Spedprof

Healthy, elderly (75+) couple from Northeast U.S. looking for 3-4 weeks in a warm climate in Europe next February, possibly the Costa Del Sol. No car, not Spanish speaking, but wish to avoid heavy retiree area similar to Southeast Florida in winter. Hope to rent apt. with water view, but also walkable to variety of restaurants, local shops, etc. Read about some locales with steep hills to town which we wish to avoid. Also read about La Caribuela, Fuengirola, or Estepona. Open to other suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Maribel

Of the ones you've read about, I would choose Estepona, which still retains some Spanish charm and has a very progressive mayor and is a town on the move.
I would not consider the Torremolinos-Fuengirola-Benalmádena axis filled with concrete high-rises with no charm.

But of all the Costa del Sol spots, I love the Costa's vibrant and lovely capital city of Málaga, with so much to offer culturally with an abundance of museums (over 30), a beautiful seaside promenade shaded by palm tress, a tropical garden, a colorful indoor market, a Roman theater and Arab fortress atop the city, the Alcazaba, etc.. And most of the inner city core is pedestrianized, so great for strolling, for stopping at an outdoor terrace, for people watching. In addition, without a car, it's an excellent transportation hub. From Málaga you can bus or train to Granada, for example, or to Antequera, or to Córdoba or Sevilla for a multi-night stay. I would actually look for a place in Málaga capital for more day trip options without a car. It´s a lovely city that offers 300+ days of sunshine.

And it has also become a retirees' haven.

just_tina

Malaga has been one of my favourite places for a long time and has a lot to offer because there's loads to see and do and just wandering around the centre is fantastic. We spent a week there in March 2018 and ten days in November 2019.
​​​​​https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...eport.html?m=1
We also stopped for the day last Tuesday on the way back to the airport. It was a Tuesday, not a weekend, but the centre was packed, far more crowds than we remembered from our previous visits.
If you're not used to living in a busy city (I'm not), it might be a bit tiring in the long run. Also maybe not so easy to find a waterfront apartment.
Estepona sounds great, I've not been there yet. To the east of Málaga, Almuńécar might be worth looking at
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...necar.html?m=1
Nerja is pretty but lots of foreigners

Rubicund

Maybe consider Madeira. It's a beautiful island with a great climate all year round. Most people speak English and there are lots of restaurants and choice of hotels and apartments. Funchal is lovely and we've stayed there many times and in February IMO it's a better alternative than he Costa del Sol.

Spedprof

Thanks for the input... Can you expand a bit on the notion that Malaga is a "busy city" that we might not be used to living in? While I know it is much smaller, Is it a busy city as some of the places we have visited in the past, i.e. London, Madrid, Florence, etc. with traffic, noise, and the rest?? A few years ago, when we were in Italy, we had a wonderful week or so in Panzano and went to Florence twice by bus for the day... But we loved the relaxed village of Panzano, where we spent much time though we did have a car with us. So my early research suggested that we would want to train.bus into Malaga fro some smaller, more relaxed town. That is where the notion of Estepona came from, although I was indeed looking at the "Torremolinos-Fuengirola-Benalmádena axis" as was described in a post. Kinda puts me off of them. More research to do, that is for sure, but we have plenty of time and any other ideas welcome.

You geneous input is much appreciated!!

Maribel

I don't find it that busy, certainly not nearly as busy as Madrid, where I live.
Because so much of the historic quarter is pedestrianized, you're not so bothered by traffic noise. It's just a very please place to stroll around. I arrived last February 13 for a week and didn't find it hectic. I'm returning for Holy Week later this month as Málaga as well as Sevilla is famous for its celebrations, but Holy Week is a different story all together.

The city has become a major cruise ship port and when a large cruise ship is docked, the streets of the historic quarter can be busy during the day, especially around the Alcazaba. There are 5 ships arriving this month and a couple may arrive in February. Here´s the cruise port schedule. But many cruise passengers will take a very popular shore excursion to Granada to see the Alhambra.

