In this blog Marbella Unique Properties would like to talk about Benahavis, one of the most unique towns on the Costa del Sol with clear Moorish influences. Luxury developments, golf courses and famous gastronomy all set in a tranquil and peaceful oasis.
Benahavis is an Andalusian style town with white washed houses, narrow winding streets and charming nooks and crannies. There are various opinions of the origin of its name. It is said that it derives from “Ben” meaning son in Arabic and “Havis” that was the name of a distinguished Arab that lived in the Castle of Montemayor, whose son constructed a walled defence to protect the castle from the river Guadalmina, which then became the first village centre to be inhabited. Another opinion says that the word comes from “Ben Habix” (meaning the Abyssinian children) for having established a settlement of that nationality in this unique place. Covering a large area of 145km2, it represents 18% of the total western area of the Costa del Sol and enjoys a great Mediterranean climate with an average temperature of 17°.
Benahavis is known for several main points it blends the typical style of the traditional white washed villages of the province of Malaga with modern tourist infrastructures of the 21st century. Some of its places of interest are the Castle of Montemayor, the narrowness of the Gualdalmina River and the cave of Capuchinos port. One of its great nicknames is ‘The Costa del Sols dining room’ due to its countless number of restaurants and bars therefore becoming a gastronomic point of reference. Including the well-known Hispanic-Arab School of Mediterranean Cuisine, which continuously produces new culinary experts aiding the Benahavis economic triangle, incorporating 3 main factors: cuisine, golf and the real estate market. The culinary experience is extremely popular in this area, by walking through the narrow streets you can discover a large variety of restaurants each one as tempting as the next. ‘Los Abanicos’, ‘La Escalera’ or ‘Los Amigos’ are just a few of the most distinguished restaurants in the town. The cuisine is based on classical Spanish mountainside cuisine, but keeping in mind the beach is only a short drive away, fish and seafood are also some of the delights that you can find on the menus.
Continuing when speaking about Benahavis we cannot forget that one of its most famous features is golf. The Benahavis area spans over 10+ golf courses including: Los Arqueros, Los Flamingos, La Quinta and of course La Zagaleta amongst others, pointing out especially these last 2 due to their great importance in the area, both of them not only offer golf but are some of the most important luxury residential areas.
La Zagaleta is the best example of an exclusive private residential luxury resort. It comprises of 900 hectares of natural fenced environment, with approximately 300 luxury properties and a large selection of plots available for new construction. The resort offers a wide range of services for its residents from repair and maintenance technicians, administration, 24 hour security, laundry service and even a helipad. With regard to leisure and sports activities, in addition to its two golf courses (La Zagaleta Golf and Los Barrancos de la Zagaleta) it has an equestrian centre and clubhouse of 5.100m2 where you can find a pro-golf shop, restaurant, bar, swimming pool, billiards room, tennis courts, large events room and much more. La Zagaleta has been one of the key factors to the helping Benahavis prosper in the past 25 years.
La Quinta on the other hand offers all the services of a country club, with a more varied range of types of properties. This means that if you are planning on spending a few months in Benahavis during the golf season or looking for a holiday residence, you can purchase anything from an apartment, to a townhouse or villa while La Zagaleta on the other hand predominantly offers villas. La Quinta features ‘La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa’ an exclusive 5-star hotel that further enhances the quality of life in the area, independent to the golf course and the clubhouse whilst being at a stone’s throw away. The gentle valley perfectly sets the scene for the hotel with a beautiful mixture of Andalusian style and Moroccan detail. The Spa offers a wide variety of beauty treatments, swimming pools and even a Kids Club with great staff where children can enjoy a varied list of activities. The Golf Club is the centre of La Quintas’ social scene. The clubs main activities revolve around playing golf but we can also find a bar and lounge area, a terrace with wonderful views and a great restaurant, making it an all-round ideal lifestyle.
All of the above has helped make Benahavis one of the leading areas on the Costa del Sol with regard to the real estate market, with its variety of properties to the qualities and amenities that make this area work so well and be highly sought after. Not forgetting that the area is also extremely popular for holiday and seasonal stays, rentals are reinforced by the spring golf season and the long summer tranquillity that this area offers. The price range for properties in the area is broad and some specific areas have maintained great stability with regard to price during the fluctuation markets in the past years. Areas like Los Arqueros or Montemayor have become more popular due to the strength that the area like La Zagaleta brought. Marbella Unique Properties invites you to come to get to know Benahavis with us, a small mountain oasis overlooking the sea on the Costa del Sol.
