Bliss Homes

This is the quieter western end of the Costa del Sol, where the hills of Casares run down to a coastline that has never been built up in the way Marbella was. The first fairway sits under 200 metres from the door and two further courses lie within 700 metres, so golf here is a walk or a buggy ride rather than a drive. The nearest beach is 1.9 km away, roughly four minutes by car and the sand continues uninterrupted towards Sabinillas.

Day to day, the practicalities are close without being underfoot. A Lidl is five minutes away, as are two pharmacies and a cluster of cafés and bars in the village. Local restaurants sit within two kilometres and the marina at Puerto de la Duquesa, with its waterfront terraces and berths, is eight minutes by road. Estepona's high-resolution hospital is seven minutes away.

The climate does much of the work: average highs of 22.1°C and lows of 15.5°C across the year, with the coastal range holding off the winter winds. Gibraltar sits around 29 km to the west and Málaga airport some 73 km up the coast. Be clear-eyed, though. This is a car-led setting, not a walkable town centre.