The Costa del Sol

A guide and information to the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain

Information on the Costa del Sol

The coast of sun or the Costa del Sol is probably one of the most popular tourist destinations throughout the whole of Spain. The Costa del Sol is in Andalucia and essentially stretches from Sotogrande in the west right up to Nerja in the east. All along this stretch of coastline are many popular holiday resorts including holiday resorts in Marbella, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Torremolinos and the World famous playground to the rich and famous, Puerto Banus. Click for hotels in Marbella. Just added is a list of the summer ferias on the Costa del Sol.

Costa del Sol History 

History of the area indicates that the Costa del Sol started it's tourist industry towards the end of the 19th century. It is believed that it all started with an englishman named George Langworthy who settled in Torremolinos with his wife. The couple took up residence in the Santa Clara castle and at the beginning of the 20th century converted it in to a type of hotel for foreigners charging just 1 peseta per night. Many years later a lady by the name of Carlota Alessandri Tettamanzy converted one of her properties into the Parador de Montemar and not long after opened the La Roca Hotel. From these few properties the hotel industry on the Costa del Sol was born. Within a short space of time, Torremolinos became one of the most popular tourist destinations throughout the whole of Europe.

Situation and the Weather on the Costa del Sol

The coastline of the Costa del Sol stretches for about 160 km throughout the province of Malaga and also rolls over into the provinces of Cadiz and Granada. Malaga is really the centre of the Costa del Sol and the areas either side are known as West of Malaga and East of Malaga. Over the years the more popular area for tourists and property buyers alike was the Western Costa del Sol, especially around the Marbella area. Nowadays, the Eastern Costa del Sol such as Nerja and Torrox are resorts in themelves attracting a high number of tourists and property buyers.

The infrastructure throughout the whole region is getting better year by year All areas are easily accessible via the N-340 highway, which runs the length of the Costa del Sol and beyond. In addition a toll road, the AP 7 has also been constructed and is being extended all the time. Currently you can travel from Benanlmadena to Algeciras using the toll road.

The climate on the Costa del Sol is one of the main reasons it has become a popular tourist destination with an average temperature of 18 degrees. During the summer months the temperature rises to above 30 degrees and in the winter it very rarely drops below 14 degrees. Rainfall is generally limited to a short period during the winter allowing for around 300 days of sunshine per year.

Information on English Magazines on the Costa del Sol

For more information on some of the main resorts and towns of the Costa del Sol, please click on an area to view the relevant information.

The main towns and villages of the area include Sotogrande, Duquesa, Gaucin, Casares, Manilva, Estepona, Benahavis, San Pedro, Ronda, Puerto Banus, Nueva Andalucia, Marbella, Elviria, Calahonda, La Cala de Mijas, Mijas, Fuengirola, Benalmadena (property in Benalmadena), Torremolinos, Malaga, Velez Malaga, Torre del Mar, Torrox (Property for sale Torrox) and Nerja.