Coin

Coin might be half an hour from the Costa del Sol but for many that will be the appeal of this quintessentially Andalusian town that comes with many of its own attractions.

At the foot of the Sierra de Mijas mountains and 30 kilometres inland from Malaga and Marbella, you’ll find Coin. Overlooking the Guadalhorce Valley, one of the most fertile areas in the south of Spain, it is still used extensively for agriculture. In the ‘town of the 300 orchards’ you have both traditional small-town Spanish life and access to amazing shops and world class facilities. And that’s before you’ve got anywhere near the coast or the surrounding pine forests with their enchanting streams and waterfalls.

If parts of town look a little familiar to some UK visitors, that’s because Coín was used as the set of the ill-fated BBC soap opera El Dorado. Today the town is more likely to appeal to expats who want to become a little more involved in the Spanish way of life. If you think that Coin is a little too far from the coast, spend a little time here and you begin to realise that it is in fact the perfect spot for a happy, healthy life.