this is the view from the other direction.

It is not very obvious from the photos. But besides the hotels, and apartments, there are restaurants, cafes and gift shops. The scene is the same for as far as the eyes can see, and beyond.

On the beach, there are sunbeds and straw shade umbrellas for rent. Or, if you prefer to bring your own beach chairs, towels and mats, that’s fine too. You can set up your own spot on the beach. When you are hungry and don’t feel like walking too far, there are cafes and restaurants on the beach.

This is the seafront promenade.

One of the joys of visiting the Costa Del Sol is walking along the seafront promenade. It is a great place for a walk – any time of the day. The sight and smells made it a wonderful experience. Life here seems surreal, cut off from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

There are hotels and apartments, bars, cafes, restaurants and gift shops. When you are tired of walking, you can find a cafe or restaurant you like, have something to eat, or drink, sit and watch the world go by, or ogle at the numerous half naked bodies of all shapes and sizes on parade.

There is always the smell of Espetos in the air. These are skewed Sardines cooked over charcoal fire. It is a local speciality. Most, if not all restaurants on the beach have it on their menu. And, by the smells of it, they seem to be very popular.

Another smell that is in the air at the Costa is the strong smell of suntan lotion. The hot summer sun can be quite merciless, and if you are not careful, you will burn very quickly.

Cafes and restaurants on the beach promenade do brisk business.

More apartments and hotels along the promenade

A common sight on the promenade are hawkers – Africans hawking their wares – usually imitation goods like shoes, bags, wallets, football jerseys and caps, watches, sunglasses....

At the end is the Benalmadena Marina, or Puerto Marina Benalmadena which is "amongst the best in the world."

This is Castillo de Bil-Bil, or Castle of Bil-Bil – an iconic landmark on the Benalmadena Costa. Castle of Bil-Bil is not actually a castle per se. It is an Arab style construction which has a lot of Muslim inspiration, built in 1927 by a wealthy family. Now, it is basically a social and cultural center, a venue for exhibitions, concerts, conferences etc..

Tourists’ arrival on the Costa del Sol begin in May. Peak periods are from July to September, when it is the school holidays and European summer holidays. By the end of September, tourists will begin to dwindle when the Summer holidays end, and children go back to school. By then, it will also be too windy and cold to go into the water.

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