You can certainly stay in Estepona and take the Avanza bus into Málaga. The ride takes about 1 hr. 30 min.

just_tina

As Maribel said, the centre of Malaga is pedestrianised and there's the long, and very attractive walk through the gardens and Muelle Uno etc which is never too crowded. It's not a chaotic city like Barcelona for example, certainly not like Florence or London. Both times I stayed in Malaga I loved it, and I loved it last Tuesday too. It's just that we'd been visiting very quiet towns and villages over the previous ten days and it was a big difference. The streets in the centre are quite narrow so even if they are pedestrianised you have to be aware of other people around you and what they're doing and since you mentioned you're 75+, I just thought that if it were me I'd go somewhere quieter for the longer stay and day trip (or maybe spend two or three nights) in Malaga. But listen to other people's advice too. I may be overcomplicating....I live in a small village in the mountains so take that into consideration too!
Also there's a host of things to see and do in Malaga.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...-31-ideas.html
On one of our trips we discovered the promenade to the west of Muelle Uno, lots of space for a stroll, and fewer tourists, so maybe finding accommodation in that area could be a solution.

glover

We are your contemporaries and spent 3 weeks in Seville in February 2020. We absolutely loved Seville. We had perfect weather, lots of sun and most days up into 70s. It’s a great walkable city with so much to see and do and wonderful food. Beautiful river cuts through city. We stayed a block off the river in the Triana nabe in a comfortable air bnb apt in a lovely old bldg. highly recommend Seville for February. Have a trip report under name here on Fodors.

mike1728

Following: Planning for September….fly into Malaga, 2 nights, then to Sanlucar for 4 nights, Zahara for 7 nights and then 4 nights in Duquesa. Fly out of Malaga. Actually late September/ October

jeffhullinger3220

You're proposing to do exactly what I did a year ago. I stayed in Torremolinos for two weeks, and traveled to Valencia for a week with the final week spent among Marbella, Cordoba, Madrid and Granada. I especially enjoyed Valencia. Temperatures usually reached the mid-60s F during the day, and nighttime temperatures seldom dipped below 50.

I'm not sure why anyone would say Torremolinos lacks Spanish "charm;" for me it was the ideal place, as walks along the beachside promenade took me as far as Benalmadena and Los Alamos. And the metro station in Torremolinos allowed me to go into Malaga in about 15 minutes to get all the urban Spanish character I could hope for.

My second week in Torremolinos was in an apartment directly on Carihuela Beach. It's a very touristy place for sure, but there are restaurants there covering most of the cuisines on earth, and it's a wonderfully central location for visiting the various beaches west of Malaga.

Wherever you decide to stay, I'd urge you to find an apartment convenient to the Malaga Metro Train running from Maria Zembrano station all the way out to Fuengirola. Tourists are able to get a weekly travel card for, I believe, 10 euros providing unlimited trips on the service.

Spedprof

Thanks all, Much to consider. Thought I read that many (most) of the beachfront restaurants are closed in the winter, suggesting that staying in Malaga was probably preferable. Can anyone confirm that?
Also, suggestion that we spend some time in Seville is intriguing for us to consider. 3-4 weeks gives us time to get around, but without a car, only 2 or 3 places makes sense as bases. Thanks again!!

jeffhullinger3220

Very few of the restaurants in Torremolinos and environs were closed in February 2023. I wouldn't allow that concern to persuade you to avoid the beach cities. Then again, I wouldn't dissuade you from staying in Malaga proper.

Seville is a beautiful city, and I recommend it highly. I found Valencia to be my favorite Spanish city so far, though that may be an outgrowth of my interests in art, science and nature. (See: La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias.) The Oceanografic in Valencia is the most incredible aquarium, and it funds natural habitat research and restoration worldwide. I'd always suggest that visitors to Spain consider a stop in Valencia.

ekscrunchy

Great, Mike is planning an upcoming trip! He's an expert on some off these coastal areas and I, for one, will be interested in his trip plans..

My input, without a car: Seriously consider Sevilla.