Mijas Pueblo

A whitewashed Andalusian mountain village 430 m above the Costa del Sol, with views down to the coast and the sea. Its steep lanes of white houses and flower-filled balconies lead to a small square bullring, a lookout garden, and a tiny chapel carved into the rock, the Virgen de la Peña.

It's busy with day-trippers from the coast, but very pretty. The 'burro-taxis' (donkey rides) are famous, though animal welfare groups advise against them. Buses run up from Fuengirola and Málaga, and the drive up the hill is spectacular.