Trying to determine where to move to in Costa del Sol!! Advice requested please!!

You are almost certainly going to end up with a list of places that posters live as one would assume thats where they think is the best location. So I'll kick off. For me it would be Estepona hands down. However, being realistic, I think you will struggle to find a detached place for 400K, so you'll be looking at a semi or maybe a townhouse or an apartment. As is always the case, the further you are from the coast the more you will get for your money but the further from the coast the less that English is widely spoken so your husband might struggle. All that said, keeping an open mind, Estepona or Manilva could well be the perfect spot for you. Don't rule out east of Malaga either as it has a very different feel and vibe to the west of Malaga and generally speaking tends to be slightly less expensive. Its all lovely, it will undoubtedly come down to what works for you. But if you are here for a week, with a car it would be quite easy to at least travel the coast to get a feel for where you feel most comfortable and then drill down to the specifics after that. Good luck!

We chose the east side of Malaga (Torrox/Nerja on your list)  You'll find properties of the type you seek, at lower cost that the west side. It's less built up than the west, and for us, appears less "touristy", although plenty of english voices in pockets. 

Really depends what you're looking for, the west has its attractions as so many people head for there!

You really should spend time in as many parts of the area as you can. I don't beleive the week's stay you plan will be enough to get a real idea. Renting for several month's as you plan to, is a great idea, ultimately you may settle on an area away from your rental choice.

Maybe la Cala /Calahonda/fuengirola/Marbella all great areas near everything you want

I would have thought that Marbella would be way out of reach with a budget of 400K for a detached property?

Well, I'd say you are doing what is the most helpful - coming here, having a look, and renting first. It's really not possible to say where is best, it's such a personal decision. There are lovely places that might not be suitable for your needs, or places that might not be what you dream of but have great facilities, or are too Spanish or too touristy or don't have enough ex-pats or too many ex-pats or a whole host of other things that someone else might not even think of. I'd hate to live in Estepona, for example, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible place or has lots wrong with it - it's beautiful, actually - but, it's not right for me. I would say you need to spend a winter in a place before deciding whether or not to buy and live there. Rain, cold, access, heating costs, activities, all have a bearing on life in the winter, and lots of people underestimate this until too late.

First of all, THANK YOU to those of you who took the time to respond (AndyP, Andrew14, JJM08 and pricklyone)

I already knew what your answers would be, but I had to ask anyway. I knew the answer would be that it all depends upon each individual and their personal preferences. What could be right for one person may not feel "right" for another. However, I was hoping to get a very broad sense of what distinguishes each town or area, for example, what is the "feel" or the vibe of a certain town as opposed to another, Nerja as opposed to Estepona? Each town tends to have a distinctive "signature": Is it vibrant or sleepy, is it upscale (posh) or modest, is it very developed and bustling or is it still rural with areas of wilderness, are most of the houses old or is there new construction happening, is the community artsy-hippy or is it a jet-setter's enclave? Is it steeped in history or is it a "modern" town? What is it known for nowadays? I think you all know what I mean!

Obviously everyone knows Marbella is all glamorous with nightclubs, luxury yachts, high-end boutiques, luxury villas and basically unaffordable for the commoner. It's been that way since I was a child. As I mentioned in my post, I myself grew up in Madrid and I remember visiting Puerto Banus and also Nerja decades ago, and I fell in love with the south of Spain. But I never really got to know the south. As you know, Spaniards tend to be very divided about WHERE in Spain they vacation... If you are originally from the North, then you NEVER go to beaches in the south! My father is from Galicia so we would always spend our summers in the colder (but beautiful) Galician coast. That is not where I would want to live, though.

Again, not having been to the southern Spanish coastal towns in decades, I have simply no idea what they look like today or how they have evolved in time. I know one week this summer is not nearly enough time to explore the entire coast, but we still have 4-5 years before my husband retires, so we will likely be back in 2021 and the years thereafter.

A few of you mentioned the different vibe between the area east of Málaga and the area west of Málaga. Would you mind elaborating, please? Could you describe in further detail how they are different, please?

THANK YOU once more to all!

Best regards,

Daisy

Thank you AndyP! Any and all information is welcome! Please see my response to all up above!

I'm a bit tied up right now but I'll try to get back later with a bit more info...in the meantime, have a look at this (assuming you have Facebook):

https://www.facebook.com/josemaria.garciaurbano/videos/2050204625256827/?t=0

or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PhOQtps0oc

It will give you a feel for Estepona. I'm sure everyone else will have things to show you about their areas too :)

Yay! Thanks so much Andy! Looking forward to more info whenever you find the time! MIL GRACIAS:)