Costa Del Sol which resort?

[HoozThatGirl]

We usually got to Greece or Canaries but DH has requested a shorter flight and I'm looking at Costa Del Sol because good flights to Malaga.
We are a couple in our 60s and DS21 will be coming with us. We want somewhere with lots of restaurants and a a bit of atmosphere in an evening with maybe some live music. At the same time I don't a want high rise Benidorm type resort.
Looked at Nerja, Fuengirola and Benelmadina but can't decide.

Someone posted about the water quality at Nerja - apparently there is raw sewage being pumped into the sea there at the moment ...

Benalmadena is lovely, the entertainment is definitely aimed at your age group, some lovely hotels in that area too.
If you wanted to visit fuengirola it’s not far in a taxi

Also Marbella is not far for the nightlife for DS

I do like a swim in the sea so maybe not Nerja.
So is Fuengirola more of a young people's resort than Benelmadena?
Are either of them very Brits abroad?
Any particular hotels Inaquandry06
the entertainment is definitely aimed at your age group not sure what this means I don't fancy somewhere full of old folk?
DS has very eclectic taste and we both like a live band, he wouldn't go off clubbing on his own though a day trip to Marbella might be fun.

No I just meant that it’s a bit quieter than Marbella, not full of nightclubs, more bars & singers & bands
I think both are a good mix, there are lots of brits there but a lot of expats rather than brits abroad holidayers

Have you looked at Estepona? It’s a lovely place. Some nice hotels, very Spanish.

I like benalmadena but it's more built up than estepona, I think the latter might suit you more?

Almunecar is rather beautiful. Its lively but not in a Brit/party way. I love Nerja but its sewage is a problem. I haven't been for 2 years and they are aĺlegedly building a new treatment plant. I can't believe its not up and running yet.

Olive Press (local newspaper) was full of the sewage at Nerja. Even had photos.

Ooh do you live there MrsC? I'm very jealous. I used to time my swim after the little boat with the poop scoop had been up and down. In my defence it didn't occur to me they were scooping sewage out. I thought it was seaweed.

What about Malaga itself? Lovely bars and restaurants, lots of culture and there are plenty of hotels with pools by the beach.

You can check out different resorts on the coast by public bus.

a friend has a holiday apartment we have stayed at a few times in Torremolinos

It’s a lovely Mediterranean resort town. Great bars and restaurants. Lovely clean beaches.

Cala de Mijas.

Are you planning on hiring a car? If so I'd recommend Mijas. It's a lovely inland town but you can easily drive down to Fuengirola if you want to go to a beach town. There are masses of gorgeous restaurants in Mijas itself so no need to leave the town to eat. Not sure about the nightlife though for your DS. We went with much younger DCs so it wasn't on our wishlish! We went to Marbella a few times from there, a couple of waterparks, Benalmedena.

Almunecar is lovely but very Spanish, not sure you'll get the kind of nightlife you sound like you are looking for. How about La Cala de Mijas or perhaps Calahonda or Estapona. I'm not keen on Benalmadena.

Benalmadena is lovely, Fuengirola is a bit built up but both it and Torremolinos have great beaches/shopping areas.

Marbella is pricy compared to other resorts.

It's easy enough to travel around Costa del sol by bus or train so you could visit another resort. Mijas is a beautiful village up on a mountainside - buses to it are plentiful and it's well worth a visit.

Lots of great suggestions here, thanks all.
If it was just me and DH I would definitely be going for somewhere like Almunecar. We won't hire a car but might try the trains. I've never stayed in Malaga but embarked on a cruise from there once so saw a little bit.
Cala de Mijas looks nice, I'd never heard of it. DS is 21 but happy to come away with us for a week of sun, walking and good food.

Cala de Mijas is the bay on the sea, and Mijas the hillside town.

Cala de Mijas has a long boardwalk from one end of the bay to the other. The centre of the small town is nice with a great selection of bars and restaurants and a nice beach side square that people gather in in the evening, and there are beach cafes serving sardines etc all the way to Bomba beach on the Western end. Where you can keep walking round the headland along the coastal path.

None of these places are as atmospheric as the small trad Greek villages, but very nice.

You can get to Cala very easily, short trip on the train to Fuengirola and then a short bus ride from the same road as the station.

Have a lovely hol wherever you go.

I didn't like Benalmadena at all! Had a lovely holiday in Nerja & agree that Malaga is a nice city.

Mijas pueblo is the town up in the hills, Mijas Costa is on the coast. If you have a hire car go and see the town of Ronda, the views are spectacular.

I am lucky and spend 4 months a year in the south of Spain. Am here now. Off to Granada for a few days tomorrow. Spain is so much more than beaches.

Nerja is lovely. Proper Spanish town, some excellent restaurants and good beaches (never had an issue with raw sewage?)

Dona - just told my dh about poopscoop. Sorry he laughed.

I have just read a news report from March this year about the 3 pipes spewing raw sewage into the sea off the Nerja beaches, with reports of ‘sewage clumps’ 20m across and 19 tonnes of wet wipes having been recovered. And the testing authority have identified serious fecal contamination.

I wouldn’t even consider sitting on the beach where the tide might have covered it.

But then Spain is often fined for sea pollution and I guess it might be the same in other resorts?

It’s a shame, we loved Nerja when we stayed at Frigiliana.

I've a feeling that you wouldn't necessarily see the sewage at the shoreline Ballbags. It's still there though and probably responsible for stomach upsets that people blame on food.