Private transfer from Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport to Mijas Costa

Mijas Costa is the coastal strip of the Mijas municipality, running between Fuengirola and Marbella — not to be confused with Mijas Pueblo, the white village up in the hills with its donkey taxis. The coast is a chain of large urbanizations: Calahonda, Riviera del Sol, Miraflores and the town of La Cala de Mijas, with its promenade and chiringuitos. Golfers come for La Cala Resort's three courses, plus El Chaparral, Calanova and Santana Golf. Families and long-stay northern European residents favour the quieter beaches around El Faro de Calaburras. Summer brings holiday crowds; winter draws golfers and retirees escaping the cold. It's residential and spread out rather than a single tourist centre.

The route leaves the airport heading west on the A-7 Autovía del Mediterráneo, the free coastal dual carriageway that follows the shoreline the whole way. You pass Torremolinos and Benalmádena, then skirt Fuengirola before the various Mijas Costa exits begin — Calahonda first, then Riviera del Sol, Miraflores and La Cala further along. It's motorway almost door to door, roughly 30 to 40 minutes depending on which urbanization you're going to. The AP-7 toll road runs parallel and can help in peak summer traffic. The final stretch is often a short descent off the A-7 into a resort complex, where roads narrow and signage is by urbanization name rather than street.

Because Mijas Costa is a long line of urbanizations rather than one town, the single most useful thing you can do is give the full urbanization name plus the block or villa number — "Riviera del Sol, phase 2" or "Calahonda, near Calypso" is far more useful than just "Mijas Costa". Many complexes have several entrances and gated access, so note any gate code or reception point. Confirm you mean Mijas Costa and not Mijas Pueblo, which is a separate 20-minute drive uphill. If you're heading to La Cala de Mijas centre, the boulevard and beachfront are walkable, but the golf resorts inland are not — arrange the transfer to the resort itself.