Between the mountains and the coast, with the Costa del Sol within reach.
Vista Bonita sits six kilometres inland from the coast road, high enough for the view and far enough from the crowds. That is the appeal. You sleep in the quiet of the mountains and have your feet in the sand within ten minutes. Below are our own tips, with the distance from the front door and a route link for each.
about 10 minutes by car
Our village by the sea, and where you do the shopping. A seafront lined with chiringuitos grilling fish over a wood fire, a quiet centre with terraces around the church, and a market on Wednesdays. You drive down the mountain road and are there within ten minutes.
Route from the apartment
20 to 25 minutes by car
The white mountain village at four hundred metres, looking out over the whole coastline. Narrow streets, walls full of flowerpots and the well-known donkey square. Go early or towards evening, because the coaches arrive in the middle of the day.
Route from the apartment
20 to 25 minutes by car
The big resort town of this coast, with seven kilometres of promenade, plenty of shops, and the railway station where the line to Málaga and the airport begins. Useful if you want a day without the car.
Route from the apartment
25 to 30 minutes by car
Marbella’s old town is surprisingly calm, with white houses and orange trees on the Plaza de los Naranjos. Ten minutes further on lies Puerto Banús with the yachts, if that is something you want to see.
Route from the apartment
a good hour and a half by car
The town on the edge of a ravine, with the Puente Nuevo crossing a gorge a hundred metres deep. The drive there through the mountains is worth the trip on its own. Make a whole day of it.
Route from the apartment
about an hour and a half by car
The walkway through the El Chorro gorge, bolted to the rock face a hundred metres up. Spectacular and properly secured. Book tickets well ahead, because they sell out weeks in advance.
Route from the apartment
about an hour and a half by car
On the far side of Málaga. The Balcón de Europa juts out over the sea like a balcony, with a view across the whole bay; everyone who comes to Nerja walks there first. Just outside the village are the limestone caves.
Route from the apartment
about two and a half hours by car
Skiing at two thousand metres, and your feet in the sand the same day. The ski village of Pradollano lies half an hour above Granada; the season runs roughly from late November to April. Outside those months it is walking country, with the highest peaks on the Spanish mainland.
Route from the apartment
Steakhouse Calle Villa 8, La Cala Golf development
The closest address, inside our own development. Grilled meat with a Mediterranean menu around it. You can walk there, which makes it ideal for the first evening.
Basque, asador Camino Viejo de Coín km 1.4, Mijas
Asador Otola, Basque cooking and meat from the charcoal grill, inland between Fuengirola and Mijas. Closed on Wednesdays.
Spanish, Mediterranean centre of La Cala de Mijas
Classic Spanish cooking in an attractive room. The place for when you want a proper dinner out in the village.
Italian centre of La Cala de Mijas
Italian with an international menu around it. Good for an evening with children along.
Beach bar, fish Calle Torremolinos 7, La Cala de Mijas
A beach bar right on the sand with fresh fish over a wood fire. Espeto de sardinas with your feet in the sand; that is what brings everyone back.
Italian, pizza and pasta Paseo Marítimo Rey de España 80, Fuengirola
A pizzeria on the Fuengirola seafront, a fixture there for years. Pizza and pasta, with Mediterranean dishes alongside.
Fish and seafood Fuengirola
For fish and seafood. Classic Andalusian beach cooking.
Italian Marbella
Our Italian in Marbella, for when you are heading that way anyway.
Pizzeria Muelle Ribera, Puerto Banús
On the quayside at Puerto Banús, at number 48 of the Muelle Ribera. Pizza with a view of the boats.
Traditional Spanish Bulevar La Cala, Edif. Calamar, La Cala de Mijas
Traditional Spanish cooking on the seafront. Calm, dependable and without any fuss.
La Cala Golf sits next to the development, with three eighteen-hole courses. Within half an hour’s drive there are dozens more. Tee times and green fees you arrange directly with the course; rates vary by course and by season.
The nature reserve starts directly behind the resort. Paths through pine woods, and on clear days a view far out across the coast.
A city of museums, with the Picasso Museum, the Alcazaba and a lively centre. Forty kilometres away, and reachable by train from Fuengirola.
Wednesday in La Cala de Mijas, Saturday the big market in Fuengirola. Going early is more pleasant than going late.
The resort hotel is within walking distance and has a spa with an indoor pool, sauna and treatments, plus a gym. Access and rates you arrange with the hotel itself.
Boat trips leave from Puerto Banús and Fuengirola. An hour of dolphin watching, a sunset cruise, or a skippered boat for half a day. You book directly with the operator in the harbour.
Most guests do. The resort lies six kilometres inland from the coast road, so a car is the easiest way to reach the beach, the shops and the day trips. From Málaga airport it is around 44 kilometres, about an hour.
La Cala de Mijas, eight kilometres away, about ten minutes by car. A broad sandy beach with beach bars and a promenade. Towards Fuengirola and Marbella there are dozens more within twenty minutes.
Yes. Venta El Jinete is on Calle Villa 8, inside our own La Cala Golf development. It is a steakhouse with a Mediterranean menu. Beyond that you eat in the village of La Cala de Mijas, ten minutes by car.
You can, but count on taxis. There is a train from Málaga to Fuengirola; from there it is another twenty kilometres to the resort. For a week’s stay we would recommend a hire car.