ACTIVITIES & FACILITIES
Fuengirola and Mijas Costa. Further
along the coast lies Marbella with its famous
marina at Puerto Banus, Estepona, Sotogrande and
finally Gibraltar.
With the Costa del Sol weather giving average
annual temperatures of 19ºC and over 320 days of
sunshine per year it isn't difficult to
understand why it is one of Europe's top holiday
destinations. There are around 60 Costa del Sol
golf courses on the "Costa del Golf" which can
be played all year round as well as a whole
range of other activities available such as
sailing, scuba diving, horse riding, dolphin
safaris, etc. The list is endless.
Mijas
Mijas lies just west of Malaga
and is split into two distinct areas. Mijas
Pueblo is the whitewashed village standing high
up the mountain with spectacular views over the
Mediterranean whilst Mijas Costa refers to the
coastal resort down the mountain.
Mijas Pueblo has long been attracting foreign
residents attracted by its cobbled streets and
quaint, old Spain ambience. In fact Saturdays
are a good day to visit during the summer when
the Foreigner's Department of the local council
offer free guided walks of the rural areas of
the town beginning at 10am at the town hall.
Quaint can only last so long after a place has
been discovered and Mijas Pueblo has done a good
job of maintaining some of its past in spite of
the large influx of daily tourists coming up the
mountain to wander its ancient streets. Take a
donkey taxi from the central square for a novel
way of seeing the town.
Tourists attend a bullfight at the bullring
which is more than 100 years old.
In contrast Mijas Costa is a smart resort of sun
worshippers attracted by 12km of excellent
beaches, water sports and tourist facilities.
Tourism is geared largely to the British market
who flock to the pubs, British food suppliers
and Indian restaurants during their stay in 'foreign'
lands.
The area is surrounded by a huge number of up
market residential areas, all categories of
hotels, first class golf courses and amusements
such as water parks. A popular day out for
tourists and locals on Sundays between October
and May is a day at the races with regular
meetings attracting sizeable crowds
Fuengirola
Fuengirola lies just 20km south west of Malaga
airport half way between Malaga city and
Marbella. It is the third major tourist
development on this section of Spain's Costa del
Sol along with Torremolinos and Benalmadena
Costa. This huge resort covers some 10km of
coastline with intensive developments of hotels
and apartments many of them high rise forming
the typical concrete jungle resort which
attracts mainly British tourists. Although
catering for all age groups it is probably most
popular with families and middle aged couples
than with the younger crowd.
The beaches are impressive and spread the whole
length of the resort area apart from the central
marina area from where you can take part in a
selection of water sports. Surprisingly in such
a tourist centre you'll still see fishermen out
on their small trawlers each morning catching
your evening meal should you frequent one of
Fuengirola's seafood restaurants where the
morning's catch becomes the evening speciality.
No need for the less adventurous visitor to be
afraid as there's plenty in the way of pub grub
and fish and chip shops!
You can pass many hours wandering along the long
promenade along the coast stopping at the many
bars and cafés. If you can cope with the climb
you can visit the remains of the Moorish castle
of Sohail on the western edge of the resort.
Tuesday is a big day for shops when the weekly
market which moves up and down the coast each
day is set up in the centre of town and is the
the Costa del Sol's most popular market
destination.
If you're feeling a little more energetic you'll
find plenty places from where you can go
windsurfing and scuba diving is popular. There's
a zoo which should keep the kids amused for a
few hours as well as a water park. Fuengirola is
especially popular with golfers as it is ideally
located for access to a wide selection of
courses on what has become known as Spain's
Costa del Golf. By night there's no shortage of
bars and restaurants to suit every taste and
pocket.
In Costa del Sol you will enjoy with the
traditional cuisine that is agreement for its
notable for the simplicity of its ingredients,
the variety of its dishes and the exceptional
flavour imparted by optimum use of excellent
natural products in preparing its extensive
catalogue of recipes, which are closely linked
to the so-called “Mediterranean diet” that has
been so highly regarded for years by the most
knowledgeable gourmets for its proven healthy
benefits.
Vegetables, greens, meat, fish and fruit
comprise the most basic elements of the ever-
more-authentic Costa del Sol gastronomy. Its
preparation is notable for the use of olive oil
as an indispensable ingredient. This Málaga
product is of the highest quality and thus
bestows an extra value upon any dish.
Naturally, in such a diverse territory as the
province of Málaga different gastronomic
traditions intermingle but the most noticeable
difference is between the cuisine of the coastal
strip and that of the interior towns. Along the
littoral the diet is based on fish and dishes
are distinctive for their lightness, whereas
those of the interior are known for their
heartier character since meat is the favoured
product. In fact this differentiation between
areas, even though true, is due to an overly
generalised traditional idea since it is only
logical that gastronomic products of any type
are distributed throughout all areas according
to demand. This has fostered such an exchange
between the coast and the interior that the
geographic “exclusivity” of certain dishes is no
longer as rigid as in years past.
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