The Spanish mountain village, situated between Marbella, Estepona & Ronda, is beautiful. It’s worlds away from the luxury parties in Marbella. It also offers a little look at authentic Spain in an area that is mostly dominated by British tourists. Here are my top 4 reasons for factoring Benahavis into your next trip to the area.
The Food
Benahavis is known as the Costa Del Sol’s dining table and I can see why. I love food. To me, there’s nothing better than going out and enjoying a good meal whilst you’re on holiday.
Although La Alcaria de Ramos, situated in the hills between Estepona and Benahavis, was beautiful, my favourite restaurant of the stay was Amigos. Amigos is right in the centre of Benahavis, surrounded by cobbled streets.
If you decide to visit this foodie paradise, make sure you have the sangria (delicious) and also book a table outside. It does get busy, so make sure you book before you leave.
I tried the Pil Pil everywhere I went, because, well, it’s amazing. If you do visit Benahavis, or indeed anywhere in Spain, make sure you have Pil Pil and plenty of it.
The Views
Benahavis is located on the mountain range of La Serrania de Ronda. It’s one of the most mountainous villages on the western coast on the Costa Del Sol, so the views are incredible.
The first of the three pictures was taken from our balcony. At this time of year, sunrise is at about 7.15am, which is quite late opposed to the UK’s 5am. It means that waking up and watching the sunset is a little more do-able, especially if you’re on holiday. As a result of the mountainous terrain, the sunset is even more spectacular.
The second picture is taken at the beach in Estepona. If you like taking pictures – as I do – there’s plenty of good angles for pictures at the beach. We took our drone down to the beach – and up into the mountains and got some unbelievable shots. Check out the video below for a real look at the views.
The third is taken on the roads up towards Benahavis. We were staying a little bit further down the hill, so we were able to see this jutting landscape every time we went up there. There are some beautiful walks in the hills, so if you’ve got time to explore in a little more detail, head to one of the planned walks.
The Gorge
This was the best part of my trip by far. Las Angosturas Gorge, located in the heart of Benahavis, is a two hour ‘river walk’. It’s not an easy walk/swim, so be prepared before you start – it’s quite an adventure. We used our GoPro and GoPro Karma whilst we were swimming in the Gorge, so check out our video below to see some of the shots we managed to get. I think our video gives a better overview of the beauty of the place than I ever could!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7IK1kAg5Uc
The best tip I can give you is to get here early in the morning. We arrived around 8.30am and we had the gorge to ourselves. If you go at the weekend or in the middle of the day, it’s packed and you can’t see the beauty of it. If you do decide to go early, you will find that the water is colder than in the middle of the day. It takes a bit of getting used to. But, once you’re in, it’s worth it for the peace and quiet!
The Authenticity
The Costa Del Sol has a bad reputation. Known as a hot version of England, the cheap flights and package holidays make it an obvious choice for a lot of Brits. As we all know, some British people have a tendency to be very annoying on holiday and ruin it for the rest of us! Add the reputation that Marbella has as the go-to place for the TOWIE population, many avid travellers avoid this area.
My advice? Don’t! Even Marbella has an old town and there are many places around the Costa Del Sol that are worth visiting. Some of the beachfront places are geared towards the British traveller, but it’s easy enough to avoid them. Benahavis is a great example of a place you can go to avoid the ‘standard’ Costa Del Sol experience. The pictures below speaks for themselves, it’s a very authentically Spanish place.
Have you visited Benahavis or any other places in the region? I’d love to know your top tips and places that shouldn’t be missed!
