Attractions in Benalmadena

What are the attractions in Benalmadena? Is Benalmadena worth a visit?

Here are some places of interest in Benalmadena.

1. Costa del Sol
Costa del Sol is the main attraction of Benalmadena. People come here for the sun. It’s a 150 km long coast with the sea on one side and hotels and apartments, shops and eateries on the other. The coast also links the towns which are popular with Europeans and the British.

2. Puerto Marina in Benalmadena
Puerto Marina in Benalmadena is voted one of the most beautiful marinas in the world.

3. Sea Life
Sea life is an aquarium located near the Puerto Marina. It is reported to be one of the top Sea Life Marines in Europe.

4. Parque de la Paloma, or Park of the Doves is a park with a difference. It has an area of 200,000 sq meters and was voted one of twenty five most beautiful parks in Europe. In the park, besides the plants – trees and flowers, you will also find pigeons and doves, chickens, ducks, rabbits and goats.

5. Mariposario de Benalmádena - Butterfly Park
I haven’t been there, but apparently, there are “over 1,500 exotic butterflies from different parts of the world.” If you like butterflies, or like to see how butterflies are born, you might want to take a look. It is not a very big place though, and that is why people are advised to plan their visit to include nearby places like the Buddhist temple and/or the Castillo de Colomares – a monument in the form of a castle dedicated to the life and adventures of Christopher Coloumbus.

6. Benalmadena Cable Car.
Take the cable car to the top of Mount Calamorro and have a bird’s eye view of the town below. On a clear day, you can see as far out to Africa.

7. Benalmadena Pueblos
Visit the villages on the mountainside. Marvel at the interesting designs of the houses built on the slopes of a mountain. Ingenious, I think.

There used to be a Tivoli World theme park but they are now closed due to money and legal problems.

Arroyo de la Miel - the town center. Have a walk around the town center. There are many cafes and restaurants. You can try out the international cuisine on offer, or find yourself a restaurant in a nice square, have drink and/or a meal and soak in the atmosphere

Other than the above mentioned, Benalmadena is a town where holidaymakers relax, enjoy the sun, eat, drink and party. If that is the kind of holiday you look forward to, Benalmadena is definitely worth a visit. Just take it easy and go with the pace of the place.

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From Our Balcony

This is the lovely view from my balcony. Most apartments in Benalmadena have a balcony – some have two. Some balconies are bigger allowing you to put a table and some chairs. Some are more for decorative purposes – probably enough space to put a couple of pots of plants or a couple of washing lines.

For those with a bigger balcony, people love to sit out on the balcony – sometimes sunbathing in the day, or having their dinners on the balcony in the evening. In some apartments, the living room is quite small, and very warm on a Summer day. So, it makes sense to use the balcony as a dining hall.

Roger and I take our dinners on the balcony, after the sun goes down. After that, we will sit out on the balcony and have a couple of drinks, while enjoying the beautiful view of the lights on the pueblo – the hillside villages. Later on, there might be some chips which always go very well with a beer or a whiskey.

There is not a lot of activity out on the streets since this is a quiet part of the town. Looking over the balcony, you see people walking their dogs in the evening, sometimes after midnight. You see old couples ambling along hand in hand.

Up on the hillside, you see cars travelling at night on the highway. In the summer months, you can see cable cars going up the hill. They operate until midnight.

Sometimes, we look for stars in the sky. They are not very visible. You have to stare into the sky for a bit before catching a little blink, indicating the star is there before it disappears again. I learned that Arcturus is the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere.

If there is a new moon, we will watching it as it make its way down behind the mountains. We see planes coming into Malaga, carrying with them loads of happy holiday makers.

Some time ago, we caught sight of an UFO. It was identified in the news the next day as some debris from China’s space station. Sometimes, it is the underbelly of a seagull we saw as it flew by. They are quite a sight to behold in the night sky. Looking up as they flew by, you see only their white underbelly.

Occasionally, a dog would bark. That can’t be helped because it is estimated that one household in four has a dog. Sometimes, one bark would start off a tirade of barks. That is not fun, but there is nothing you could do about it, and it usually quiets down again very quickly.

Generally, it is just relaxing and enjoying the peaceful and tranquil evening. At night, the place has a dreamy feel about it – peaceful, and serene until some twat comes along on his, or her motorbike with its loud, noisy engine, shattering the peace to a million pieces. That is my pet peeve in Benalmadena – motorcycles with loud engines. They are so unnecessary, and should be banned!

When I first arrived, I was taking pictures every night. Can’t seem to get enough of the beautiful view. Of course, the phone camera is limited to what it can do. But, I keep taking pictures to find the best amongst them.

Now, I have hundreds of them, and it took me some time going through them to pick the best ones to post here. Enjoy!

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Plazas And Squares

In the town area of Arroyo, there are many plazas.

A Plaza is a public square in a town. In the olden days, It was a place for the locals to meet and socialize, as well as a place where you learned of what’s happening in the world outside. Besides that, the plaza also served as a venue for performances and shows, festive activities and sometimes, a market place. It was also a place for spreading religion and government propaganda, as well as for the government to keep an eye on the people.

In Arroyo, these plazas are now dining venues – enclaves for cafes and restaurants, each with their unique clientele. While most of these squares are used by the locals, there are some which have been taken over by the expats. Their cuisines are more international and they are popular with the expats and tourists. In some respect, I guess the plazas still serve as a place for people to meet.

The Plaza Mezquita. This is quite a big square and is popular with the locals.

There is a stage for performances on festive and special occasions.

This looks like an abandoned square. I think there is a care center for the elderly in there.

The Bonaza square. One of those that is popular with the expats and tourists.

I don’t know the name of this Square. This is down by the Costa del Sol where all the action is at night.

Plaza De La Tribuna, or Fountain square to the locals is another square that is very popular with the expats and tourists. They are busy every evening.

“The symbolic functions, both political and religious are of great importance in these spaces, being chosen for the celebration of coronations, executions, demonstrations, processions, canonizations ... They are often chosen to build commemorative monuments or statues, as they are singular and adequate spaces for the mechanisms of maintenance of history memory.” - Wikipedia

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The Parque de la Paloma aka Park Of The Doves

As the name implies, this is a park where you will see doves and pigeons. However, there are also green parrots, chickens and ducks too. And besides the birds, there is also a rabbit or two running about, and a pen where they keep goats, which, according to a notice, are a Spanish indigenous breed.

There used to be more animals. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, the park was closed for a year and when they opened again, the animals were no more there.

Besides the birds and animals, two other features of interest in the park are the cactus gardens at the top end of the park, and the man-made pond at the lower end of the park.

The man-made pond is home to turtles, ducks, fishes... There used to be a pair of swans. But they are not there anymore. The pond is said to be only two feet deep.

According to their website, the cactus garden has over 400 species of cacti and succulents.

There is also a bamboo garden.

Some plants and flowers in the park. Pomegrenade trees

Some kind of lily flowers. The leaves look worn, but the flowers are beautiful. In some places, they simply strip the leaves off the plant leaving the beautiful flowers.

I don’t know what these are.

Goats. They are of Spanish indigenous breed.

Pigeons. If you bring some crumbs with you, you can feed them. You will have them following you around. They keep the children entertained.

Sculpture of a head.

Lots of open spaces for people to have a picnic, especially on a hot summer weekend.

The Parque de la Paloma, or Park of the Doves in Benalmadena is a big park, and very family friendly. There are cafes for you to take a break, have a drink or a snack. There are children’s playgrounds, and large open areas for you to have a picnic.

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