Danni Menzies heads to Manilva on Spain’s Costa Del Sol to help house hunters Chris and Marie find the perfect place to enjoy their retirement. Chris wants a property on a golf resort but Marie wants to live closer to town. With a budget of £125,000, can Danni help this couple find a happy compromise?
Situated on the western end of the Costa Del Sol, Manilva’s pretty easy to get to – you can fly to Malaga from most UK airports in around three hours, then it’s just over an hours drive. Manilva is steeped in history – Julius Caesar is believed to have visited here in 60BC – and it’s been a well known wine making area since the 16th century, producing sweet vino mosto. It’s also not short of places to drink that wine – and have a bite to eat of course. There’s loads of variety here as there are golf courses, beaches, a lovely marina and some great countryside all very close to each other.
La Duquesa Village is an area near the town of San Luis de Sabinillas, where most amenities are found, and very near La Duquesa Marina. This penthouse apartment has a light filled living and dining room which opens out onto a terrace with great views. There’s a separate kitchen which opens onto a balcony at the back, a master bedroom which opens onto the front terrace and has an en suite bathroom, a second bedroom which leads onto the back balcony, and a shower room. It also has an underground parking space and storage area and access to five communal pools.
Our second property is centrally located in San Luis de Sabinillas, a coastal town of Manilva. San Luis de Sabinillas is a lively town by the sea and crossed literally by the main road N-340. It is the shopping hub of the area with supermarkets, shops, restaurants and bars. There are also hotels and in the town centre there is a small but charming church. This 6th floor apartment has a terrace with great sea views, a large light filled living and dining room, separate kitchen with adjoining utility room, not one, not two, not three but four bedrooms, and two shower rooms. This property is no longer on the market see more from the agent here.
This two-bed apartment is located in the Camelot Village urbanisation.This recently refurbished duplex apartment has a terrace with views over the communal pool and gardens, a light and bright open plan living and dining room which leads into the kitchen and a WC downstairs. Upstairs there’s a master bedroom with its own terrace, which although it could do with a lick of paint, has a great sea view. There’s also a second bedroom and a shower room. It's no longer on the market, but you can view the agent's website here.
Our next property is in the small town of Casares Costa, one of the more expensive areas in and around Manilva – it is peaceful and has a lovely unspoilt sandy beach and a choice of bars and restaurants. The urbanization is called Paraiso de la Bahia. One key feature of this first floor apartment is its large sun terrace. Inside there’s a light filled living and dining room, separate kitchen, a master bedroom with access to the terrace and an ensuite bathroom, a second bedroom and a second bathroom.
Our fifth and final property is in La Chullera, one of the quieter beach front areas in and around Manilva. The apartment we’re looking at is in a complex which until recently was the Don Juan apart hotel, where originally you could only stay for a maximum of two months a year. It enjoys a great location on beach and there are stunning sea views from the whole apartment. This apartment has a terrace overlooking the pool and the bigger blue water beyond, a large light filled living and dining room which joins onto the kitchen, a master bedroom which opens onto the balcony with ensuite bathroom and a second bedroom with an ensuite shower room. View the property here.
Today’s luxury property is a twelve-bed, thirteen-bath villa. This massive villa has a stunning outside pool and chill out area and tons of space inside, as well as a gym, sauna, cinema room and indoor pool. The furniture alone costs £1 million, and the property is located on the beachfront. No longer available, see more from the agent here.