Serene Atalaya

This is the quieter stretch of coast between Estepona and San Pedro, where daily life runs on short distances. El Campanario Golf is 279 metres from the gate and El Paraíso Golf Club a two-minute drive.

The Atalaya clubhouse and its restaurant sit 566 metres away, close enough for an early nine holes followed by breakfast before the rest of the house is awake.

The sea is three or four minutes by car. Playa Isdabe, Salduna and Playa Atalaya are all within two kilometres, wide and unhurried outside August.

Padel courts at Hacienda del Sol are a short hop, HC Marbella International Hospital nine minutes and Puerto Banús twelve, which keeps the yachts, the late dinners and the shopping at arm's length rather than on the doorstep.

The climate does much of the work. Average highs of 21.6°C and lows of 15.2°C across the year mean the terrace is usable most months and the garden rarely closes for the season. Families tend to settle here for exactly that reason: an independent house with outdoor space, international schools and services nearby and none of the density of the resort towns.