Costa del Sol
 

Spending two weeks outside Malaga in countryside next September and would like recommendation for 7 day stay along the coast. Interested in small town with restaurants and fewer tourists: beach itself not as important as atmosphere of the town. Would like to be able to then fly tome to USA from Malaga.

Where are you spending those two weeks in the countryside ? It may be better to stay right there and do day trips to the coast. The coast is very developped all the way from Gibraltar to the French border, and if you've already paid for a pace, why spend yet more to be right on the sea.

Oops, not pace but rather "place". Your countryside place may well prove more atmospheric than one on the coast. Just the way it is nowadays.

I can suggest Nerja, which is about 50 km east from Malaga, and in contrast to the resorts west of Malaga, has no high-rise hotels and largely retained the Spanish atmosphere, with no rowdy bars or discos. Plenty of tapas bars and restaurants. Just had a fabulous week there.

Sanlucar de Barrameda.

Second Alec's suggestion of Nerja. A beautiful, coastal town with nine small and large beaches among the cliffs that has got all the amenities that makes it popular with tourists, but Nerja has also has kept much of its Andalucian charm, especially up in the old town. http://www.nerjatoday.com/

Photo of Nerja: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/...de6a8146_o.jpg

Nice, small villages up into the pretty spectacular Almijara mountain range just behind Nerja, and Nerja is also close to fabulous Andalucian capitals such as genuine Andalucian atmosphere Málaga city and Granada with the Alhambra. Buses all the time to Málaga (some 30 miles) and a couple of times a day to Granada (some 60 miles).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...pt-secret.html

Some of my Nerja favourites:

Marisquería La Marina is about as good as you get a seafood freiduría in all of Andalucía and very popular with locals. Have splurged on fabulous seafood here on many occasions: http://www.guideofnerja.com/pages/gu.../marina_en.htm
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Free tapas to choose with every drink of beer, wine or mineral water in most tapas bars and restaurants in Nerja for some 1,50-2€. Dozens of absolutely excellent places. For example delicious free tapas grilled on the spot (conchas finas, mussels, clams, prawns, monkfish, whitebait, baby-squid, sausages, pinchos morunos, mini-burgers etc.) and great atmosphere at El Pulguilla in C/Cristo, just off landmark Balcón de Europa.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

La Puntilla in the heart of the Old town:
http://www.nerjatoday.com/barsandres...s/la-puntilla/
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...Andalucia.html

Close to legendary beach restaurant Ayo's with the famous paella: http://www.ayonerja.com/index.html

The spectacular Nerja Caves count for much of the tourist boom since the early 1960's: http://www.cuevadenerja.es/index.php?lenguaje=en

I recommend to stay in or close to seafront Calle Carabeo, the oldest street in town. Runs along the cliffs on the photo above. Several apartments to rent here, and also some nice hotels (Hotel Carabeo, Parador de Nerja) and a couple of basic hotel standard hostals.

Correct link to the Nerja photo. Seafront Calle Carabeo mentioned above runs along these cliffs over three of the nine beaches in town: https://www.flickr.com/photos/trondjs/3735908317/

I would highly recommend Cadiz and the surrounding Costa de la Luz. It is very different from the Malaga area and is much more local and authentic. If you are looking for a beach resort you could look up the Sancti Petri area, which has some of the best beach resorts in Europe.

And of course, 3000 year old Málaga city itself (Phoenician Malaka) is also a good option, genuine and laid-back Andalucian atmosphere. And you'll get the small town and few tourists feel in El Palo/Pedregalejo just east of the city center. Great beachfront restaurants and beaches out here that are very popular with locals.

Málaga city beaches: https://www.spain-holiday.com/Malaga...ty-beach-guide
Málaga beach restaurants (chiringuitos): https://www.spain-holiday.com/Malaga...nt-restaurants
"Málaga - Spain's best kept secret": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...pt-secret.html

Have they at least started construction on the sewage treatment plant yet ? Once done Nerja should be a pleasant place. Meanwhile ... find another place if you want to go in the sea.

Great suggestions from kimhe. Despite its busyness I love Torremolinos it has a great promenade that is littered with bars grilling sardines and you can walk to LA Carhuela with fabulous fish restaurants. September is a great month to go there.

You are a brave soul, Steve. The pundits here loathe Torre. In any case, the OP is looking for a quaint place, not Torre, not Malaga, not Nerja.

<Interested in small town with restaurants and fewer tourists: beach itself not as important as atmosphere of the town.>

Think Nerja, and especially the beautiful and local atmosphere old town part up from seaside Calle Carabeo along the cliffs, is about as close you get in the Costa del Sol. A couple of dozens genuine tapas bars and restaurants in the area. Or as suggested El Palo/Pedregalejo just east of Málaga city center. But you have of course tiny places like charming Maro just east of Nerja and right below the spectacular Nerja Cave. A few perfectly fine restaurants here also.
http://www.nerjatoday.com/maro/
The Nerja Cave: http://www.cuevadenerja.es/index.php?lenguaje=en

Bedar do you think the sea has borders? THE SEA IS OUR GARBAGE BIN, not only in Nerja but everywhere you go...

1: The water cleaning plant in Nerja is underway, at least they have started the works, but it has been stopped during the high season...

2: All beaches in Nerja have the highest bathing water quality ("excellent quality") every year since 2011 according to the European Union's European Environment Agency. Some 350 beaches in Spain (some 15 %) with less than "excellent quality" in 2015 according to the agency.
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/wate...bathing-waters

I also think you might like the Costa de Luz side a little more. The Costa del Sol is like Florida for Europeans.