Property in Malaga province advice please

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solar7
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Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby solar7 » Fri Oct 04, 2019 9:05 am

Hello
I would love to hear the feedback from any folks living in the Malaga area. I am considering purchasing a property in the Malaga area that will be used 3-4 months of the year by me, friends and family. The remaining months it will be a holiday rental, which is a factor is location. I do not want to be in the main city centre and it would be far too expensive.
Type of accommodation is flexible, probably an apartment or town house up to 250,00 Euros. It must be within 15-20 minutes walk to the beach as I go swimming daily and this will also help with the holiday rentals, a nice beach with some facilities. A quiet neighbourhood and not to lively with late night party crowds, I would not want to be somewhere for the clubbers market.
Some shops, cafes ect within walking distance. Bus or train links within 15-20 minutes walk for getting back into the city and no more than 1 hour back into the city using public transport.

Would you say go east, go west from the city? Which areas/neighbourhoods to focus on or avoid..... what feedback can you give me please? I am staying for 10 days in a few weeks and your feedback will help focus time. Places I have thought might work for me, what do you think?

mijas costa (Miraflores)
Calahonda
La Cala de Mijas
Benalmadena Costa
Benalmádena puebl
Arroyo de Miel
Torremuelle
Riviera del Sol - Mijas Costa

many thanks
Neil

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gerryh
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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby gerryh » Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:12 am

All the places you list are West of Malaga.
Properties, generally speaking, are cheaper/ better value for money East of Malaga.
I am biased, but I would say East of Malaga is quieter and more pleasant than West of Malaga.
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Gerry
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costakid
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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby costakid » Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:52 am

As Gerry said all of those are west of Malaga and a few are real part zones depending how far from town you are. I am also biased towards east of Malaga but in my opinion east is real Spain and west is holiday homes and partying. Not all of it is but a big part of west is.
Look between east of Malaga and Torre del Mar. Still easy to get to the airport and much cheaper. I am on the coast cost is a euro 1.10 into malaga city and 1.80 on the train to the airport

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby elusive » Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:10 pm

The west is awash with holiday lets. If income is important than unless its special its a small fish in a big pond.

To me the only half decent areas are benal pueblo, la cala and arroyo. Miralflores and a few others you name are to me just urbanisations stuck on the side of a busy road. If you just want a holoday home in such a place them those are ok but they arent real towns etc

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costakid
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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby costakid » Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:30 pm

We were on miraflores over 20 years ago before we moved east. No comparison really, as said already urbanisations a bit soulless and most the wrong side of the N340 for the beach. You also need a car whereas in a town or village you have everything. La Cala Mijas is very busy, got everything but a bit like being in the UK when you go in a bar or restaurant. The plus of that is you will not need to speak any Spanish.

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby katy » Fri Oct 04, 2019 5:16 pm

elusive wrote:The west is awash with holiday lets. If income is important than unless its special its a small fish in a big pond.

To me the only half decent areas are benal pueblo, la cala and arroyo. Miralflores and a few others you name are to me just urbanisations stuck on the side of a busy road. If you just want a holoday home in such a place them those are ok but they arent real towns etc
Agree. Rentals in La Cala do well throughout the year. May not be the "real Spain" whatever that is but still has a significant Spanish population plus a Town Hall that is expat friendly. No need of a car and everything within walking distance of a really good beach.
As with other areas avoid the wrong side of the A7 called La Cala hills, dead in winter.

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby Benal Pirate » Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:34 pm

Hi ... I have a holiday home in Benalmadena Costa, so biased on a West vote. Less than 10 min stroll to beach, 5 mins to bus stops, 15 mins to train station. The train line along the coast from Malaga to Fuengirola with a station at the airport is a big plus. With your budget you're sure able to afford a nice place in the province, east or west of the city.

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby elusive » Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:07 pm

Agree thats certainly one thing it has over the east. We have friends over winter in benal near paloma for the ease of connections. The park is lovely and arroyo is quite nice although busy. im a fan of the pueblo

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby Benal Pirate » Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:57 pm

Yes, Paloma Park is a gem, and the pueblo has quite a different vibe to the costa but too far from the beach for me!

