Mijas Pueblo is located twenty-three kilometres away from Malaga International Airport and fifteen minutes away by car from the beaches of Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
Mijas is a white washed village located four hundred and fifty metres above sea level and owing to its climate and terrain is popular for golf holidays.
What To Do and See
Things to do in Mijas include the Maya Monkeys Mijas which is a visit to the chocolate factory, the Picos de Mijas which is a hiking trail with spectacular views, the Hipodromo de Mijas where you can watch horse racing at midnight, the Mijas Plaza de Toros, the El Cartujano which is an evening spent watching some fine flamenco dancing and the Quad Safari Costa del Sol.
Golf Clinics can be booked on Rancho C, Apto2C, Miraflores Mijas on 952 932 295 which will help improve your game. Vespa Tours offer organised motorbike trails.
Water park fun can be enjoyed at the Parque Aquatico Mijas. For more information you can look on www.aquamijas.com where a daily family ticket can be purchased for €55.
The La Cala Resort and Santana Golf & Country Club make for great days out relaxing, enjoying spa treatments as well as play golf in some very luxurious surroundings.
Mijas is within easy reach of the tourist resorts of Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Torremolinos and Marbella so that there are many beaches to visit and golf courses to play on.
Tourist Information Office
Mijas Tourist Office Address:
Avenida de la Virgen de la Peña 2A
29650 Mijas (Malaga)
Telephone Number: +34 952 589 034
Email Address: turismo@mijas.es
Website: www.mijas.es
Where To Eat Out
Mijas has more than a hundred restaurants and the top ten restaurants in the village to dine out at include the Bodega El Placer, Oscars Tapas Bar, Restaurante El Mirlo Blanco, Las Llaves, La Mandragoda, Devines, Molino del Curo S.L. Meson de Calahonda, Aroma Café & Secret Garden and the Merendero El Bombo.
Golf in Mijas
Mijas has seven golf courses with more being constructed.
La Cala is the largest golf resort in the whole of Spain and can be found on the Urbanisation La Cala Golf with a contact telephone number of 952 669 000 and for more information you can look at www.lacala.com.
The Santana Golf Course is located on the Carretera La Cala Enterrios with a telephone number of 951 062 560 and a website www.santanagolf.com.
The Miraflores Golf Course is located on the Calle Severiano Ballesteros on the Urbanisation Riviera del Sol and a telephone number of 952 931 960 and a website www.miraflores-golf.com.
The El Chaparral Golf Club is located on the Autovia del Mediterraneo on the Mijas Costa and a telephone number 952 581 700 and a website for further information on https://golfelchaparral.com/en/.
The Tamisa Golf Course is located on the Hotel Tamisa Complex which is situated on the Camino Viejo de Coin km.3.3 on the Mijas Costa with a contact telephone number of 952 585 988 and a website to peruse which is www.hoteltamisagolf.com.
The Calanova Golf Club is located on the Urbanizacion Calanova Golf Club s/n Cala de Mijas and website www.calanovagolfclub.com
Mijas has a total of twenty-five hotels of which the Trip Advisor highly recommends the TRH Mijas, Hotel Tamisa Golf, Los Amigos Beach Club, the La Cala Resort, San Diego Suites/California Beach and the Hacienda Puerto del Sol.
Mijas villas for rent by the week with a swimming pool can be booked from €500 a week and apartments in complexes and on golf courses can be rented from €22 a day per person.
Mijas is a golf destination and also suitable for people who want to get away from it all yet spend time in upmarket surroundings.
Moving to Mijas
If you are thinking of moving to Mijas, then you must read our expat interview with Fred van Krimpen of Elite Inmobiliaria below:
Fred, what would you say would be the advantages to living in Mijas compared to other Costa del Sol towns?
First of all you have to distinguish, as Mijas is divided in three very different areas.
1st. There is, on the mountainside at 428 meters above sea level, the beautiful white washed, little ‘Mijas Pueblo’ (village) known as one of the jewels of the Costa del Sol.
2nd. Then there is ‘Mijas’ Costa, a 12 kilometre coastal stretch which includes the popular former fishing village La Cala de Mijas and many urbanizations of which the largest are: ‘Sitio de Calahonda’ and ‘Riviera del Sol’. These are catchment areas almost forming large suburbs of their own.
3rd. There is also ‘Las Lagunas’ a more modern residential and commercial area.
Each of those 3 areas have their own peculiar advantages. Mijas Pueblo and its close surroundings provide the village feeling, spectacular views and because of its location up in the mountain is a few degrees cooler in the hot summer months.
‘Mijas Costa’ has some very attractive beaches, a thriving life in all the bars and restaurants in the urbanizations and in ‘La Cala’. It is very conveniently situated in the middle between Marbella and Fuengirola and with perfect communications to the airports of Malaga (15 min.) and Gibraltar.
‘Las Lagunas’ is more a residential type of area where mostly Spanish live.
Would the area not suit certain types of people, i.e. are there any possible downsides?
Because of its mountain location with some steep streets, ‘Mijas Pueblo’ could be less recommendable to live for elderly or handicapped persons.
What proportion of the local population are Spanish?
