Costa del Sol
Mijas Costa
Just as Mijas village has its serenity, tradition and culture, so Mijas Costa equals that magic combination of sun, sand and water sports. The beaches at La Cala de Mijas have been awarded the "Blue Flag" as among the best in the province and are geared to provide action: jet skis, water skiing and parasending are all on the go.
Be sure to check out the chiringuito charm here too, where you can sample a variety of Spanish seafood eaten with the favourite holiday drink, tinto verano: ordinary red wine topped up with casera (lemonade).
Every Sunday from October to May weekly horseracing at the Hipódromo Costa del Sol returns to Sunday mornings as the weather cools down, instead of the summertime schedule of Saturday evenings. The races begins at 10.30 at the custom-built racetrack which is a popular spot with the general public as well as racing fans as there are restaurants and bars aplenty which are open all day even though the weekly racing lasts for around 3 hours. There are also courses for horsing knowledge, perfection and competition, jumping and individual or group lessons. The Mijas municipality covers an impressive 148km2 and includes 2 major urbanisations, Sitio de Calahonda and Riviera del Sol.
The former is informally known as the English village in Spain and the place to come for karaoke, second-hand shops, British doctors and dentists, Indian restaurants, imported foods and, naturally, a plentiful choice of pubs. Mijas village is a typical Andaluz village, perched high above Fuengirola and Mijas Costa like so many sugar cubes with spectacular views of the coast and surrounding heavily wooded mountains. There are no main thoroughfares here, instead a web of narrow cobbled streets complete with terraces overflowing with geraniums, red tile roofs, archways and, of course, the occasional chirruping canary.