Anyone visiting the Andalucian coast will struggle to believe that barely fifty years ago this stretch of seaboard was a quiet corner of Spain dotted with sleepy fishing villages.

Better known as the Costa del Sol, and stretching from Gibraltar in the west to the city of Malaga in the east, this mountainous coastline is now a concrete-packed parade of ritzy resorts attracting millions of visitors from across Europe, most of them drawn by the combination of fabulous weather, golden sands and buzzing nightlife.

Christened the Costa del Crime during the 1970s, when it became a favourite haven for criminals on the run from British authorities, the area has now been given the rather more sedate title of the Costa del Golf, a reference to the string of lush golf courses popular with the hordes of well-heeled foreign visitors.

If a taste of traditional Spanish culture is what you are looking for then this is not the place for you - you're more likely to find pizza and pasta than authentic tapas, and the huge ex-pat community has ensured that Spanish is now virtually the region's second language - but it's a fun place to relax and soak up the sun, and there are a few hidden gems waiting to be discovered if you know where to look. 

Cultural Highlights
From a distance the city of Malaga looks like a modern sprawl, with its busy dual carriageways and endless rows of gleaming tower blocks, but at its heart lies a historic centre dating back to the medieval Muslim occupation of Spain.

Highlights include the Alcazaba, a fearsome palace-fortress begun in the 11th Century, which combines foreboding fortifications with tranquil, leafy gardens. The nearby cathedral is also worth a visit, with its extravagant 18th Century facade and single tower - the second one was never completed and the building has since acquired the nickname 'La Manquita', or 'One Armed'.

Malaga's most famous son is celebrated in the new Picasso Museum, situated in the 16th Century Palacio de los Condes, and featuring an extensive collection of the artist's works recently donated to the town by his daughter-in-law (www.museopicassomalaga.org). 

Marbella and Porta Banus
A short drive along the coast road (it's worth hiring a car if you plan to do much traveling, the public transport here is almost non-existent) lie the towns of Marbella and Porta Banus, the glittering jewels in the Costa del Sol's glamorous crown. Favoured by celebrities including the Beckhams, Simon Cowell and Max Clifford, these are ideal places to pose and people watch. Both have a selection of good beaches, and both get extremely busy during peak season.

Marbella has a quaint old town, a maze of tiny streets and alleyways packed with an interesting selection of cafes and restaurants, but the place to see and be seen is undoubtedly the marina at Porto Banus. With its impressive collection of million-dollar yachts and smart eateries, it's clear why this stretch of the coast has been christened the Golden Mile.

Shop Till You Drop
If designer shopping is your thing then Porto Banus is a dream come true. All the main fashion houses have outlets here, including Giorgio Armani, Dolce e Gabanna and Louis Vuitton, their opulent luxury goods particularly popular with the increasing number of wealthy Russians flocking to this corner of the Mediterranean.

It's all great fun, but the glamour doesn't come cheap so expect to pay top prices for food, drinks and accommodation. 

Further Afield
If all this glitz and glamour proves rather overwhelming then it's time to head upwards, into the craggy mountains which dominate this part of the Spanish coast. The stunning town of Ronda is less than an hour away along a winding cliff-top road, and it's well worth the journey.

Straddling the vertigo-inducing El Tajo gorge, Ronda's most famous monument is the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), which is in fact over two centuries old and links the ancient and modern parts of the town.

Other points of interest include the 18th Century bullring, one of the oldest in Spain, the Moorish bathhouse at the foot of the town's defensive walls, and the Palacio de Mondragon with its terraced garden and spectacular views over the surrounding Sierra.

Ronda is certainly touristy, with fleets of coaches arriving every morning from the Costa's resorts, but it still retains a fabulously old-world atmosphere with its distinctive whitewashed buildings and busy delicatessens brimming with dried meats and aromatic sausages. 

Gay Scene
When it comes to gay nightlife there is only one place worth visiting on the Coast del Sol - Torremolinos. One of the region's most commercial and over-populated towns, Torremolinos has little to recommend it during daylight hours, but after dark there's a wide selection of bars and clubs to cater for all tastes, many of them located in the Nolgera area.

Crash at 15 Nolgera welcomes bears and their admirers, while Bebop at 718 is a busy leather bar which hosts underwear parties most weekends.

The nearby Morbo's at 113 Nolgera promises the best drag and strip shows on the Costa del Sol. For more details of what Torremolinos has to offer go to www.gaytorremolinos.com, or look out for the free Spanish language magazine Shanguide which includes extensive listings as well as a useful map of the town centre. 

If peace and quiet are what you after then look elsewhere - the Costa del Sol is no place for the faint-hearted. It’s brash, busy and boisterous, perfect for shopping, dancing and sunbathing. Be sure to pack a big bottle of Factor 25, your best shades and a pair of hip swimming trunks and you are guaranteed plenty of fun in the sun.


Find out all the latest gay travel information by buying the 2007 Spartacus International Gay Guide. Get it online and save some money to put towards the other Bruno Gmunder guides - Hotel and Restaurant Guide and Sauna Guide.