Costa del Sol & inland Andalucía
From white mountain villages to the Mediterranean, the best of Andalucía sits within an easy drive of Finca Sonrisa.
Out & about from Finca Sonrisa
The finca sits on a quiet hillside over the Guadalhorce Valley, near Alhaurín el Grande: close enough to reach the whole Costa del Sol, far enough to hear nothing but birdsong when you come home.
Around the corner
Some of the best of the Costa del Sol is also the closest: a championship golf resort, the town's Thursday market, Europe's largest Buddhist temple and a waterfall spilling into natural rock pools, each just minutes from the finca.
The finca's nearest neighbour is a golfer's playground: 27 holes laid out by Falco Nardi across rolling parkland of century-old oaks, played as three combinable nine-hole loops. A driving range and academy sharpen the swing, a five-court padel club keeps the rest of the party busy, and three restaurants take care of the nineteenth hole.
Every Thursday morning the town's weekly market takes over Calle Alcalde Antonio Solano in the centre, five minutes down the hill: around 75 stalls of seasonal fruit and vegetables, local cheeses, clothes, textiles and shoes. Go early, bring cash (the stalls don't take cards) and stay for coffee in the plaza afterwards.
Five minutes the other way stands the largest Buddhist temple in Europe, inaugurated in 2022 at the foot of the Sierra de Mijas. The Kadampa Meditation Centre welcomes everyone to its hillside gardens and café, with free guided visits and open meditation sessions for curious first-timers and seasoned meditators alike.
Barely ten minutes down the road, and a place the locals mostly keep to themselves: natural rock pools and small waterfalls in a fold of the hills, and one of the loveliest wild swims in the valley. Bring a picnic and make a morning of it. In fire season (mid-June to mid-October) the last stretch of road closes, leaving a scenic 45-minute walk in.
Places to visit
Your home town, five minutes down the hill: whitewashed streets, palm-lined plazas, a lively run of bars and restaurants, and a Thursday street market that takes over the centre.
The classic whitewashed village, clinging to the mountainside above the coast: flower-filled lanes, little ateliers, and long views that drop all the way to the sea.
The nearest of the great beaches: seven kilometres of sand with a lively promenade, the hilltop Sohail castle and no shortage of chiringuitos for grilled sardines by the water.
Picasso's home town is one of Spain's most likeable cities: the Moorish Alcazaba, the cathedral, the Muelle Uno waterfront and a tapas scene worth a full day. For shopping, Plaza Mayor and the McArthurGlen designer outlet lie 25 minutes from the finca, closer than the city itself.
A lively resort town with more to it than beaches: the Castillo de Colomares, the Tibetan-style Benalmádena Stupa, a marina lined with restaurants and cable-car views from the top of Monte Calamorro. A favourite family day by the sea.
The glamorous side of the coast. Marbella's flower-hung old town is made for a slow lunch, and Puerto Banús, with its superyachts, supercars and designer boutiques, is ten minutes further for a look at how the other half moors.
An otherworldly landscape of weathered limestone towers, with free marked trails from an easy 1.5 km loop to a half-day hike. Ibex sightings are common.
The prettiest day out on the eastern coast: sea views from Nerja's Balcón de Europa, then ten minutes uphill to Frigiliana, arguably Andalucía's most beautiful village. Pair it with the caves or a kayak trip below the Maro cliffs.
Spain's most visited monument is a long but very doable day trip. Make it the big outing of your week.
One of Andalucía's most dramatic towns, split in two by the El Tajo gorge and stitched together by the soaring Puente Nuevo. On the way home, add Setenil de las Bodegas, where the houses are built beneath overhanging rock.
The Rock, the famous apes and a cable-car view over two continents. Bring your passport.
Nature all around
The hills, gorges and rivers around the finca ask for little more than boots, a towel, a paddle, perhaps a tee time.
Don't miss
Andalucía's most celebrated walk. Once dubbed the world's most dangerous path, the 7.7 km route through the El Chorro gorge is now perfectly safe, its boardwalks pinned a hundred metres up the canyon walls.
Tickets are released about 60 days ahead and sell out fast. Book early on the official site.
More to do
One of the longest zip lines in Spain, in the hills of neighbouring Alhaurín de la Torre: 1,350 metres at up to 100 km/h, seated or flying head-first, with the whole Málaga coast laid out below. Archery, horse riding and a hilltop terrace bar make it an easy half-day.
A whimsical monument to Christopher Columbus in Benalmádena: a fairy-tale castle shaped like a ship, crowded with towers, turrets and hidden detail, and said to hold the smallest church in the world. A quick, memorable stop above the coast.
Vast caverns with some of Europe's largest stalactites. Then paddle a guided kayak along the Maro cliffs to sea caves and a waterfall you can swim under.
Lauro Golf sits on our doorstep; Alhaurín Golf, a Seve Ballesteros design in the hills just outside town, makes it two courses within minutes. Some 70 more line the wider coast.
Turquoise mountain reservoirs near El Chorro where you can hire kayaks and pedal boats, or simply swim from the shore. A cool, scenic escape on a hot day.
The coast's biggest water park: slides, wave pools and a full day of it. Open spring to autumn.
A gentle fifteen-minute glide up Monte Calamorro to 770 metres, where the views stretch along the coast to Gibraltar and, on a clear day, the mountains of Morocco. At the top, walking trails and birds-of-prey displays are a big hit with children.
Two-hour catamaran trips from Benalmádena marina, with wild dolphins spotted on most sailings and a swim stop in summer.
The finca's nearest neighbour is a golfer's playground: 27 holes laid out by Falco Nardi across rolling parkland of century-old oaks, played as three combinable nine-hole loops. A driving range and academy sharpen the swing, a five-court padel club keeps the rest of the party busy, and three restaurants take care of the nineteenth hole.
Every Thursday morning the town's weekly market takes over Calle Alcalde Antonio Solano in the centre, five minutes down the hill: around 75 stalls of seasonal fruit and vegetables, local cheeses, clothes, textiles and shoes. Go early, bring cash (the stalls don't take cards) and stay for coffee in the plaza afterwards.
Five minutes the other way stands the largest Buddhist temple in Europe, inaugurated in 2022 at the foot of the Sierra de Mijas. The Kadampa Meditation Centre welcomes everyone to its hillside gardens and café, with free guided visits and open meditation sessions for curious first-timers and seasoned meditators alike.
Barely ten minutes down the road, and a place the locals mostly keep to themselves: natural rock pools and small waterfalls in a fold of the hills, and one of the loveliest wild swims in the valley. Bring a picnic and make a morning of it. In fire season (mid-June to mid-October) the last stretch of road closes, leaving a scenic 45-minute walk in.
Taste the valley
Every Thursday from 9am to 2pm, Alhaurín el Grande's street market fills Calle Alcalde Antonio Solano in the centre with some 75 stalls of seasonal fruit and vegetables, local cheeses, clothes and shoes, and plenty of local life. Bring cash; the stalls don't take cards. On Saturdays the Guadalhorce ecological market gathers the valley's organic growers. The roadside ventas serve generous country cooking at honest prices, and the Guadalhorce is olive country: home of the Aloreña, Málaga's own table olive.
Practical info
Ready to explore?
A calm, luxurious home in the hills, with all of Andalucía on the doorstep.
