Costa del Sol

More than three hundred days of sunshine a year: it may be hard to believe, but there is a place in Europe that offers just that. It is a land where winter does not stand a chance - deep in the southern part of Spain. The Costa del Sol has been aptly named - the name translates into the Sunshine Coast in English. You will find it at the southernmost point of the European continent - in Andalusia.

On the opposite side of the Mediterranean the mountains of Morocco are rivaling them in their efforts. If you take a closer look at the map you will instantly realize that the Costa del Sol is actually situated south of Tunis.


It stretches all the way from Almería in the east to Málaga and Marbella to the southern tip of Spain near Tarifa in the west. What visitors will discover here in the Andalusia sun is a virtually infinite array of beaches.

Fifty years ago the region was an almost forgotten stretch of land on the fringes of Europe. Since then, it has embarked on a truly unique career: It all began with a handful of poverty-stricken fishing or mining villages, where locals had a hard time making ends meet catching fish and mining for ore. The region ultimately emerged as one of the world's largest contiguous vacation resorts.

Today, golf friends find themselves teeing off at close to fifty golf courses, in the evenings visitors let it all hang out in glamorous night clubs and eccentric beach clubs. It's also great fun to splurge at the chic malls or browse through the lively market halls, or to enjoy a delightful meal at one of the Chiringuitos, the typical simple beach restaurants Andalusia is famous for. Time flies when you get entangled with the droves of people who stroll through the maze-like alleyways of the Moorish Old Towns. Relax while you show off your stuff walking the palm tree studded promenades and boulevards or get a great tan on the beach or cool off in the ocean.

The coastline stretching from Málaga to Estepona is the heart of the region. Much like a metropolis that is home to millions of people, it sprawls along the Mediterranean from the beaches to the mountains. Not even two generations ago, nothing but a bumpy and winding country road led from here towards of MalagaAfrica in the glistening sunlight, passing by the pine forests and melancholy white washed villages, whose residents had no clue what the future had in store for them. Moreover, the mountains behind the coastline severed them from the rest of the world.

Today, millions of tourists spend their vacations here year after year. Guests flock here even during the winter season; ultimately also thanks to the golf courses, which earned the coast the nickname Costa del Golf. Hundreds of thousands of foreigners from all over the world have also acquired their own spots in the sun here. As a result, the region is now home to a cosmopolitan melting pot of people who love the international flair and community life despite the linguistic razzmatazz, which is reminiscent of Babylonian times. After all, as long as you speak English or Spanish, you can always communicate.

All of these developments have changed the face of this region significantly. While concrete vacation apartment high rises, hotels and four-lane highways are now part of the landscape, there are also plenty of splendid neighborhoods full of villas, gardens and parks boasting lush native sub-tropical and tropical flora.

Here one will still find beaches that stretch on forever, sometimes in front of dunes, other times in front of resorts or blocks of apartments and always set against a backdrop of imposing mountain ranges. The mountains are much more than an attractive enhancement compliments of Mother Nature: they protect the region from the cold continental Spain experiences in the winter and from the burning heat of the summer.

As a result, the Costa del Sol is the only European coastline that never has to be concerned about a visitor called frost. This coast enjoys balmy spring days, hot-blooded summer fiestas, illuminated autumn weeks and light filled winters.