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby Miro » Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:29 am

I wonder why Torremolinos is always overlooked? Nearest "resort" to the airport / Málaga city with easy train, bus & motorway access, decent town centre, recently pedestrianised, with plenty of restaurants, cafes, bars & shops etc., new major shopping / leisure complex coming soon (maybe!), long stretches of beach (Los Alamos, Playamar, Bajondillo, La Carihuela) so never too crowded even in the summer months...
Worth at least a look, surely?
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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby solar7 » Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:34 pm

Many thanks! This has been really helpful.
I like the idea of going east and what living experience that can bring. I have been searching for properties around this location: La Playa Escuela de Español (la cala del moral area) within 1km max north or a couple of km east or west of the same location. Ideally I would like to be no more that 10km from the city centre and always within 20mins walk to the beach. Please keep suggestions coming, the east ideas are very useful to me.

Re: ‘im a fan of the pueblo’ what is this place?

Also ‘arroyo’ where is this location? Is it ‘Arroyo de Miel’ just north of Benalmadena Costa?

It seems these 3 are all very close to one another is that correct? Benalmadena Costa, Benalmádena pueblo, Arroyo de Miel
Realistically for those 3 areas using public transport how long during the daytime does a journey take into the city centre?

‘Paloma Park’ it seems to be only a few minutes’ walk to the beach?

‘Torremolinos’ are there particular parts of it that won’t have quiet so much of the party crowds?

Are all of these areas good for public transport into the city centre, under 40mins each way? Or any of them a bit longer or more problematic?
mijas costa (Miraflores)
Calahonda
La Cala de Mijas
Torremuelle
Riviera del Sol - Mijas Costa

Thanks so much!!

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby costakid » Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:20 pm

Benalmadena costa is obviously coast, slightly inland is Arroya which is only just up from the coast then the Pueblo which is a drive up from the coast but a walk down is doable.

The language school at La Cala Del Moral is very good. classes or 1 on 1. 10kms from Malaga east is Rincon. You could look at at Benalgabon or Benajarafe if you don’t mind being slightly further out. The bus to Malaga stops at all of these village.

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby Benal Pirate » Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:30 pm

Hi Solar

Re: ‘im a fan of the pueblo’ what is this place? - It is village uphill from the coast - I'm sure would suit you but too far away for your beach requirement.

Also ‘arroyo’ where is this location? Is it ‘Arroyo de Miel’ just north of Benalmadena Costa? -Yes it is.

Paloma Park’ it seems to be only a few minutes’ walk to the beach? must be less than 200 yds from bottom of park to beach

As Miro suggests consider Torremolinos - I don't think it's any livelier than Benalmadena and generally less hilly!

@ Miro - I love Torremolinos and when over there walk there (and back) every other day and possibly more in the cooler months. In terms of property purchasing (at least when I was buying) there seemed to be very little available and consequently pricier than the area from Benal to Fuengirola

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costakid
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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby costakid » Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:53 am

As Miro suggests consider Torremolinos - I don't think it's any livelier than Benalmadena and generally less hilly!

Really, have you ever walked from the centre down those steps to the beach in the summer. The only plus with walking down those steps is there are several bars on the way for a swift half.

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby Miro » Tue Oct 08, 2019 6:14 pm

