All about March 2023
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TOWERING SUCCESS
A honeypot for the rich and famous, Benahavis offers an example of a true Spanish success story
VERDANT: Leafy Benahavis offers a more relaxed lifestyle than the bustling coast, while (left) its famous steps
I
T just seems to keep on growing. The statistics for this tiny enclave, a short drive from the snazzy nightlife of Puerto Banus and Marbella, are quite remarkable. Long the highest-earning place in Andalucia (with an average earnings of €38,000), its population (of which 68% is foreign) by last year had soared from 7,300 residents to a healthy 9,244 since 2022. It could hit the magic number of 10,000 this Spring, predict experts. It’s a massive amount of growth and is mostly down to digital nomads and teleworkers looking to live somewhere warm surrounded by nature and open spaces. The free tennis, football and golf lessons for kids, plus language, yoga and pilates for adults does not do any harm either. Benahavis really does offer something for everyone, particularly as its nearby hills have recently been officially designated the Sierra de las Nieves
National Park. Spain’s sixteenth national park, the soaring peaks often covered with snow in winter (hence the name), are some of the most amazing for hiking and bird-watching, with eagles and vultures soaring above with increasing frequency. Best reached from the Benahavis urbanisation of La Quinta, a threehour circular walk takes you up to the famous castano santo - holy chestnut tree - that at 1000 years old is said to be the oldest in Malaga province.
Gorge
But there are many other walks right from the village, in particular down into its famous river gorge, where many people combine hiking with swimming, or up towards the stunning country retreat of the wealthy Goldsmith family, where the UK’s former Prime Minister Boris Johnson stayed three years ago. First revealed by the Olive Press, Johnson had turned up to enjoy
what Benahavis offers best: a week of hiking followed by a dabble with a paintbrush out in the open air. By coincidence his visit came at the same time as Netflix descended on the village to film a couple of scenes from the hit series The Crown. Renting out a villa in the exclusive Benahavis enclave of Zagaleta they portrayed the mid1990s holiday that Lady Diana took with her friend Jemima Goldsmith at her nearby family estate, Tramores. The cast and crew were regularly seen around the village, both filming various scenes, as well as enjoying their time off. “It is the best possible promotion we could have had,” explains Councillor Scott Marshall, who’s artist father David moved to Benahavis in the 1970s. Both visits were thanks to the village’s connection to the Goldsmith family, who are heavily focussed on Continues on next page