Benalmadena, Costa del Sol
Villa and Apartment Holidays
Benalmadena
is
in the province of Malaga, on the Costa del Sol. It lies on the coastal strip at
the foot of the Sierra de Mijas, just over 100km from the Strait of Gibraltar.
Benalmadena has a old traditional Spanish town and a modern coastal area which
is popular with tourists.
The climate is typically Mediterranean, with mild temperatures all year round with an average of 19 degrees centigrade.
Benalmadena Pueblo was once a walled town with a fortress, of which there are no longer any remains. The original village is about 3km inland, about 200 m above mean sea level, and is still typically white-fronted in Andalucian style, even though many new buildings have been constructed to modern architectural styles. The town has an archaeological museum with local artefacts dating back to the Bronze Age.
Benalmadena Costa is the modern coastal development with discos, hotels and shopping centres, plus excellent wide sany beaches and a very attractive promenade. Tourist attractions include the Sea Life aquarium, a theme park with dolphins, penguins and seals and the Parque Paloma, a landscaped park with a large lake and animals running free.
The third area of Benalmadena is Arroyo de la Miel, originally a separate village, lies between the Costa and the Pueblo, and has become the main residential and commercial area. It also has several tourist attractions including the Tivoli World amusement park, and a cable-car which climbs to the summit of the 769 metre Calamorro mountain, offering panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada, Gibraltar and on clear days, the Moroccan coastline.
The region has a fascinating history, it has been occupied and settled by many cultures dating back to the Bronze Age, including the ancient Phoenicians and Romans. Benalmadena together with much of the Costa del Sol has been influenced by the Moors during their long settlement of the region. The two Almenara towers on the coast, dating from the 15th century, were originally built to guard the population from the frequent incursions of Barbary pirates after the Moors were conquered by Henry IV of Castile.
The local train station is in Arroyo de la Miel; the trains run to Fuengirola, Torremolinos and Malaga, stopping at Malaga airport, the Maria Zambrano railway station and the bus station. The A-7 motorway, passing through Benalmadena, runs from Algeciras in the province of Cadiz (near Gibralter) to El Pertus on the French border. Two tourist ferries sail from the Puerto Deportivo de Benalmadena to the ports of Malaga and Fuengirola.
Hotels in Benalmadena
Puerto Marina, Benalmadena
Located in the Marina of Benalmadena, the winner of several awards such as "Best Marina in the World", the Hotel Riu Puerto Marina Benalmadena is the
ideal hotel for enjoying the lively atmosphere of the Costa del Sol. Just a few metres from the port of Benalmadena.
