The first thing you see when the timber door swings open is the Mediterranean. Your eye travels through the living room, across the terrace and out over the infinity pool, where the blue of the water gives way to the blue of the sea. You’ll want to put your keys down and go straight outside to the pool. In this four-bedroom villa in Benalmádena Costa, the terrace feels like another room. The living room, dining area and kitchen all open onto it, so you can pour a glass of wine at the kitchen counter and be beside the pool a few steps later. Lunch can run into the afternoon here, with wet towels over the backs of chairs and no particular reason to clear the table. A second kitchen and utility room have access to one of the parking spaces. There’s also a guest cloakroom, and a lift connects all levels. Upstairs, a light-filled gallery separates the two principal suites. Each has its own dressing room and en suite bathroom, and from either bedroom you can watch the sea change colour without getting out of bed. On the rooftop terrace, the view opens up again. Settle into the jacuzzi at dusk and stay long enough to see the lights come on along the coast. The two remaining bedrooms are on the lower level, each with a dressing room, an en suite bathroom and doors onto a generous sea-facing terrace. Elsewhere on this floor, ceilings rise to more than five metres. There’s room for the cinema you’ve always wanted, a gym, a games room or a wine cellar with space to open a bottle and sit down with friends. Benalmádena Costa, between Málaga and Marbella An evening here might mean a walk along the seafront at Bil Bil or dinner overlooking the boats at Puerto Marina. Málaga–Costa del Sol Airport is around 12 km from Benalmádena Costa, Málaga city centre is roughly 18 km from Puerto Marina, and Marbella is around 40–44 km away by road. Distances vary according to the starting point and route. The detail that would make this feel like home is a door on the lower level. Open it and the beach is a minute’s walk away. You could leave your coffee brewing, go down for the first swim of the day and come back barefoot to breakfast on the terrace.
