# Summer place: Torremolinos, Benalmeda or Fuengirola?



## rozojc (Nov 17, 2015)

Hello,

I am planning to buy an apartment near Malaga. I am, however, not sure if I should focus in Torremolinos, Benalmedana or Fuengirola. Me and my wife are both in our 30s, and this would be a summer apartment to just go to the beach, eat out (mostly) and have calm and relaxed vacations while escaping the cold also in winter (we live in Sweden at the moment).

Which of these places would be better? Why? 

I've seen several apartments listed in "Arroyo de la Miel" in Benalmedana.... any thoughts?

We have a very limited budget and are looking for something around 45,000 Euros...


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

rozojc said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am planning to buy an apartment near Malaga. I am, however, not sure if I should focus in Torremolinos, Benalmedana or Fuengirola. Me and my wife are both in our 30s, and this would be a summer apartment to just go to the beach, eat out (mostly) and have calm and relaxed vacations while escaping the cold also in winter (we live in Sweden at the moment).
> 
> ...


Don't think you'll get anything for that money in any of those places.....but you could try local agents to see what's available for that kind of money.


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## rozojc (Nov 17, 2015)

mrypg9 said:


> Don't think you'll get anything for that money in any of those places.....but you could try local agents to see what's available for that kind of money.


Thanks, I have seen quite a few online through Pisos.com and Idealista.com (these websites cater to spaniards but Spanish is my mother tongue so I find things easier there)....

The thing is I am not sure about the locations.

Say for example:
idealista.com/venta-viviendas/benalmadena-malaga/con-precio-hasta_45000,piscina/mapa-google

That is a list of the places for sale up to 45 thousand in Benalmadena, with a swimming pool...


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Apartments/flats for sale within 10 kilometres radius of Fuengirola Malaga Spain


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## rozojc (Nov 17, 2015)

Thanks.

Any thoughts on Benalmadena Vs Torremolinos Vs Fuengirloa?

Pros or Cons of each one?


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

All three are much the same type of resort. Arroyo which you mentioned is a bit more inland.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

rozojc said:


> Thanks, I have seen quite a few online through Pisos.com and Idealista.com (these websites cater to spaniards but Spanish is my mother tongue so I find things easier there)....
> 
> The thing is I am not sure about the locations.
> 
> ...


They all seem to be small studio apartments in high rises with communal pools....but I guess for a summer home it might suit.
I'm surprised you can find property that cheap anywhere on the CdS.


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## rozojc (Nov 17, 2015)

Yeah, we are looking for that kind of thing. Somewhere where we can go in the summer or in winter for a few weeks, so a studio works for us...

What I am not sure is whether Torremolinos or Benalmedana are just the same or if any is "better" than the other in terms of beaches, restaurants (as in local not so expensive), etc...


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> They all seem to be small studio apartments in high rises with communal pools....but I guess for a summer home it might suit.
> I'm surprised you can find property that cheap anywhere on the CdS.



You're joking Mrypg!
On one property site alone there's near 300 properties along the CDS under 50k


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Rabbitcat said:


> You're joking Mrypg!
> On one property site alone there's near 300 properties along the CDS under 50k


Wonder what they're like......a garage in Marbella would be more than that.
Maybe Sourboy can put the OP in touch with a suitable agency, he used to live in Benalmadena I believe so must have local knowledge. Maybe knows some cheap places.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Some are quite nice
My point is there's still plenty of cheap property available in many places including CDS


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Rabbitcat said:


> You're joking Mrypg!
> On one property site alone there's near 300 properties along the CDS under 50k


Have spoken with a friend who sells property in Estepona....you can apparently get properties for around 50k euros but not in holiday type areas, mainly one beds in blocks, no pool. The OP wants a holiday place so a studio would be ideal, if in a not too grotty area.
At one point there was a development near where we walk the dogs where two and three bed apartments were progressively reduced from 200k euros to the point where the big advertising board said 'Diganos el Precio!'. I posted the photo here.
Quite a few seem to have sold and I guess there were and maybe still are bargains as I think not all were sold.
The development is a short drive from the sea, ten minutes at most. If the OP is interested s/he should pm me and I'll find out details.

