Life

Benalmadena one of the Costa del Sol's genuine gems

The Costa del Sol has a lot going for it, particularly for families. Barbara Collins and her crew rocked up to Benalmadena where they had great fun, great food and inevitably bumped into old friends from home

The beach at Benalmadena, which is about half an hour from Malaga city by bus
The beach at Benalmadena, which is about half an hour from Malaga city by bus The beach at Benalmadena, which is about half an hour from Malaga city by bus

THE Costa del Sol has been a place of mass tourism since the 1950s when Spain's dictator Francisco Franco decided to open up the country. Hundreds of thousands continue to flock there every year because, true to the name, you are almost guaranteed sun and sea along with plenty of things to do and places to eat and drink.

Some people like it because it can feel like home with good weather but if you explore a little, you will find some real gems.

We went to Benalmadena for a week. It is about 20 minutes from the city of Malaga and just down the road from Torremolinos and Fuengirola. Our base was the Benalmadena Palace aparthotel. It is at the end of the main drag up a steep hill with beach access five minutes’ walk away.

This is a four star place which particularly caters for families. There is a kids club, baby pool and bigger indoor and outdoor pools all of which are well supervised by lifeguards. The nightly mini-disco and shows were good fun. Our two particularly liked the parrots on scooters and the magic show.

The apartments consist of one bedroom with a sofa and pull-out bed. They are compact but you have everything you need. The shower particularly was blissfully powerful – just the thing after a hot day. Temperatures reached the 40s while we were there – which meant all we really wanted to do was laze in the indoor pool on those days. It was a relief to see them go back down the late 20s by the middle of the week.

If you want to eat breakfast in your apartment, there is a little shop beside reception but the best place to stock up is the Dia supermarket close by. It opens every day except Sundays. Fresh bread, meats and cheese with a milky coffee made a lovely breakfast on the balcony overlooking the Med. You need to buy washing-up liquid, too.

You can go all-inclusive at this hotel or upgrade to all-inclusive on certain days. We went on a room-only basis because we like to eat out but we did try the breakfast and dinner in the restaurant. They were buffet style. The first child eats for free. There was a decent variety and the food was good.

For lunch and in between nibbles, there was a snack bar and café beside the pools. The cold tomato gazpacho soup was excellent and they had plenty of pizzas, burgers and sandwiches. I liked having a read of the papers over a café con leche there in the mornings.

There is a strip of pubs and restaurants about 10 minutes’ walk from the hotel but I would recommend that you try places a little off the beaten track. They are fine but they don’t have to try too hard for business with the amount of tourists around.

I asked a local person for a recommendation and he sent us to the Taperia in the town of Benalmadena. It cost just €7 in a taxi and the food was fantastic. It is a typical Spanish tapas bar with tables and a menu chock-full of fresh fish and seasonal specialities.

The region is famous for fish dusted in flour and fried – 'pescaíto frito'. The fish are tiny and utterly addictive, especially the baby squid. The fried aubergine with a very reduced balsamic vinegar sauce was another hit. The children loved the lamb chops. We had around 10 different dishes and drinks all for €48 for four.

Another place well worth checking out is down at the Benalmadena Marina. El Mero is also known as Los Mellizos and is about 10 per cent more expensive than the norm in this area. You get what you pay for, though. The view of the marina is stunning, the service impeccable and the food is super fresh and simply prepared.

They specialise in fish here. There are tanks of lobster and displays of today’s catch on ice. You can ask for it to be cooked in the ancient way covered in a thick layer of sea salt and baked. I loved watching the waiter expertly serve it up. We had grilled fish, salad and bread with some wine and it came in at just over €50 for four. The children had ice-cream too.

Little ones tend to love the pool but if you feel like heading out there are stacks of options. We could have gone to the Aquarium, Tivoli Water Park, to see 200 crocodiles, go-karting… but we ended up opting for a stroll around the local market before taking the cable car up to a bird sanctuary. The views were breathtaking, as were the heights. It was enjoyable seeing the buzzards, eagles and vultures at the summit. They put on a good show.

Shopping-wise, Malaga is about half an hour away by bus but much closer is the Miramar Shopping Centre in Fuengirola which has Zara, Bershka, H+M, C+A and a massive Eroski supermarket among many other outlets. It is air-conditioned and has good places to eat too. I recommend it especially for Zara Home which we don’t have in Ireland without ordering online. Just leave room in the suitcase for the inevitable splurges.

This is the type of holiday which is great for people who don’t want to stray too far from their comfort zone. Everything you could possibly need is on hand at less than three hours’ flight away. You are almost guaranteed to meet someone from home. I met someone from primary school on the last night. There were lots of Irish at this hotel, many of them repeat bookings to the area.

I had hoped to get to the Thyssen Art Gallery in Malaga but that will be for my next visit to this part of Andalucia.

FACTFILE

:: Barbara travelled to the Costa Del Sol, Spain, with Sunway staying seven nights in the 4* Benalmadena Palace on a B&B basis. Holidays to the 4* Benalmadena Palace start from €2,199 for two adults and one child and from €2,599 for two adults and two children.

:: Package holidays with Sunway start from €499pp in the 3* San Fermin Hotel, from €899pp in the 4* Sol Melia Don Pedro, Don Pablo and Don Marco Hotels or Sol Principe Hotel.

:: Holidays in September start from €599pp in the 3* San Fermin Hotel, from €899pp in the 4* Amaragua Hotel in Torremolinos and from €899pp for the 5* Andalucía Plaza Hotel in Puerto Banus.

:: Sunway offer hotels throughout the Costa Del Sol; they include flights with Aer Lingus, seven nights hotel based on two adults sharing, 20kg baggage per person and services of a Sunway representative. Flights from Dublin, Cork & Shannon. Call Sunway on 00 353 1 2311 800 or visit www.Sunway.ie.