Property for sale in Benahavís

Buying a house in Benahavís means buying in a municipality without a coastline. The village lies some seven kilometres inland on the Guadalmina river, and the municipality runs from the hills behind San Pedro up into the mountains towards Ronda. What you buy here, you buy for space, greenery and distance from the bustle, not for the beach. In listings the name Benahavís also covers three very different things: a village house, a home on a golf course just behind the coast, or a villa in a private estate in the mountains.

Just behind the coast are the golf urbanisations of La Quinta and Los Arqueros, on gentle slopes with sea views; by road you reach San Pedro faster from there than the village. Along the road to Ronda lie the private estates: El Madroñal among cork oaks and pines, and opposite it La Zagaleta, with two golf courses inside a private estate. Monte Mayor sits higher and more remote, with kilometres of its own roads. The village itself is small, with a school, pharmacy and GP surgery within walking distance. Atalaya and El Paraíso, which listings also place under Benahavís, belong largely to Estepona.

The emphasis is on villas, and on the private estates they stand on large plots with their own security. In La Quinta the market is more mixed, with apartments and townhouses alongside villas; in Los Arqueros it is mostly apartments. In the village you buy a village house or an apartment, close to the restaurants. On an estate, ask before you make an offer about the annual contribution, what it covers and the rules on renovating and letting. These differ widely between estates; have an adviser read them. Current projects are on the new-build page for Benahavís.

Benahavís is right for people seeking space, privacy and nature who are happy to take the car for everything. It is not for anyone who wants the beach within walking distance or needs to reach the airport quickly: Málaga is further away than from Marbella. Even from the village you drive out for a big shop. The mountain estates are in fire-prone terrain; during the Sierra Bermeja forest fire, the village and part of Monte Mayor were evacuated as a precaution. Living high up on an estate means driving a stretch of mountain road every day, and you need to want that.

Málaga airport is between three quarters of an hour and an hour’s drive away. From the coast a road runs up the valley to the village, and the road to Ronda serves the estates in the mountains. For hospitals and international schools you rely on Marbella, San Pedro and Nueva Andalucía, which are close to the lower urbanisations. There are several golf courses in the municipality, from those at La Quinta and Los Arqueros to the Los Flamingos resort. For more on the estates, the village and daily life, see Living in Benahavís.