Incidentally, a friend bought an apartment in Benalmadena, just off the A7 near the gasolinera. He bought at the height of the property boom and paid 300k euros. It's like a rabbit hutch. The kitchen is like a galley on a yacht, one bedroom has no natural light and he had to cover the outside courtyard space to provide enough room to have friends round. It wouldn't be big enough for us two and our dogs.
The views are superb, though, as the building is very high up. He has the bays of Benalmadena and Fuengirola stretched before him, beautiful at night.
But the apartment is probably now worth about a third of what he paid for it.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

There are plenty 2 bed appts in various places including the very nice Velez Malaga
There's even a reasonable 3 bed townhouse in ever popular Torrox

https://www.kyero.com/en/property/3098146-town-house-for-sale-torrox

Plenty of bargains still to be had up and down CDS

Just call me Rabbitcat Lamb!!!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Rabbitcat said:


> There are plenty 2 bed appts in various places including the very nice Velez Malaga
> There's even a reasonable 3 bed townhouse in ever popular Torrox
> 
> https://www.kyero.com/en/property/3098146-town-house-for-sale-torrox
> ...


East of Malaga seems to be where you get more bangs for your bucks, to use a vulgar American expression..


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

you won't find a space for your towel in these places... eek!


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Come on folks
A reasonable 3 bed property in Torrox for about £35k- bloody bargain

Would buy it myself - if I was allowed


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Rabbitcat said:


> There are plenty 2 bed appts in various places including the very nice Velez Malaga


Well there are, but I've had a look through what's available in Velez for what the OP wants to spend, and there are apartments but all are in old blocks with no lifts and certainly no pool, or there are townhouses which would require a lot spent on them to make them habitable.

If Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola appeal to them I don't think they would like it here, the places are poles apart. When we were looking for properties here we were shown around a few with an elderly couple from Preston who were looking for a holiday home where their grandchildren could come out and stay. One of the first questions they asked was where the beach was, which kind of showed how much they knew about the area because it's 5km away! We happened to see them at the airport on the way home and they had opted to buy a studio on the 11th floor of a block above the bus station in Torremolinos, which they said had beds that folded down from the wall. Quite where they intended to put the grandchildren I don't know, but they seemed very pleased with their purchase, I hope they still are if they're still with us.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> East of Malaga seems to be where you get more bangs for your bucks, to use a vulgar American expression..


There appears to be one studio for sale at €45k in Torre del Mar, and none at all for that much in Torrox Costa, so as far as coastal property is concerned that may not be true.

Estudio en venta en Centro, Torre del Mar


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lynn R said:


> There appears to be one studio for sale at €45k in Torre del Mar, and none at all for that much in Torrox Costa, so as far as coastal property is concerned that may not be true.
> 
> Estudio en venta en Centro, Torre del Mar


There is always a reason why properties are cheap, whether it's because the place is falling down or it's next to a brothel/abbatoir or open air disco, or simply because it's in a not very sought after area, which doesn't mean to say it's a rough old town or village, merely one most people don't find attractive enough to live in. I'm sure there are some lovely areas all over Spain with cheap property.
Sobre los gustos, as the saying goes, but the thought of living over a bus station on the eleventh floor of a Torremolinos tower block isn't my idea of this 'Spanish dream' thing.


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## rozojc (Nov 17, 2015)

Thanks to all.

I think that we are not really looking for the Spanish dream, if you will, but just for a place to go to, relax, go to the beach, eat out, etc.

That one in Torre del Mar looks interesting. How is that place when compared to Benalmadena?

Is there easy transport between Malaga Airport and Torre del Mar?


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

rozojc said:


> Thanks to all.
> 
> I think that we are not really looking for the Spanish dream, if you will, but just for a place to go to, relax, go to the beach, eat out, etc.
> 
> ...


