Which part of Costa Del Sol with a 2 year old April/May please?

[PrinnyPree]

Hello all I was wondering if anyone can recommend which area of Costa Del Sol would be best to visit for a week with my toddler please? I've chosen Costa Del Sol due to hopefully better weather in spring since my LB loves the beach paired with a relatively short plane journey. We had a lovely week long holiday in Cala Galdana Menorca last September.

Preferably not too Blackpool abroad (not that there's anything wrong with Blackpool) will probably get a hire car but would be nice if beach, cafe's and restaurants are in walking distance.

Any hotel recommendations would be greatly received too (although Ikos Andalusia is probably out of our price range)

Thanks in advance!

Try looking at Benelmedena very nice there

We stayed in Benalmádena. If I'm honest, I wouldn't rush to go back. It's full of irish bars and cafés serving full english breakfasts but I will admit it was a handy location with young children as the train is so easy to use up and down the coast. The zoo in Fuengirola is fab, Benalmádena Pueblo is beautiful with a nice butterfly park and places for lunch, Malaga is a great day out. The sea is freezing at that time of the year though so don't count on beach days.

We stayed in Marbella mid-April one year - the sand was too hot to walk on barefoot and everybody was in the sea

It’s not guaranteed, but it is entirely possible.

It’s not Costa deal Sol but I’d highly recommend Valencia. Same kind of flight time, short transfer from the airport and everything is on your doorstep. There’s beach, a park that goes around the edge of the city (used to be a river), the arts and science museum and my absolute favourite zoo, the Bioparc, plus lovely squares, statues and architecture. I went there with a three year old in April (pre pandemic. I had booked again but it’s been cancelled twice!).

If you went a bit earlier you could catch the Easter Sunday celebrations (it’s 17th April this year).
The costumes are stunning.
We didn’t know about it before we went, but were staying in Alhaurín de la Torre (mentioned in the linked piece, it’s close to Malaga) and we were amazed
The cities have bigger parades of course but small town ones are much more accessible.
(Note that the crowd are in T-shirts!)
The blue hoods are in Malaga.

golfelchaparral.com/en/easter-week-2019-on-the-costa-del-sol/

I was also going to suggest Malaga city, rather than the MANY, touristy resorts along the coast. I've been 3x and loved that it was a mix of locals and tourists from many countries. Lots of restaurants and things to see and do including a beach within walking, without the overall, Brit abroad vibe. More of a large town, not a high rise, type 'city' at all!

A bus goes from the airport, direct to multiple stops in the city in 20mins. It was 3 euro each on my last visit pre-covid.

The beach has a concrete promenade so you could push a push chair/walk along it.

There is a hill top castle, amazing fresh fruit/veg/meat market in town, cathedral, great shopping, picasso museum to name just a few things to see/do right in the town.

There is also a train, so you can use that to visit other areas. We went to Ronda for the day. It has the most AMAZING bridge, lovely restaurants and just a fantastic day out. Easy enough to buy your own train tickets and get there yourself- no need to book a tour or hire a car.

We stayed at this apartment last time. It meant we could eat out, but also had a kitchen so could re-heat things, make our own breakfast if wanted etc. They have various room sizes and options.
www.santacruz-apartments.com/