Lead-in price per person, based on two sharing. Tap any month and we’ll confirm live availability and the best price for your dates.
From prices are per person, based on two people sharing. What you pay depends on your travel dates, how many nights you want, your departure airport and anything you add — tell us what you need and a UK specialist will confirm your price. ATOL 10713 protected.
A holiday to Costa del Sol costs from £269 per person, based on two people sharing. That covers 4 nights and return flights from London. November 2026 is the cheapest departure currently on sale. Secure it with £99pp and pay the balance nearer the time. Every holiday we sell is ATOL 10713 protected.
Four nights at the Hotel Ocean House Costa del Sol or similar 4★ with return flights from London and daily breakfast listed in the package. ATOL protection under licence 10713 applies and a £99 per person deposit holds it. Regional UK airports are available at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Excursions, car hire, transfers and travel insurance are not included, and your meal arrangement is confirmed in writing before you pay. The coast runs from Marbella to Torremolinos and the two ends could not be more different.
This is a stretch of coast rather than a single resort, and the character changes completely along it. Booking the wrong end is the most common way people come away disappointed.
| Where | Character | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Marbella and Puerto Banús | Smart, expensive, yacht-lined | Couples and groups who want polish |
| Fuengirola and Benalmádena | Family resorts, long beaches, mid-range | Families |
| Torremolinos | Busy, cheap, lively, unpretentious | Groups and budget trips |
| Malaga city | A real Andalusian city with a beach | Anyone who wants more than a resort |
Malaga is the one most people underrate. It has been transformed over the past fifteen years — Picasso was born there and the museum is excellent, the port has been rebuilt, and the old town is a proper Andalusian one rather than a resort strip. If you have written the Costa del Sol off, Malaga is the reason to reconsider.
November is the cheapest month, and Andalusia in November is mild and pleasant — good for Malaga, the old towns and walking, but the sea is too cold for swimming.
August is the dearest and is the hottest and busiest the coast gets. September is the value month: the sea is at its warmest, the crowds are thinning, and it is eighty pounds below August.
| Month | Notes |
|---|---|
| November | Cheapest; mild, good for cities, sea too cold |
| January, February | Mildest winter on mainland Spain |
| March | Spring, and Semana Santa moves prices around |
| September | Warmest sea, thinning crowds — the value pick |
| May, October | Comfortable either side of summer |
| December | Festive premium; mild but not beach weather |
| June | Proper beach weather begins |
| July | Hot and busy |
| August | Dearest, hottest, busiest |
The Costa del Sol has the mildest winter of anywhere on mainland Spain, which is why January works as a warm-ish city-and-coast break even though it is not a beach holiday.
Malaga is a half-hour along the coast and deserves a full day. The Picasso Museum, the Alcazaba fortress above the Roman theatre, and a rebuilt port with a food market at Atarazanas. It is a genuine Andalusian city and the food is far better than anything in the resorts.
Marbella old town is a surprise to anyone expecting only Puerto Banús — whitewashed lanes, orange trees and squares that have nothing to do with the marina five minutes away. Both are worth seeing and they are not the same place.
The beaches run the length of the coast and are mostly dark sand rather than white. They are long, well served with chiringuitos — beach restaurants grilling sardines on skewers — and busy in summer.
Ronda, inland and about ninety minutes away, is the day trip worth taking: a town split by a gorge with a bridge across it, and one of the most dramatic settings in Spain. Granada and the Alhambra are further but doable with an early start.
The Costa del Sol is longer and more varied than its reputation. Torremolinos and Benalmádena are the busy family end, Marbella and Puerto Banús are the money, and Nerja and Frigiliana to the east are whitewashed villages that look nothing like the resort strip.
Málaga itself is the sleeper. Twenty minutes by train from the resorts, it has the Picasso museum, a Moorish fortress above the city and one of the best food scenes in southern Spain — and most people on a beach holiday never go.
All quoted at enquiry against your dates.
Flights are from London, around two and three-quarter hours, with regional UK airports at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Spain is one hour ahead of the UK. This is one of the best-served Spanish destinations from UK regional airports, so the supplement is often smaller here than elsewhere.
Transfers are not included. Malaga airport serves the entire coast, and the local train runs west to Fuengirola through Torremolinos and Benalmádena — cheap, frequent and often faster than the road in summer. Marbella is not on the train line and needs a bus or a taxi.
A hire car is worth it for Ronda, the white villages and Granada. Along the coast itself the train and buses cover most of what you need.
Checked against GOV.UK foreign travel advice on 17 September 2026.
Spain is in the Schengen area, so British passport holders need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid at least three months after you leave.
The EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System is rolling out, replacing passport stamps with fingerprints and a photograph on your first crossing. It is free, lasts three years and speeds up later trips. ETIAS is not currently required.
Andalusia eats late — lunch from two, dinner rarely before nine. The resorts serve earlier for visitors, but the good places away from the front run on Spanish hours.
Chiringuitos, the beach restaurants, grill sardines on skewers over open fires in the sand. It is the local speciality and it is best at lunch rather than dinner.
The coastal train west from Malaga is genuinely useful and considerably quicker than the road in July and August, when the coast road backs up badly.
