Choosing where on the Costa del Sol

People arrive at the Costa del Sol as a single idea and discover it is a string of quite different places along about a hundred kilometres of coast. Choosing between them is easier if you start from how you intend to use the property rather than from the towns themselves.

Start with three questions

How often will you be here, and in which months? Do you want to walk to things, or are you comfortable driving? And is the priority a lively environment or a quiet one? Those three answers eliminate most of the map before you have looked at a single property.

The eastern end: Málaga and around

Málaga is a real city with museums, a working port, universities and an urban new-build market — the option for buyers who want Spanish city life rather than a resort, with the airport on the doorstep. It suits year-round living and people who would rather not depend on a car.

The central coast: Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Mijas

Denser, busier and closer to the airport, with long promenades, established international communities and a good supply of apartment developments. Convenient and well served; livelier in summer than some buyers expect. Mijas splits between its hillside village and the coastal strip, which are quite different in feel.

The west: Marbella and Estepona

Marbella carries the luxury reputation, the widest range of high-specification new-build, and pricing expectations to match — though it is much more varied than the reputation suggests, from the old town to the golf valleys inland. Estepona has long been the calmer alternative to its west, with a rebuilt old town and steady new development, at the cost of a longer drive from Málaga airport.

Further west: Sotogrande

Low-density, private and organised around golf, polo and the marina — a different proposition rather than simply a quieter Marbella. Larger plots, fewer things within walking distance, and two airports in reach. Worth seeing if privacy and space rank above convenience for you.

Visit in the season you will actually use it

The most common regret is choosing a town on a July impression and then spending Februarys there, or the reverse. If you can, see your shortlist out of season as well. Failing that, ask what stays open, and ask someone who lives there year-round rather than someone selling.