Hi Almac. Don't know La Alqueria at all, so cannot help you there. Sorry. Just back from a holiday in Mijas (Pueblo). A kind of "tidal" village this. During the day (even January) the place is packed with inquisitive tourists, but when the buses leave, Mijas returns to its demure self, and the only massed congregation at night is of donkeys. Liked the village a lot, even its "empty" mode, and the views along the coast are stunning.
Have passed through Alhaurin de la Torre a few times on the way to Alhaurin el Grande.
Even more remote (as in far from the beaches) than Mijas, although there are lots of bars and restaurants in the village. Not a place I'd choose for a holiday. The drive up there, through an industrial estate, is an added turn-off.
What can I say about Puerto Banus that you don't already know? What you see is what you get. It's big, brassy, and very expensive. If all that lights your candle, you know where to go.

If I was to sum them all up in a few words my personal opinion would be:-

La Alqueria - not familiar so cannot comment

Mijas Costa - Lovely location, near to beaches, bars, restaurants. Good base for sight seeing also.

Mijas Pueblo - picturesque traditional 'white pueblo' although up in th'hills. Great for a day visit.

Alhaurin de la Torre - Approx 25 mins from the coast, maybe more in the summer. Could be a bit 'out in the sticks'

Puerto Banus - overrated and overpriced but again, great for a visit and perhaps a night out on the tiles.

I'm sure other peoples opinions will differ

Thanks for these replies. I have now found a villa in San Pedro de Alcantara - is this similar to Puerto Banus in terms of the type of resort ?

Its a long time since I visited San Pedro, but the place was a small sized town, very Spanish and unless you like that sort of thing, there wasn't a great deal going off at night.
We use to get a taxi into Puerto Banus, it's that long ago to try and remember , but it wasn't more than 10 mins in the taxi.

There was a tremendous amount of building work going off, including taking at least 4 foot of top layer sand away on sections of the beach, and replacing it with "imported sand"....I remember that because I got bitten to death with the sand flies that were being churned up, and the Spanish were complaining about the flies getting in the dogs coats as they took them on the beach.(they were allowed in those days) until the beach was finished.

Puerto Banus is flash and brash where plenty of millionaires and "tin pot" millionaires hang out with their yachts, and the women walk off the yachts dripping in gold and designer clothes, straight into a quayside restaurant...all trying to live up to Marbella and it's reputation.....whilst limo's drive up and down the quayside with darkened windows, and us mere mortals stand by the roadside whilst they pass and we try and guess who or which celebrity is inside.

Unless things have change and I can't see that happening, Puerto Banus can be very expensive unless you know where to eat and where to go, but I'm glad I've been there and done it.... it is a sight to behold.

Someone who has been recently may be able to help you more than me regarding the amenities that are present now in San Pedro, but I think Puerto Banus still remains THE place to be.
BTW: We stayed in El Cortijo Blanco when it first opened...first season, it is situated right next to a very busy motorway, and we used to walk by the side of the road up to San Pedro town centre...about a 10 min stroll.

besos xx
Sanji

San Pedro has a good beach and an excellent new palm-fringed promenade. We were on holiday nearby and went there a couple of times last summer for a drink at the well known Bora Bora beach club and an evening stroll along the promenade. As well as being close to Puerto Banus and Marbella it's also a good location for visits to Gibraltar and Ronda and pretty white villages like Casares.