The beaches here are dark sand rather than white, which surprises people expecting the Caribbean. They are clean, long and well equipped — just not pale.
Semana Santa, Holy Week, falls in March or April and moves year to year. Malaga’s processions are among the most impressive in Spain and they fill the city completely. Tell us if you want to see them or would rather avoid the crowds, because it changes both availability and price.
The Alhambra in Granada sells timed tickets that go weeks in advance, particularly in spring. If a day trip there is part of your plan, book the tickets before you book the car — going without them is a wasted journey.
Your booking is covered by our ATOL licence 10713 and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. It is held with a deposit of £99 per person, with the balance due before travel.
Prices are per person, based on two people sharing. September is the month we would point most people towards, and January is worth considering if what you want is mild weather and a city rather than a beach.
From £269 per person for four nights, reduced from £340, including return flights from London and a 4★ hotel. November is the cheapest month and August the dearest. Your exact figure depends on your dates and departure airport and is confirmed at enquiry.
They differ completely. Marbella and Puerto Banús are smart and expensive; Fuengirola and Benalmádena are family resorts; Torremolinos is busy, cheap and unpretentious; and Malaga is a real Andalusian city with a beach. Booking the wrong end is how people come away disappointed.
It is the most underrated thing on this coast. Transformed over the past fifteen years — the Picasso Museum, the Alcazaba above the Roman theatre, a rebuilt port and the Atarazanas food market. If you have written the Costa del Sol off, Malaga is the reason to reconsider it.
September — the sea is at its warmest, the crowds are thinning and it is eighty pounds below August. November is cheapest and mild, but the sea is too cold to swim, so it suits a city-and-coast trip rather than a beach one.
It has the mildest winter of anywhere on mainland Spain, so January works as a warm-ish break for walking, Malaga and the old towns. It is not a beach holiday — the sea is cold from November to May. For winter swimming, the Canaries are the answer.
The Hotel Ocean House Costa del Sol or similar 4★. Alternative properties along the coast can be quoted against your dates — Marbella for polish, Fuengirola for families, Malaga for the city. They are genuinely different holidays at different prices.
Your meal arrangement is confirmed in writing before you pay, so there is no ambiguity about what is covered. All-inclusive is widely available here and priced on request.
Yes, but dark sand rather than white — which surprises people expecting the Caribbean. They are clean, long and well equipped with chiringuitos, the beach restaurants that grill sardines on skewers over open fires. Attractive, just not pale.
A beach restaurant, and the local speciality is espeto — sardines grilled on skewers over an open fire in the sand. It is best at lunch rather than dinner and it is one of the genuine pleasures of this coast. Most are inexpensive and none needs booking.
It is the day trip worth taking — a town split by a gorge with a bridge across it, about ninety minutes inland, and one of the most dramatic settings in Spain. Granada and the Alhambra are further but doable with an early start and advance tickets.
Not along the coast — the local train runs west from Malaga through Torremolinos and Benalmádena to Fuengirola, and it is cheap, frequent and often faster than the road in summer. For Ronda, Granada and the white villages, yes. Marbella is not on the train line.
No. Spain is in the Schengen area and British passport holders can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without one. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid at least three months after you leave. Checked against GOV.UK on 17 September 2026.
Late. Lunch from around two, dinner rarely before nine. The resorts serve earlier for visitors, but the good places away from the seafront run on Spanish hours, and turning up at seven means an empty room and a kitchen that has not started.
Warmest in September after a summer of heating, cool in May and June despite the air, and cold from November to May. That is the trade behind the November price. Want a beach holiday rather than a mild-weather break? June to October is the window.
Seville per person is a proper Andalusian city break with the Alcázar and flamenco, and no beach. The Costa del Sol is a beach holiday with Malaga and Ronda within reach. If the city is the point, take Seville; if you want sand with culture available, take this.
It works — two days on the beach, one in Malaga and one for Ronda or Marbella old town. Five or seven nights is priced on request and is worth it if you want Granada as well, which is a long day and better not squeezed in.
Yes, and this is one of the best-served Spanish destinations from UK regional airports, so the supplement is often smaller here than elsewhere in our programme. We confirm the exact figure for your dates and departure point at enquiry.
Very. Fuengirola and Benalmádena in particular are built for it — long sandy beaches, shallow water, everything on the doorstep and a short transfer from Malaga airport. The coastal train also makes days out straightforward without a car.
Two things at once. Puerto Banús is the yacht marina and the expensive end, and the old town five minutes away is whitewashed lanes, orange trees and quiet squares with nothing to do with it. Both are worth seeing and they surprise people who only expected the first.
No. Malaga airport serves the entire coast and transfer times vary from around fifteen minutes to Torremolinos to about forty-five to Marbella. We can arrange a private transfer as part of your booking — just ask when you enquire.
Ninety-nine pounds per person, with the balance due before travel. The holiday is ATOL 10713 protected and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. Prices are per person, based on two people sharing.
September and the shoulder months hold availability reasonably well. July and August sell early and carry the year’s top prices per person, and Semana Santa in March or April moves prices around considerably. Want a specific resort rather than a stretch of coast? Book sooner.
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