Costa del Sol / ‘Coast of the Sun’

A trip to Malaga is not complete without a visit to the Costa Del Sol. Of course, I had to go and have a look at what’s happening on the beach. And that’s what I did over the weekend.

Costa del Sol – literally, ‘Coast of the Sun’ is a stretch of beach, in the Malaga Province of Spain. The stretch of beach of about 150 km is touted as the heartbeat of Malaga linking a number of towns popular with the British, Germans, Scandinavians and French.

Benalmadena sits in the center of this very popular coast. The area's sunny climate is the main tourist attraction. This is where sun seekers head for in summer. It reportedly accounted for about 35% of Spain’s tourist income.

Apartments and hotels, shops and restaurants along the road and on the beach front.

One of the joys of visiting the Costa Del Sol is walking along the seafront promenade. It is a great place for a walk – any time of the day. When you are tired of walking, you can find a cafe, or restaurant you like, have something to eat, or drink, sit and watch the world go by, or ogle at the numerous half naked bodies of all shapes and sizes on parade along the promenade.

A restaurant by the side of the road on the beach front.

Beach chairs and umbrellas for rent. Or you can bring your own and set up a spot for yourself. You will notice that there are many empty beach chairs. This is nearing the end of the tourist period. The breach was not as busy as when in July / August. Peak periods are from July to September, when it is the school holidays and European summer holidays. By October, it will be too windy and cold to go into the water.

The beach promenade

Hawkers hawking their wares – usually imitation goods like shoes, bags, wallets, football jerseys and caps, watches, sunglasses.... They are not allowed to do that but somehow, here they are.

Espetos are skewed Sardines cooked over charcoal fire. It is a local speciality. Most, if not all restaurants on the beach have it on their menu. And, by the smells of it, they seem to be very popular.

At the end is the Benalmadena Marina, or Puerto Marina Benalmadena which is "amongst the best in the world."

This is Castillo de Bil-Bil, or Castle of Bil-Bil – an iconic landmark on the Benalmadena Costa. Castle of Bil-Bil is not actually a castle per se. It is an Arab style construction which has a lot of Muslim inspiration, built in 1927 by a wealthy family. Now, it is basically a social and cultural center, a venue for exhibitions, concerts, conferences etc..

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