The municipality of Mijas counts with a total of 79.483 registered habitants of which 65% is Spanish, meaning there is a large foreign community of 27.540 persons(from them the majority holds the British nationality).
What are your favourite things to do in the area?
There are so many activities just in the Mijas area, that it is always hard to decide. One can choose between water-sports (one of my favorites) hiking and biking. There are 12 Golf courses, 3 museums and many others. Actually my No. 1 ‘activity’ is enjoying a good glass of wine on a terrace and watch all the passersby…
Can you give us some insider tips to the best bars or restaurants?
Typical Spanish breakfast we take at La Boveda del Flamingo in Mijas Pueblo, Lunch (fresh fish of course) at any of the beach-bars, but especially at Max-Beach, The wine museum in Mijas village does some great wine tastings. So is El Mirlo Blanco a famous restaurant for special food, or Restaurant El Jinete close to the La Cala resort for fine ‘al fresco’ dining., to name just a few.
Are there many facilities such as doctors and dentists, shops etc?
The whole of the Mijas municipality is covered by all kinds of medical facilities, doctors, ambulances, first-aid centers, hospital, schools, shopping malls, etc. Anything that you may be looking for is usually available.
Are there smaller villages nearby that you might also recommend?
As mentioned before, La Cala though forming part of the municipality of Mijas is a little village on its own, worth a visit. Then there are many small inland villages to visit like Coin or Alhaurin el Grande, Benalmadena Pueblo and then there is just next to Mijas the coastal village of Fuengirola.
What are the nearest international schools and how good are they?
Saint Anthony’s College Mijas has been established for many decades with a very high standard and good reputation. Very near at less than 10 km. There are several other international schools.
Is crime an issue for expats?
Crime should not be an issue for anybody, as long as you use common sense the same way you deal with it at home. Apart from that, it is to mention that on average, you will see much more police patrols on Spanish streets than you would see elsewhere. Safety is a hot item here.
Coming onto buying property, what is the market like now in terms of prices going up, or down or staying the same?
For the last two years, the property market has started to pick-up with much more sales than previously. Prices however are climbing slowly, as there still is quite a lot on offer. But it is hard to speak in general, as prices may vary from one building to the one next door, depending on location, quality and demand.
Is this a good time to buy and are there any repossessions or very cheap properties still available to buy?
As said in my previous answer, prices are slowly climbing, so it is a good time to buy, also as economical predictions from the ECB are very positive for Spain. Regarding Bank repossessions, I have mixed feelings. You should think that the best properties were sold a few years back, so one can put question marks with the stock still available.
What urbanizations are there and can you describe each one and how they might differ from each other?
There are about 100 Urbanizations within the municipality of Mijas, each with its own specifications, so it is hard to describe each one. For example there are the more ‘up market’ residential urbanizations like La Sierrezuela or Campo Mijas with mainly detached villas and there are urbanizations of the like Riviera del Sol or Calahonda dominated by apartment complexes and townhouses, with mixed use, both residential and for holiday lettings. Some urbanizations have a common swimming pool, tennis-court, frontline golf course, others have bars, restaurants, shops, etc.
How much are the typical property prices in Mijas for apartments, villas etc?
As there is such a great variety in locations and properties, this question is hard to answer. As a guideline, you could say that decent 2 bed apartments start at around 120.000 euros, townhouses at approx. 160.000 euros and villas you can find from 350.000 euros from there ‘the sky is the limit’. (but this is just an indication, with some luck and patience, there are always opportunities to find).
Any tips and advice to people looking to buy in Mijas or surrounding area?
Be aware that the Mijas municipality is bordering the Marbella municipality, but that prices in Mijas can be considerably lower. The name ‘Marbella’ will add some ‘snob-value’ to the price.
Mijas Town Hall has a very helpful Foreigners Department. The friendly staff is always doing their utmost best to help foreign residents to solve any matter they come up with, even if it is not directly related to Town Hall matters.
Banks are now more severe to approve a mortgage. In most cases, you should be able to come up with a minimum of 40% of the sales price plus purchase costs at approx. 10% yourself. Be realistic and don’t forget that once you own a property, there also will be yearly fees like municipal tax and your share of the community of owners.
Spend some time in the area to get to know it, to be able to understand price differences for properties with similar specifications and feel more confident when taking a decision.
Last but not the least; get a professional registered agent with a liability insurance-cover to help you, at the end this will save you money and hassle. (Longest established Estate agent associations are GIPE or API). Too many people lost their savings to ‘cowboys’ they met in a bar.
Fred, thank you so much for taking the time to help our readers with your experiences in Spain. If you want to contact him, you can find his details below.
Avda. Sierrezuela 44
29651 Mijas Costa
Malaga, Spain
Tel. +34 952 664 373
Email: info@eliteinmobiliaria
Website: www.eliteinmobiliaria.com
Contact us to be featured – we want more expat interviews for our newsletter and website. You don’t need to be an estate agent, we want to hear from anyone who lives in Spain whether you are working or retired.
You may also wish to see our Mijas weather and webcam pages.
Related Mijas Pages:
Nearby Resorts to Mijas…
Days Out & Excursions…
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