Costa del sol in winter

Is this your first trip to southern Spain? Do you have a preference for a large city vs. a small town? Are you hoping to take a lot of side-trips? Andalucia is quite large, and day-trips from just about anywhere can escalate to the point that they require a lot of time sitting on trains or buses. None of the three most popular cities (Seville, Cordoba, Granada) is close to the coast, and I think each of them is worth more time than one day-trip would provide. Seville is quite large and is definitely a multi-night place for any visitor. Granada, incidentally, is at altitude and is likely to be considerably chillier than the other two in the winter.

I liked Malaga, which is the largest coastal city, more than I thought I would, and for me, one month would be too long in a small town. If you prefer a smaller place, you might want to consider which of your top options have rail service as opposed to just bus service. A place on a rail line will probably give you more convenient options for day-trips; however, when you have to hop on a train to get to a larger city from which you can pick up the bus heading in the direction you want to go...

If you want to see much of southern Spain, I'd really encourage you not to spend all your time in one place.

Malaga, or nearby. Its a large city with public transportation and nearby golf. You could rent a car and drive further east (or west) for siteseeing and staying a few nights here and there (inland in Sevlille, or Cordoba or Ronda, or along the coast heading east all the way to Valencia)

Thanks for the tips! We have traveled through much is Spain and are looking at this as a place to spend several weeks in the winter. We don’t plan on doing a lot of sightseeing but I think you are right in suggesting that we find a place with easy access to other towns.

A quick look on Google maps shows Marbella having a large number of golf courses, more than other towns such as Fuengirola or Torremolinos. There are a number of courses near Malaga too. If your goal is to relax and play golf, either place would work. If you want to visit historic sites, then you may want to consider another location. Personally, I avoid the Costa Del Sol since it’s all ex pats and little Great Britain with hints of authentic Spain having been lost decades ago. Since we don’t visit to play golf, or stay in one place, it isn’t for us. For what you seem to want to do, it seems a perfect fit. We had friends stay at a Marbella resort there, only for a week, and they thoroughly enjoyed their visit. They took day trips, but had a rental car and didn’t need to depend on public transportation.

Thanks for your reply. I know it sounds strange not to want to do a lot of site seeing and some might say why not just stay in Fl. But we want to try something different and we enjoy Spain.

I spend a lot of time in the Costa Del Sol, primarily Estepona which is a lovely Spanish town on the coast and quite unspoilt by the hordes of British ex pats and their tacky pubs and fry-ups which are found in great abundance in the resorts of Benalmadena, Torremolinos and Fuengirola.

Marbella has a very pleasant but small old town and is perfect for a leisurely lunch or dinner and a browse amongst the many independent shops. It also has an attraction for the rich and wannabe rich with much of the attention centred around the port of Puerto Banus. It claims to be a luxury destination but is actually rather tired and dated.

The Costa Del Sol is chock full of golf courses so you'll be spoilt for choice and with almost all round sunshine in the winter and temperatures averaging in the upper teens (celsius) it's certainly a comfortable place to spend the winter. There are many private villas and apartments to rent and you really don't have to travel far to find some less spoilt towns and villages.

Malaga is a thriving and vibrant city with lots to see and do. You are absolutely spoilt for choice for places to eat and drink and it's a very easy place to get around on foot with much of the centre pedestrianised. If I didn't have a car then this would be somewhere I would look to base myself.