Spain — Costa del Sol: 4-Night Holiday (Day 1, Part 2)

Date: 2018-10-04

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Arriving at Malaga Airport

A large airport — entirely appropriate for Spain's most popular holiday region. Smooth arrival; another BA plane pulled in alongside as we disembarked.

What Is Costa del Sol?

Costa del Sol is in the province of Malaga, Andalusia, southern Spain. The name means "Sun Coast." The climate is Mediterranean — warm, dry, and reportedly sunny for 350 days out of 365. In practice: even when the midday heat is intense, the low humidity makes shade and indoor spaces genuinely cool and comfortable.

Around 17.3 million visitors per year come to Costa del Sol — primarily from the UK, Germany, France, and Scandinavia. From most of northern Europe, it is a 2–3 hour flight.

Rental Car

Public transport in this area is limited, so almost everyone at the airport picks up a rental car. The entire basement level of Malaga Airport is dedicated to car rental — dozens of companies, hundreds of vehicles. We used Sixt; Avis and Europcar are among the others with offices there. We had never seen a car rental area at this scale before.

Our car: Opel Mokka X diesel. Driving on the right was unfamiliar for the first few minutes, but the car was comfortable and Google Maps was excellent on unfamiliar roads. An hour and ten minutes of easy driving with occasional Mediterranean views, then arrival.

Marriott Playa Andalucía (Marriott Vacation Club)

Our accommodation for the first three nights: Marriott Playa Andalucía — operated under the Marriott Vacation Club brand. This visit was an introductory stay offered to Marriott members as a taster for Vacation Club membership; normal stays here are typically a week or more.

The property is villa-style: four buildings spread across a large landscaped site, with:

• 4 swimming pools (1 indoor, 3 outdoor)
• Children's pool and slide
• Restaurant, market, and pizza restaurant
• Tennis and badminton courts, table tennis, billiards, mini-golf, giant chess
• Barbecue area
• Jacuzzis (4 options at different temperatures)
• Indoor gym (24 hours)
• Private beach access (via key card gate, 8am–11pm)

The beach looks directly across to Morocco and the African continent.

All parking is underground — vehicles never appear on the surface, giving everyone free movement across the grounds.

The reception building is built in traditional old Spanish style with ornate wooden-carved ceilings. The whole property fits the setting: not overly glamorous, just generous and well-considered.

We were in the "Granada" building — smallest apartment category: 2-bedroom with one entrance. King bedroom en suite, twin bedroom with separate bathroom, living room, full kitchen with granite worktops, utility room (washing machine, dryer, iron, drying rack). Terrace with outdoor table and chairs.

Sunday evening: local supermarkets closed, so dinner came from the on-site pizza restaurant. Family pizza meal: one large pizza, two salads, family ice cream — €39. Over €50 total with breakfast supplies, so a complimentary bottle of local wine was added. Pizza made fresh from scratch by the on-site chef. We ate on the terrace, following the example of every other guest.

Everyone asleep by 10pm — up since 5am.

Part 3 covers the apartment in detail and resort facilities.

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