Torremolinos these days attracts mostly Spanish holidaymakers and as such has a more Spanish feel to it; I dislike the term "Real Spain", but for want of a better term.... :wink: You'll probably find that Benalmádena (Costa) is much more of a typical bucket & spade holiday resort for foreigners (not that there's anything wrong with that!), and the "party crowds" can definitely be found around the Marina & "24 Hour" Solymar Square.
Having said that, you should probably avoid the Nogalera in the centre of Torremolinos, which can be very busy at night in the summer months, with concerts in the main square and the many gay bars carrying on until the wee hours. Some of the chiringuitos at Playamar are known to be noisy at night too. La Carihuela is very pleasant and has a plethora of very good restaurants, but it's a bit of a hike from the town centre and the train station (There are buses).
It's true, Torrie is rather hilly, but it's only walking back up those steps that's a problem, and there are a couple of public lifts between Bajondillo beach & the town centre!
I think with the stated budget, it shouldn't be too hard to find a fairly good choice of property. (A couple of years ago, I could have offered you a very nice town centre apartment, with change to spare!)
Remember that anywhere beyond Fuengirola is not on the train line, and hence getting to and from Málaga city (and the airport of course) is that much harder. That would probably rule out Miraflores, Calahonda, Riviera and La Cala; apart from La Cala which is very pleasant, the others as already mentioned are pretty much just strip developments along the motorway anyway. Torremuelle, as far as I was aware, is basically just a stop on the tain line serving an urbanisation with virtually nothing but houses. Los Boliches might be worth considering; it's on the train line, has plenty of cafes & bars etc., but is quieter than Fuengirola.
I would rule out Benalmádena Pueblo as it's too far from the beach. Arroyo also really, although both are very pleasant.
It's probably worth pointing out that the trains stop running way too early to use them for returning from a night out in Málaga, or indeed if you arrive on a late flight. Buses run later, but from Málaga city to anywhere beyond Torremolinos will probably take more than 40 minutes. Taxis from the airport cost around €18 to Torremolinos if I remember rightly.
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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby costakid » Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:48 pm

The last train from Malaga city to Fuengirola is 23.30 this time of the year, later in the summer. Fuengirola to Malaga is 00.20 getting into Malaga at 1.06am

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby Miro » Wed Oct 09, 2019 12:32 am

Like I said, not much good for a night out in Málaga. Most Spaniards don't eat until around 10pm, and are just getting warmed up by midnight :D The good news is, however, that during the Féria there are special buses running all night between the Málaga fair ground and Torremolinos :thumbup:
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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby katy » Wed Oct 09, 2019 5:35 pm

Miro, thet is my view of Torremolinos too. Gradually changed since the 90s to appeal to spaniards. Quite a few hotspots but overall not expatland like Benalmadena. A large gay community, friendly and not rowdy. If looking at renting I imagine it should be ok. The pink pound etc. There is a really good carver and an excellent dutch place selling satay, pancakes and the best apple pie.
Last edited by katy on Thu Oct 10, 2019 10:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby Miro » Wed Oct 09, 2019 7:01 pm

It's good to know that there are others out there who have a positive view of Torremolinos; I did wonder whether the bad reputation it picked up in the past still lived on in people's minds. Mind you, I think I would have liked to have seen the Torremolinos of the 60s, so eloquently described in Michener's The Drifters: "Wandering through Torremolinos by night is like touring a sewer in a glass-bottom boat." :lol:
I must have missed the apple pie, but there are plenty of good restaurants & bars, as well as plenty of shops & supermarkets. I wonder if the new Intu leisure complex will ever get built. If it does, that should be a major attraction too. (https://www.intugroup.co.uk/en/insights ... -no-other/)
I got the impression from the OP's first post here that proximity to Málaga city was also a priority, so Torremolinos certainly ticks quite a few of their boxes. I have to be honest though, I was never keen to swim in the sea - the water is never exactly the crystal clear sparkling blue that most people expect when thinking of the Med. I think it's better at some of the smaller coves further along the coast. I wonder if perhaps east of Málaga the water is clearer? I did have a rather unpleasant encounter with raw sewage at Nerja once, but in general is it better for swimming to the east?
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Re: Property in Malaga province advice please

Postby costakid » Wed Oct 09, 2019 8:57 pm

katy wrote:Miro, thet is my view of Torremolinos too. Gradually changed since the 90s to appeal to spaniards. Quite a few hotspots but overall not expatland like Benalmadina. A large gay community, friendly and not rowdy. If looking at renting I imagine it should be ok. The pink pound etc. There is a really good carver and an excellent dutch place selling satay, pancakes and the best apple pie.
Whats the name of the Dutch place Katy?? Love a bit of apple pie


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