Three Towns of Mijas
Mijas is more like three towns than one: Mijas Pueblo has the
character of one of the Andalucian Pueblos Blancos, high in the
mountains and whitewashed. Las Lagunas is the modern and
commercial section of the town. And Mijas Costa is really a
twelve-kilometer long stretch of villages down the coast. All
three areas are governed from the town hall of Mijas.
Also throughout the winter and spring months, the Hipodromo
Costa del Sol has weekly horseracing on Sunday mornings
(Saturday evenings during summer months). As well as watching
the horses, you can eat at the restaurants and bars located
here, or take classes on horse riding and other equestrian
themes.
Mijas Costa
Mijas Costa is composed of El Chaparral, La Cala, El Combo,
Calahonda, Riviera del Sol and Sitio de Calahonda. Right down
the street from the quaint medieval Mijas Pueblo, Mijas Costa is
very modern indeed. You can rent vacation properties ranging
from beachfront studios to major villas, or you can stay in
hotels convenient to the beach. And wherever you stay, you'll
have wide access to water sports from just swimming and soaking
up sunlight to jet skiing, wakeboarding and surfing,
windsurfing, and boating.
Sitio de Calahonda and Riviera del Sol are each large villages
by themselves with all the amenities: supermarkets, golf
courses, bars, restaurants, hotels, and shopping districts. It's
easy for English speaking tourists to find what they want here;
this part of Mijos caters to tourists.
At the center of Mijas Costa is La Cala, which still has some of
the quaintness of the traditional seaside Andalucian village. It
was once a fishing village, and today still maintains a street
market on Wednesday and Saturday with everything from flowers
and plants to fresh produce to ceramics and locally-produced
clothing. Try some of the traditional local sherries and wines
here. On Saturday nights in July and August, you'll find
classical music and flamenco dancing throughout the promenade as
the village celebrates Noches de Luna y Playa.
Mijas Pueblo
At the top of the quaint white village of Mijas you'll find
fortress walls, gardens, and excellent vantage points as you
wind through narrow cobbled alleys and streets. Artists and
writers from everywhere have chosen to settle here in Mijas
Pueblos. The town has retained most of its traditional Way of
life, celebrating festivities with vigor and facing life in a
laid-back manner. You'll find wonderful crafts including
handmade pottery and paintings by acclaimed artists who live
locally. Instead of the usual tourist trash, you could bring
home a memento of your trip that, years down the way, turns out
to be a sound investment. An open theater is built into the
fortress walls; this is a center of the village, where
theatrical festivals and other entertainments are held.
Approaching Mijas Pueblo, you'll see a small white building high
above the village. This is the shrine of Calvario, a place of
worship visited by Carmelite monks for reflection and
contemplation. If you want to visit, there's a path to it
through the trees, marked with iron crosses. The view is
remarkable, a panorama of coastline, sea, and mountain on both
sides of the sea.
The Virgin of the Rock on the Paseo El Compas is a shrine to the
patron saint of Mijas, and it's set right into the rock. There
is also the Church of the Immaculate Conception built on the
ruins of an old Moorish castle, and using one of the old Moorish
towers as the church bell tower. Pillars supporting the three
naves of the old building sport frescoes depicting the Apostles
dating from 1632. The San Sebastian Church is one of the
most-photographed parts of the Costa del Sol because of the
beauty of its setting. And the Shrine of Our Lady of Los
Remedios has retained its simplicity, becoming a shrine to the
old village way of life as well as to the Virgin.
You'll also find several museums here, including the Bull
Fighting Museum and the Museum of Miniatures, which holds
stuffed dressed fleas among other miniature and miniaturized
items. The Paseo de las Murallas, the local bullring, is yet
another part of Andalucian culture.
A unique pleasure is the Mijas donkey taxi service; you can ride
a donkey, a donkey and trap, or a coach pulled by horses. It's a
particularly authentic way to see Mijas.
If none of this is to your taste, then maybe the fact that Mijas
is a golfing paradisw will be. There are several world-class
courses in this area, with a perfect year-round climate for
golfing and high recommendations from many pros. Nowhere in the
area are you more than a few minutes' drive away from an
excellent golf course. If you don't know golf well, there are
also several renowned golfing schools in the area. In addition
to the courses, several world-class hotels have been built in
the area to cater to the golfing traffic.