Mijas
Vol: 12
Issue 289
April 11th - April 24th 2018
17
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It’s a kind of magic
T II April 11th - April 24th 2018 Photo by Jon Clarke
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Visit once and remain enchanted forever, the favourite 1960s package tour excursion still has mountains of charm writes Chloe Glover
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SAPPHIRE sea twinkles from far below as lilting Andalucian guitars accompany flamenco dancers in their impassioned dances in the grand plaza. The al fresco fiesta has been a free attraction in Mijas Pueblo every Wednesday at noon since anyone can remember. Everywhere along the flowerpot-adorned streets there are snapshots of typical village life: donkey taxis waiting patiently for their next fare, kids kicking balls, gaggles of elderly gents gently snoozing on shady benches. Only a few kilometres downhill, the village’s sibling coastal resorts of La Cala, Riviera del Sol and Calahonda create a different buzz with their trendy beach bars, fast improving restaurants and vibrant nightlife, adding up
to a diverse destination with multiple layers of appeal. The local population of 83,000 is equally diverse, swelled by a multicultural potaje of expats who have come to enjoy a new life in the year-round microclimate provided by the towering Sierra de Mijas mountains. Mijas Costa, a 12-kilometre beach strip stretched between the borders of Fuengirola and Marbella, is a magnet for hotel tourists and holiday home owners. Chris Tarrant and Ryan Giggs are frequent visitors, while Victoria Beckham discovered its spice from spending childhood summer holidays in Riviera. Lorraine Kelly and comedian Stan Continues on Page 18
FESTIVAL TIME: Riders enjoy drinks in Mijas pueblo during the annual feria