Torre del Mar is a much smaller town than Benalmádena. Most of the holidaymakers and second home owners there are Spanish, so the resort is only really busy in July and August, although it isn't dead in the winter as most of the bars, restaurants and shops are still open. There are quite a few Scandinavian residents and winter residents though, in fact there is a Danish social club which has it's own bar and premises on the Paseo Maritimo.

There is no public transport direct from Málaga airport (unlike Benalmádena, Torremolinos and Fuengirola which are served by the Cercanias trains, a very good service). You would have to catch a bus or train into Málaga centre and a bus to Torre del Mar from there, the buses are frequent as you can take one of the services which run to Vélez-Málaga, Torrox or Nerja as they all pass through TDM. To Vélez alone there are 30 buses each weekday from Málaga and the last one leaves Málaga at 11pm.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

I can never tell where one ends and the next begins.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> There is always a reason why properties are cheap


Very true. The OP may think that studio in Torre del Mar looks interesting, but it seems suspicious to me that there isn't a single interior photograph on the website. Call me cynical but that leads me to think it must be a wreck inside and that's why it's about €10K cheaper than other similar properties in the same town.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lynn R said:


> Very true. The OP may think that studio in Torre del Mar looks interesting, but it seems suspicious to me that there isn't a single interior photograph on the website. Call me cynical but that leads me to think it must be a wreck inside and that's why it's about €10K cheaper than other similar properties in the same town.


Yes, I noticed that and thought it worth noting.
Of course you can buy cheap property anywhere....but a useful guide to the property scene in any one place as a whole might be to look at properties in the 100 200 k euro range and compare. 
You can buy cheap property in Estepona, as I said, but I suspect that neither you nor I would choose to buy such properties. Nothing wrong with them, most of them, nor with the people who live there. Just not what most of us come to Spain for. They are basically cheap flats in city blocks, not pisos or houses by the sea or fincas in the campo or pretty houses in towns and small villages.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> Nothing wrong with them, most of them, nor with the people who live there. Just not what most of us come to Spain for. They are basically cheap flats in city blocks, not pisos or houses by the sea or fincas in the campo or pretty houses in towns and small villages.


This is what I always say when people talk about how the property market is awash with bargains in Spain and properties can be picked up for a song. Sure they can, but not the ones that those same people would be hoping to buy. I am sure people who just read the news headlines about the Spanish property crash must be disappointed when they actually go to view places. Of course nice properties are a lot cheaper than they were back in 2007/2008, but not nearly as cheap as the media would have us believe.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lynn R said:


> This is what I always say when people talk about how the property market is awash with bargains in Spain and properties can be picked up for a song. Sure they can, but not the ones that those same people would be hoping to buy. I am sure people who just read the news headlines about the Spanish property crash must be disappointed when they actually go to view places. Of course nice properties are a lot cheaper than they were back in 2007/2008, but not nearly as cheap as the media would have us believe.


We didn't spend much time looking round when we moved here from Prague. We did drive around the coast and inland whilst using the family property as a base but as we were doing this we were gradually settling into this area and after a while decided this place was as good as any other in that it ticked all our boxes.....quiet village with easy access to larger towns and airports and all facilities. We aren't flat dwellers, we tried it for a year in Prague and five months here so if we had considered buying it would have had to have been a house....But prices round here would have cleaned us out, when we moved here the asking price for two bed pisos was over 200k euros and we didn't intend to buy anyway so we were lucky to find the house we've now lived in since May 2009 and can go on living in for as long as we like at what, all things considered, is a reasonable rent for a property of its size and area.
I've watched with interest what has happened to local property over the past six years. Two and three bed flats and townhouses, of which there are plenty, seem to have only slightly recovered from a sharp fall in asking price of almost 60% yet larger houses seem to have experienced a greater rise in price. 
In spite of that a friend living in a five bed house, small garden and small pool but front line beach on what I gather is known by estate agents as the 'New Golden Mile' wanted to sell and being , as she thought, realistic, said she would be happy to do a deal with 500keuros 'in her hand'.
She had one offer of below 400k and took the property off the market.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Like LynnR we live in this area and it is far far cheaper than west of Malaga. I cannot recommend any of the towns the OP has mentioned as I could never live in a concrete jungle. The cheap places in Torrox that have been mentioned need to be seen to be believed. They are in very poor condition and would need at least €40,000 spent just to make them habitable. But if that is an option I would definitely recommend Torrox Pueblo...


