Guide to the Costa del Sol

Introduction

Spain’s Costa del Sol represents everything that is good and bad about the overseas property market. The most famous of the Costas, comprising over 75km of Andalucian coastline, has the weather, the beaches, the glamour, the golf, and some of the most amazing properties you will ever see. At the same time, some people find it gaudy, brash and overcrowded, and there is little doubt it hasn’t helped its reputation for slightly dodgy-dealing with the recent planning permission scandal, which went right to the top of Marbella town hall.

If you are able to see beyond this, you will find there are charming villages, exciting nightlife, and a real Spanish character surviving beside the neon signs and hordes of tourists.

While you can no longer find an apartment overlooking the beach for the price of a family car, there are still well-priced properties to be found, provided you know where to look, and are patient.

The region

Marbella – The centre of the social and property scene in the area, Marbella is rich, flashy, exciting and one of the most beautiful towns on the Mediterranean, and it is on this model that many of the other towns on Costa del Sol have built up. You have to pay for the privilege though, but are rewarded with some of the best bars, restaurants and shopping in Spain.

Málaga – The regional capital and home to the international airport, Malaga also has a relaxed atmosphere and a wide, sweeping bay that has seen the city gain favourable comparisons to Naples.

Along the coast are the towns of Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Puerto Banús, Estepona, Sotogrande and Nerja – all of which share some of the characteristics of the major conurbations around them, and a good proportion of property for the British market.

A few minutes inland you will find the smaller and more authentic mountain villages and what are known as the ‘white’ villages (pueblos blancos), with narrow, winding cobbled streets and traditional houses.

Climate

This is one of the warmest parts of Spain, while often maintaining a slight cooling sea breeze. Annual average temperatures are around 24 deg C, while during the summer temperatures in the high 30s are common. The temperature rarely drops below 10 deg C, even in the winter evenings, and there are typically over 320 days of sunshine per year.

Getting there

The number of flights landing from the UK at Málaga airport seems to be constantly increasing, though with increased competition and more slots, prices are still reasonable. Flight time from London is a little over two hours. There is also the option of flying to Gibraltar, almost equidistant to Marbella from Málaga, though the flights tend to be more expensive.

Getting around by car is simple, with the coastal toll motorway giving easy access to the seafront and hill towns, while the main road through the towns can be somewhat congested, particularly in high season.

Property

The nature of the Costa del Sol as one of the original and most popular destinations for overseas property buyers means that there is an unmatched diversity of property types available. From small holiday apartments in large-scale high-rise developments on the coast, to townhouses out in the ‘pueblos blancos’, and huge plots for self-build villas on exclusive gated golf clubs, there is something for everyone.

With the extravagant building that went on in the early part of the 21st Century, space for more new-build developments is limited. There are still a number of these projects under construction, from which some of the off-plan buyers will be looking to make a profit upon completion.

As prices have risen sharply in recent years, and the Costa del Sol has seen itself somewhat overtaken for the attentions of investor buyers by the so-called ‘emerging markets’, the property market in this part of Spain is beginning to mature. While this means the price rises and increases in the values of property will be somewhat slower in years to come, it should lead to increased stability in the market, with more buyers looking to find property to visit regularly, or to move permanently.

Property in Marbella itself is still highly sought-after, and prices reflect that – a two-bedroom apartment will likely cost over £200,000. Consequently, new developments in the town itself tend toward the luxury end of the market, and there is a far larger selection of apartment properties in the towns of Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola.

Between the two ends of the scale can be found towns like Puerto de la Duquesa, Estepona and Mijas. Not as glitzy as Marbella, but they still attract plenty of people with good nightlife, great shops and restaurants. Property in these towns is popular, but has the variety of larger developments as well as narrow streets and whitewashed townhouses.

Into the mountains, and towns such as Ojén, Coín and Alhaurín are somewhat more traditionally-Spanish, and are attracting more British buyers seeking to integrate into the local communities.

It is worth mentioning here that the recent scandal involving the fraudulent granting of planning permission by local officials has led to some of the developments currently under construction being halted. In addition, some developments which have already been built and occupied could be under threat of demolition. The replacement regional government has pledged to try to resolve the majority of issues through the granting of retrospective (legitimate) planning permission.

Local life

Though there is an inevitable profusion of English restaurants all along Costa del Sol – it seems it is easier to get an English breakfast here than it is in London – there is also great influence from local culture and traditions in evidence. Not only are there a profusion of seafood restaurants, but the Spanish festivals are observed and celebrated.

The stereotypical view is that the British residents are entirely insular and spend no time integrating with the local population. While this is true to a certain extent, there is far more interaction than generally assumed.

Conclusion

Many people will dismiss the Costa del Sol as an over-developed nightmare vision of high-rise blocks and gauche Brits. This part of Spain isn’t for everyone, but it would be a mistake to dismiss it completely. Marbella remains a jewel of the Mediterranean, and well worth exploring for resale property.

There is also plenty of greenery along the coast – as much as the planning authorities may have been taking huge cash payments to approve developments illegally, these tracts of undeveloped land are closely-protected.