Benalmadena is a popular holiday destination in southern Spain renowned for its wonderful weather, fantastic beaches, warm hospitality and a number of unique landmarks, attractions and activities to enjoy.
Family friendly
The Malapesquera Beach is one of the busiest beaches in Benalmadena. The beach is known for its excellent facilities, inexpensive parasols, great lifeguard services and lots of communal showers that make is very accommodating to families with young children. Several popular restaurants are lines along the beach, providing great chances to eat authentic tapas and fresh seafood dishes right after a fine swim in the Mediterranean.
Sporting the finest golden-white sand, the La Perla Beach is a small, family friendly strip of sand in Benalmadena. There is a single restaurant and several convenient facilities that make La Perla great for families with young children. The beach has very mild surf and is relatively shallow, allowing even young swimmers to splash in the azure waters without worry.
The Torre Bermeja is a sunny beach in western Benalmadena that has recently become very popular with families with children and large groups of tourists. The beach features very good lifeguard services along with a number of convenient facilities including cheap sun loungers, changing rooms, showers (free) a playground and more.
Located inside a Mediterranean forest, the Playa Las Yucas is a very scenic beach that sports a number of family friendly facilities. The beach is home to several water sports providers who offer child friendly activities and swimming lessons, making this a great beach for young children to become acquainted with the sea.
Lively spots
The Torremuelle is a busy beach in which there is always something going on. Ideally located alongside a major road, this is a beach that hosts numerous parties in it beach bars and where many young people come to have fun all day (and night) long. There is one restaurant and plenty of free parking space here.
The Santa Ana Beach is a popular beach located near Benalmadena's marina. Here tourists can enjoy cocktails in numerous bars alongside the beach which is equipped with accessibility facilities for disabled tourists and offers free parking. There are parties held here almost every night during high season, while in off season the beach is mostly deserted.
Popular for its beach bars and sand sports activities, the la Morena is a relatively dark sand beach that is located within Benalmadena's urban area. The beach is literally surrounded by lots of different local bars including some very popular ones that hold parties as soon as the sun goes down.
Located in front of two large hotel complexes, the Arroyo Hondo is a small but very busy beach that offers tourists all kinds of amenities thanks to the two large hotels that tower over it. Here you will find saltwater and regular pools, several different bars and restaurants and a beach footie 'stadium' where locals and tourists play impromptu football matches on regular basis.
Blue flag
Fuente de la Salud is a blue flag beach that is kept meticulously clean despite its close proximity to Benalmadena's urban area. In fact, Fuente de la Salud is the closest blue flag beach in Benalmadena and one that is very convenient for families with children as well as elderly tourists and tourists with limited mobility.
Malapesquera, its name literally meaning "bad for fishing" is a famous blue flag beach that is certainly good for swimming very close to Benalmadena. The beach is fairly close to Santa Ana and even though it has minimal facilities you will find anything if you walk a few minutes towards Santa Ana.
One of the most popular blue flag beaches on Costa del Sol, the Carvajal is the quintessential golden sand Mediterranean beach, with azure waters and lots of fun things to do. This beach features at numerous posters about Benalmadena and is considered one of the most beautiful in the area. It's spotlessly clean, with azure waters and several tourist facilities at very close proximity.
Water sports
Located under a cliff and having a unique calmness and visibility, the Viborillas Beach is an incredible place to practice scuba diving and snorkelling in Benalmadena. The beach's unique conditions make it very popular with divers across the Mediterranean. This is a particularly newbie-friendly beach, ideal for scuba diving beginners.
Popular and scenic, the beach underneath Bil-Bil castle makes for the ideal backdrop for some seriously casual water sports such as jet skiing, banana boating, paragliding and water skiing for the whole family. This is a very popular beach among young tourists who come here for the fun and accessible water-based games.
The beach at Arroyo de la Miel is a meeting point for surfers and windsurfers across Benalmadena who regard this little gem as one of the best surfing beaches along Costa del Sol. The surf here is consistently strong and predictable, allowing surfers to spend long days chasing waves without a pause.
Fishing & boating
Located at the eastern side of Benalmadena, the Torrevijia Beach is a hotspot for local fishermen as well as amateurs who come here to practice their fishing skills. The waters off this beach are teeming with fish and at least half a dozen fishing trips have Torrevijia as their destination. The beach is also decent for swimming if you don't mind the fishing boats.
La Viborilla is a rocky beach that is not very suitable for swimming. However, this beach provides an excellent spot for fishing, especially shallow water fishing and angling for squids, octopuses and other 'unusual' catches. This is the perfect place to learn and practice unconventional fishing skills.
Naturist & secluded
The Playa de Benalnatura is a pebbly beach that has been formally designated as a naturist area. Most naturists who visit Benalmadena will end up here and the beach can be quite crowded with naturists of all ages during high season. There are 72 steps tourists have to take down to the beach so some caution is needed especially after a rain, when the steps are slippery.
The beach at Tajo de la Soga is wild, rarely visited and very scenic. Located almost directly opposite to Benalmadena and overlooking the city from a distance, this is an excellent beach to relax without anyone in sight, even during high season. Several irregular coves and large rocks make the beach even more eerie and create small pockets of absolute privacy where you can literally get lost for hours at a time.