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

thrax said:


> Like LynnR we live in this area and it is far far cheaper than west of Malaga. I cannot recommend any of the towns the OP has mentioned as I could never live in a concrete jungle. The cheap places in Torrox that have been mentioned need to be seen to be believed. They are in very poor condition and would need at least €40,000 spent just to make them habitable. But if that is an option I would definitely recommend Torrox Pueblo...


I agree, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Torremolinos are all very built up, but very many people want to live in places like that, look at the popularity of Alicante and Benidorm.
Property may be more expensive west of Malaga but there are some very built up areas west of Estepona, like Manilva and Sabinillas, with very many 'concrete jungles' which are cheaper than areas closer to San Pedro or Estepona.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

I saw a place in Torrox Pueblo which was for sale for €47,500 and inside it was in a state of total collapse. The ceilings were supported by steel braces, there were no windows, no doors and the roof was missing more than 50% of the roof tiles.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Well if I had a place in Torrox/Frigiliana area I would feel obliged to give freebie hols to less fortunate members who love that area......

Rabbitcat, Torrox /Frigiliana fan


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Rabbitcat said:


> Well if I had a place in Torrox/Frigiliana area I would feel obliged to give freebie hols to less fortunate members who love that area......
> 
> Rabbitcat, Torrox /Frigiliana fan


Thing is, there are tens of thousands of truly beautiful places all over Spain...
We like where we are but have seen many other places about which I've thought 'I'd love to live there'.
Unless you are a billionaire you can't have homes in all the places you take a liking to..if I were I'd have homes in London, NYC, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona.....
We are always giving freebie holidays to less fortunate people who love where we live but live elsewhere...only we call them friends that visit....One coming next week.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Such a nice post Mrypg, my FRIEND......


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Rabbitcat said:


> Such a nice post Mrypg, my FRIEND......


Well, friend Rabbitcat, you seem like a nice man...and no doubt house-trained.....and you amuse and entertain...


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

So when can I have my free holiday please?


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

thrax said:


> I saw a place in Torrox Pueblo which was for sale for €47,500 and inside it was in a state of total collapse. The ceilings were supported by steel braces, there were no windows, no doors and the roof was missing more than 50% of the roof tiles.


I know someone who bought a small townhouse here for €40k, a couple of years ago. I never saw it in it's original state, but he had to have it rewired, replumbed, replastered, all new floors, new kitchen and bathroom - and has still ended up with no rooms which are big enough to swing a half grown cat in, a kitchen with no natural light or ventilation, one bedroom you have to walk through to get into the other and both are very hot and stuffy, the staircase to the roof terrace (well I say staircase but it's really a wooden ladder) is an accident waiting to happen and there isn't much of a view from the terrace. Worst of all, it's directly across the street from the communal rubbish bins and a vacant building plot where feral cats live.

On the other hand, some other people bought a 3 bed townhouse here a few months ago which had been comprehensively restored in very contemporary style, has good sized rooms and a lovely terrace with fabulous views, for €90k and it didn't need a thing doing to it. It's on a very small quiet side street shared with only 2 other houses.

Now to me the first one although undeniably cheap wasn't what I'd call a good buy, whereas the second one was.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Rabbitcat said:


> So when can I have my free holiday please?


Oh dear...seems we're booked solid for the next ten years....we have so many friends..

Seriously, though, in our three years in Prague we had thirty-six visits from friends. When we moved to Spain, Sandra cut our guest list to five.


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## Angmac9 (May 18, 2015)

Arroyo de la miel in Benalmadena is lovely. It has everything you both need, Plenty of Spanish people and Spanish ways of life but only about 15 min walk to the beach. My husband and I live here and are around the same age as yourself and we love it. For your price range, a studio apartment sounds possible but I believe that a bit of haggling goes a long way if you see something you like. No harm in asking about a lower offer. Good luck!


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