Best Town in Costa del Sol...

Hi folks,

Friends are spending a week in Costa del Sol before a cruise. They would like a town that has shopping and lots of restaurants, but not "honky-tonk." The wife has some mobility issues, but does not use a wheelchair or walker.

Thanks in advance!

Ricki

First, they need to understand that, like most of the costas, del Sol is very much the playground and second home / retirement choice of northern Europeans. Even if they venture some distance inland they'll find little that is typically Spanish.

Very broadly, the further from Malaga (the major airport on this costa), the less honkey-tonk the surroundings. This is because the budget resorts are closest to the airport. So heading west, Torremolinos and Benalmadena are honkey-tonk, whereas much further west Sotogrande is exclusive. Probably Marbella would suit their needs - no longer the "in" place that it was a few decades ago, but ticks their boxes particularly for its ambiance, it's shops and it's restaurants.

Also convenient for exploring along the coast to Gibraltar, or beyond to the Moorish walled town of Tarifa on the Atlantic coast (Costa de la Luz) and from there a day-trip by fast-ferry to Tangier (Morocco). Or inland to Ronda and the "white villages" beyond.

The majority of foreigners west of Malaga are Brits and Scandinavians.

Heading east from Malaga the situation is similar, though far more of the foreigners are Germanic - Nerja is ( or at least was a few years ago) as far from Malaga as the fast and excellent divided highway goes - beyond Nerja is much less convenient and much less developed, convenient for travel to Granada but dosn't suit their requirements. Nerja itself is my favourite east of Malaga, but it's very crowded.

I think west of Malaga is where they should be looking rather than east, and in Marbella or perhaps San Pedro (de Alcantare) or Estepona.

English is very widely spoken throughout since it's the second language of most Spaniards and visitors and ex-pats from continental Europe. The only minor difficulty might be in bars and restaurants run by some nationals catering mainly for their kinfolk.

A car is ideal for exploration though there are plenty of day-trips by coach, including to all the places I've mentioned.

Without a car, they do need to be very careful about the exact location of their accommodation. Most self-catering apartments and villas are on "urbanisations" which will have local amenities, restaurants etc but might need taxis for the town centre. Hotels are much more likely to be in town centres.

You're likely to get a broader response by asking on TripAdvisor

JB :)

JB

Wow! JB, thank you for such a thorough response! It is enormously helpful!

I appreciate you taking the time..

Ricki

J.B. is right on the money! I would like to add a few comments. I am just back after two weeks to the east side of Malaga.

Malaga itself offers all that your friends need. Shopping, beaches, restaurants and good access. They could take a train to Cordoba or Ronda for the day, or even to Seville for an overnight. If they are over 60 they can get a 'Tarjeta Dorada' card which gives substantial discounts on the train. You can get the card at the train station on production of their passport.

Taxis are good value and easy to get in Malaga.

Marbella and San Pedro are expensive compared to the other towns - just a personal opinion.

J.B. is right on the money! I would like to add a few comments. I am just back after two weeks to the east side of Malaga.

 

Malaga itself offers all that your friends need. Shopping, beaches, restaurants and good access. They could take a train to Cordoba or Ronda for the day, or even to Seville for an overnight. If they are over 60 they can get a 'Tarjeta Dorada' card which gives substantial discounts on the train. You can get the card at the train station on production of their passport.

Taxis are good value and easy to get in Malaga.

 

Marbella and San Pedro are expensive compared to the other towns - just a personal opinion.

Thank you, VMax1700. Your suggestions are very helpful and I will pass them on to my friends.

Ricki