Situated midway between Gibraltar and Malaga, Benahavis makes an ideal base from which to explore the area. 15km east lies the bustling, up-market port of Puerto Banus, from which you can enjoy miles and miles of beach-front walks with plenty of bars and restaurants for sustenance along the way. A few minutes more driving takes you into Marbella, with its serious shopping and nightlife, or expend some energy rock climbing, kayaking and rappelling down canyons at the Nakera Adventure Park nearby. There are water parks near both Mijas and Torremolinos and a large fun park near Benalmadena, all of which are within an easy 30 minute drive.

To the west of this luxury Estepona holiday villa to rent, some 20km away, lies Estepona, a more traditional Spanish port complete with early morning fish market and long, sandy beach from which you can jetski, parasail or dive; nearby is the unique Selwo Safari Park. Drive on to Sotogrande, playground of the rich and famous to watch the polo, or to Gibraltar (60km) to visit the apes; from here you can take a high-speed ferry to Tangiers for the day or cruise the Straits to see dolphins and whales.

Go inland and an easy 40km drive takes you to Casares, probably the most picturesque of Spain's 'white villages'; this is the real Spain - a working village of olives and goats which offers a wealth of subjects for camera and canvas, as well as walks, horse riding, bird watching and fishing. Historic Ronda, one of Spain's oldest cities with its impressive gorge and architecture which includes a sixteenth century bullring is just 55km away.