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952 85 50 25 www.benahavis.es APRIL 2023
enahavis
AYUNTAMIENTO DE BENAHAVÍS
LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
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PROTECTED: The new Sierra de las Nieves national park flanks the town, while (inset) it counts on many charming corners
REE tennis, football and golf lessons for kids, plus language, yoga and pilates for adults… is it any wonder Benahavis has seen nearly 30% growth in just over a year? The statistics for this tiny, privileged enclave, a vulture’s wing flap inland from the Costa del Sol, are nothing short of remarkable. Long the highest-earning place in Andalucia (with an average earnings of €38,000), its population (of which 65% is foreign) has soared from 7,300 residents to a healthy 9,244 since 2022. “It’s a massive amount of growth and we are still amazed by it,” explains British expat councillor Scott Marshall, who grew up in Benahavis. The growth is mostly down to digital nomads and teleworkers looking to live somewhere warm surrounded by nature and open spaces. And Benahavis really has exactly that and, in particular, now that its nearby hills have been officially designated the Sierra de las Nieves National Park. Spain’s sixteenth national park, its
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Sitting beside Spain’s newest national park with the highest-earning locals in Andalucia, Benahavis is definitively Andalucia’s dream location and not just for Prime Ministers, writes Jon Clarke soaring peaks are often covered with snow in winter (hence the name), and 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 three-hour 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. 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 two 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 enclave of Zagaleta, they portrayed the mid-1990s holiday that Lady Diana took with her friend Jemima Goldsmith at her family estate, Tramores. The cast and crew were regularly seen around the village, both filming various scenes, as well as enjoying their time off. Continues on next page
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La Aldea s/n . 29679 BENAHAVIS MALAGA . SPAIN T. +34 952 855 192 M. +34 610 796 511 galeria@david-marshalI.com www.david-marshalI.com www.david-marshall.org