Costa Aguilera is the residential area in the Costa Tropical to the west of neighbouring Monte de los Almendros and approximately 2kms from the town of Salobreña. Costa Aguilera is now separated into two urbanisations known as Costa Aguilera Alta (Above the N340 main road) and Costa Aguilera Mar (Below the N340 main road)

In the 1970s and 1980s, when the Costa Tropical was know as Costa de Granada, the residential area of Costa Aguilera was being promoted by Alfonso Cardenas, a talented designer of villas built in the typical Andalucian cortijo style much liked by foreigners. Alfonso created nearly all of the most interesting houses built there at that time and managed to capture the feeling of traditional properties but with bigger than usual windows letting in light and enabling views to be enjoyed from inside as well as outside. Being half Spanish and half German and also with a good command of English Alfonso was very well equipped to communicate with potential buyers from all over Europe resulting in the interesting mixture of owners of many different nationalities.

Sadly Alfonso Cardenas is no longer with us but the villas he created still are and generally when they become available they sell fairly quickly. However there are not that many of them as most of the building land on the much larger Costa Aguilera Alta has not been developed despite having been zoned for residential development on the town plan for very many years. This is because the town hall of Salobreña have not been prepared to issue any individual building licences since the 1980s as quite rightly they want to see the infrastructure improved in line with the normal requirements for new villa development before allowing more to be built there. A welcome and refreshing change from the policies of other town halls in Spain! The existing villas do have adequate supplies of water and electricity for their current use but not enough for the expansion that will take place once the go ahead for new development is given. Despite various attempts to get things started by owners of the vacant land there it seems unlikely that new villas will be built there anytime soon and of course the current owners of the villas that do exist there are quite happy with this situation. Meanwhile they enjoy the quiet life and great views from the mainly Alfonso Cardenas creations on Costa Aguilera Alta.

Costa Aguilera Mar below the main road is almost fully developed with just a few unbuilt plots and again with most of the nicer villas there having been designed by Alfonso. Properties in this very pleasant and tranquil urbanisation by the sea are quite sought after. Also within Costa Aguilera Mar is the picture postcard re-creation of an Andalucian pueblo known as Calamedina. 22 houses around a pretty courtyard and a communal pool all different but sharing the same Andalucian character and style once again designed by Alfonso Cardenas. If you wish to see this private and tranquil location the following links may be useful Calamedina, Costa Tropical description and Calamedina, Costa Tropical photos .