The ‘coast of the sun’ or the Costa del Sol as it is called in Spanish, is probably one of the most popular tourist destinations in whole of Spain. It is situated in the province of Andalucia and essentially stretches from Algeciras in the west right up to Nerja in the east.

All along this stretch of coastline are many popular Spanish holiday resorts including Marbella, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Torremolinos and the World famous playground to the rich and famous, Puerto Banus.

History – About the Costa del Sol

History indicates that the Costa del Sol started its tourist industry towards the end of the 19th century. It is widely believed that it all started with an Englishman named George Langworthy who settled in Torremolinos with his wife. The couple took up residence in the Santa Clara castle and at the beginning of the 20th century converted it in to a type of hotel for foreigners charging just 1 peseta per night. Many years later a lady by the name of Carlota Alessandri Tettamanzy converted one of her properties into the Parador de Montemar and not long after opened the La Roca Hotel. From these few properties the hotel industry on the Costa del Sol was born and with a few years it was booming. Within a short space of time, Torremolinos became one of the most popular tourist destinations throughout the whole of Europe.

East and West Costa del Sol – Tourist Information

The coastline of the Costa del Sol stretches for about 160 kms throughout the province of Malaga and also rolls over into the provinces of Cadiz and Granada. Malaga is really the centre and capital of the Costa del Sol and the areas either side are known as West of Malaga and East of Malaga.

The infrastructure throughout the whole region is getting better year by year All areas are easily accessible via the N-340 highway, which runs the length of the Costa del Sol and beyond. In addition a toll road, the AP7 has also been constructed and is being extended all the time. Currently you can travel from Benanlmadena to Algeciras using the toll road.

 

Costa del Sol Weather

The climate on the Costa del Sol is one of the main reasons it has become a popular tourist destination with an average temperature of 18 degrees. During the summer months the temperature rises to above 30 degrees and in the winter it very rarely drops below 14 degrees. Rainfall is generally limited to a short period during the winter allowing for around 300 days of sunshine per year.