Hi there, we go to Papa Souza's Goan Restaurante, it is by the La Cala Post Office and is fantastic value and atmosphere.

Hi joo9 here is the post you couldn't find http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=943&highlight=la+cala+de+mijas

Kath HT Admin

I wrote a long reply to your message a few months ao, just before the server change but it never made it across cyberspace to the new forum!
La Cala is a rapidly growing former village that is now a small town with a village infrastructure.
Do you know the address where you are staying? There are many developments that are "in" La Cala but are actually in the hills above it or on the other side of the carreterra, let me know and if I know it I can tell you more about it.
The centre has kept its village feel but there are the usual proliferation of bars and restaurants catering to all nationalities. Parking is a huge problem nowadays, the old market square is the focal point of the town but finding a space near it is almost impossible in peak season.
Exploring the place will be fun and as it is still very compact it is easy to do. There are several bars near the square, big Irish pub on the roundabout has live music, decent food and Sky TV, Rumba is a Spanish bar that does a Flamenco show on Fridays and other live music other nights. Several beach bars spring up in peak season, and there is a huge variety of restaurants around the centre.
The beach is great and there seems to be a lot of stuff for kids to do, there is a playground and the usual water sports activities. If you are golfers there are loads of courses around. La Cala is halfway between Fuengirola and Marbella, there is a good and cheap bus service all along the coast, so you are in a prime position to explore the whole coast.
Let me know if you have any other questions, I will be down there again in a few weeks and will help if I can.

We were staying just outside La Cala a few weeks ago and visited a few times while there. The parking is a problem and did spoil it a bit. The beach front is lovely lots of places to drink and eat . We had a great Indian curry. No problems with Taxis and the bus service, so you don't always have to use the car . We think it is a really nice place to holiday and I'm sure you will have a good time.

Hi Big Chiv

thanks for your reply it was really helpful. The place we are staying is called El Juanar Apts, La Cortijera, not sure if La Cortijera is a street name or an area! hopeless!! we do have a map and its near Calle De Wallar Bayer (haven't a clue what that means!) maybe you have a better idea, hope this helps and any more info would be terrific.

Thanks

J.

J.
I do not know the La Cortijera area well, it is above the main town on the Fuengirola side. I found Calle de Walter Bayer on multimap but it doesn't have enough detail to show the apartments. It's about a 15 minute walk into town from there though.
It is on the way to the race track (Hippodromo), and that is definitely worth a visit even if you are not a horse racing fan. In the summer they have a saturday night meeting that starts at 10:30, aside from the races there are always other attractions, live music, fashion shows, flamenco shows etc good fun and free to get in.
I'll keep my eye out for the apartments while I am over there in a few weeks.

Big Chiv

Thanks for the posting, I'd really appreciate it if you do happen to come across the apartments or indeed the area around. We go on 24th August, I'll keep my eye on this site just in case you do find out any info for us.
Thanks a lot - have a nice time by the way.

J

Hi
We just drove past the apartments and they look fine from the outside. They are really easy to find as they are on the edge of La Cortijera nearest to the road to the Hippodromo from La Cala.
Follow the signs from La Cala for Hippodromo and you will quickly reach a junction with Calle Walter de Bayer, it is just past a roundabout. There is a sign for a restaurant called "the Captains Table" and a sign for your apartments, your apartments are right on this junction. It is only 600 meters from the centre of La Cala, you would leave the apartments and go left down the hill. If you go right out of the apartments and follow the road down the other side you will come to the restaurant, a small supermarket and indeed the "centre" of La Cortijera.
From the N340 (A7) there is a direct road to La Cortijera that means you do not have to go into La Cala but it is on a bend and not for the faint hearted.
La Cala is packed at the moment, parking worse than ever but it is still great to be down here.

Hi Big Chiv

Thanks for the info, much appreciated - just a couple of questions, what's the beach like, is it clean? how far do you think to walk from apartment to the 'centre' can u recommend any good restaurants/nice bars, is the centre really touristy? if you know what I mean, we were hoping for a little bit of real spain (if thats possible anywhere now!) not too keen on british bars (not being snobby of course!). I think that was rather more than a few questions! By the way, do you have a house/apartment in the area? if so do you rent it out - bit cheeky!! but I do like my hols and this is the first time we've done the self-catering bit (normally go in Hotels) so I'm hoping we are going to love it and continue. Any advice will be greatly received.

