Benalmádena
is a town and municipality situated approximately
15 km west of the city of Málaga,
between Torremolinos
and
Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. The municipality
is divided intro three different areas: Benalmádena
Pueblo, Benalmádena Costa
and Arroyo de la Miel, packed with
many interesting attractions for everyone in the family.
Benalmádena Pueblo,
is the original village on the side of the mountain,
about three kilometres inland. It is still an attractive
old Spanish village with the typical whitewashed houses
on cobbled streets. A refreshing escape from the newer
developments on the coast. The town also has an archaeological
museum with a great collection of Neolithic and pre-Columbian
artifacts from around Andalusia.
Benalmádena
Costa, the part of most interest to the many
tourists who visit this popular Costa del Sol resort
every year. This is a purpose-built coastal resort
extending 8 km along the coast which climbs steeply
up into mountains behind. Here there is discos, hotels,
beaches, shopping centres and an extensively-equipped
marina. The marina is the focal point for Benalmádena's
social scene and is central to the resort. Tourist
attractions include SeaLife aquarium and
Selwo Marina, a theme park with dolphins,
penguins and seals among other species.
Arroyo de la Miel,
originally a separate village, is in the interior
between the other two areas. It has become the main
residential area, and is also the most commercially
active. Arroyo has grown rapidly, due greatly to the
excellent train service running between Fuengirola
and Málaga, as well as good road connection.
It also has several attractions such as the Tivoli
World amusement park, and a teleferico
(cable car) running to the summit of the 769-metre
Calamorro mountain, which provides panoramic views
of the Sierra Nevada, Gibraltar and the Moroccan coastline.