J

J,
Beach at La Cala is great, one of the best on the coast and has a Blue Flag classification. From the apartments into the centre is only 600-700 meters downhill. The centre has become very British over the last couple of years but amongst the expat bars and restaurants are a lot of Spanish places. The friday night flamenco at the Rumba Bar is very good, there is a grill restaurant called Butibama beside the main road on the other side of town from you that has been there for more than 100 years! The streets between the old market square (which is not old, the market has recently moved across the A7) and beach are typically old Andalucian style and some are very pretty but La Cala falls between two stalls in many ways as it has grown too fast. That said, it is still a really nice place.
Our house in in the hills above La Cala and we don't rent it out. We thought we would when we first bought it as it was really a holiday home but we are moving down permanenty in a few months.
In the market square is a decent size Supersol supermarket, our favourite bakers is La Canasta near the only hotel in town it does the best caffe con leche in town and good bread and cakes, it is also very close to Papa Souzas Goan Resturant mentioned earlier.
I am sure you will have brilliant time and enjoy exploring our little town and the wonderful surrounding area of Andalucia.

Hi again

Thanks for all your information you've been really helpful. Here's to a great life in La Cala! I'm jealous.

J

Hi We were in the cala de mijas area ...last sept
Its just down the road..We used the cala beach all the time its brilliant..

Its a real nice place..not crowded at all..nice places to eat and the natives are friendly.
We hired a car so got around a lot,there all a bit balmy though...but you get used to it...if you carn't beat em join em.....so to speak

Have a good time.
Mops.

Only found this site today, and very interested in this topic.

My wife and I are moving to the Costa del Sol next year, and have just been out for a week looking at areas. We were taken to La Cala one evening and were very impressed, to the extent that we have added it to our list of possible areas.

Are there any villas in La Cala itself, or are they all on the other side of the road on the hill?

Alan

Hi i've answered twice now...the other must have gone into ciber space..

I not sure if there are any villas...so to speak..only saw houses depends on the size you want..its not that big an area...thats whats nice about it..

They seem to be over the other side...

I'm sure some one will come up with better info..
Regards
Mops.

You are restricted by the geography of the town. On the coast side of the A7 there is no room to build on the Fuengirola side of town as the road goes right next to the beach there. In the central area there only houses. There are a few larger "villas" along the beach past the tower, in the direction of Marbella towards the hotel and in the streets by Butibamba.
The villas around El Cortijera are nice though and only a 10-15 minute walk into town.

Thanks for that. It confirms the impresion I got from my brief visit.

It is not the walk down to La Cala that would worry me, it is the walk back up the hill.

Pass the oxygen please!!!!

Alan

Hi Alan-Cheam

I started this conversation about La Cala de mijas ! just had a quick look again today it's amazing how many people are interested in the same thing. I must admit we were a bit disappointed with La Cala, I found the traffic a pain, we sat in many a restaurant just watching the cars! I also found it very british and felt that the whole place had been taken over, we thought it might be a bit more spanish (you know, being in Spain!) I counted one morning from our balcony, 15 cranes on the horizon, so it looks as though the surrounding area is just going to be full of complexes - even though I'm still jealous that you are lucky enough to be buying out there!! we are trying Portugal next year.

J

Sorry that you were disappointed but I can understand what you say. One of the things we are trying to work out is how we can get jobs that allow us to be away from there in July and August.
I said earlier that the place had expanded too quickly and unfortunately all the developments are marketed to UK buyers so all the local businesses target that market. If you saw a picture of the place 30 years ago you would be amazed how small it was, literally a dozen houses, so the expansion has only been driven by the tourist market. Fuengirola is a good comparison, also very touristy but a much larger Spanish community because it has existed for so much longer as a town.
Outside of the summer months the whole area settles down again and we may even be able to get a parking space.
When the property bubble bursts again the area will be left with a load of unfinished building sites but thankfully no more cranes.

We have friends living in Torreblanca del Sol. When we first visited them 3 years ago, we thought they had the ideal spot, as there were such steep hills, no one could build there we said.

Ha, Ha! Wrong! We were out earlier this month, and the national bird of Spain, the crane, was everywhere, and they were building on impossible places. We also saw a long established property on a steep hill where the patio had slid down the hill; hope they were insured.

My wife and I can forego the spectacular sea views; we want to be within 10-15 minutes walking distance of a beach, so that after dinner, and a bottle of wine, we can take the dog for a walk on the beach, or just on our own. I know dogs are not allowed, but we always clean up.

La Cala, and Las Chapas, appeal, as they are relatively flat, and near the beach. They also give the impression, that all the houses are not just holiday lets, and people live there. We are going out in January 2005 to test this out. The downside is that villas are fairly expensive. I will keep doing the Lottery.

La Cala may be busy in summer and parking difficult, but it had a good 'feel' about it.

Thanks to everyone for the information.

Alan