Calahonda Spain

Calahonda is a small Andalusian town that is fast becoming one of the top holiday destinations in the world. Most of the 600,000 square meter land area that makes up the town is devoted to vacation houses such as villas and townhouses as well as for golf courses and other leisure amenities.

If you’re looking for a laid back vacation away from the hustle and bustle of the city but you don’t want to sacrifice the comforts of urban living, Calahonda is an ideal travel destination for you.

Holiday in Calahonda: modern meets rustic
Rural flavor combined with a modern coastal lifestyle is part of the charm that Calahonda has. The area is well developed to accommodate the modern comforts that contemporary travelers expect. But the founders of the town and its developers were also keen on preserving the natural beauty of the Sitio.

In town, commercial centers and businesses are concentrated on specific area. There are limits to the areas where apartment buildings and other commercial establishments can be put up. After all, the elegant villas and vacation homes are not the only attractions that Sitio de Calahonda provides. Its attraction primarily rests on its natural scenery.

Calahonda offers a relaxed urban lifestyle
If you’re someone who is not keen on giving up the comforts of urban living, Calahonda is the perfect place for you. At Sitio de Calahonda, you are treated to a luxurious holiday along the coast and far from the stressful city.

But the thing about this town is that you can obtain practically everything that you need at the town’s center. While most of the property is composed of villas and townhouses as well as leisure facilities such as golf courses, you will also find commercial establishments in the area.

The town’s commercial center features over 45 restaurants, coffee shops and bars where you can sample every form of local and international cuisine imaginable. You will also find banks, supermarkets and a number of businesses that makes Calahonda conducive not only to weekend holidays but also to long vacations.

The beauty of the scenery combined with the accessibility of modern services and facilities will probably make you consider staying in town for good.

Small town feel with modern facilities
Calahonda may be a relatively young town but its developers had one goal in mind when they started working on the area. They wanted it to become a premier tourist destination. This is why the design and layout of the whole town was carefully planned just so it will cater to every type of contemporary traveler.

A holiday in Calahonda allows you to enjoy every form of attraction that you might expect from the best vacation. Be it a romantic rendezvous or a family outing, you will find everything that will keep your itinerary full to the brim in this town.

Finally, one of the best reasons why you should holiday in Calahonda is that it is a perfect mix of old and new. In the midst of development, tourists are treated to centuries-old Spanish traditions such as fiestas and religious festivals that are just as happening in this town as in any other part of Andalusia and Spain for that matter.

The story of how Sitio de Calahonda got urbanized can be told several different ways depending on who you get to talk to. The history of its urbanization is told according to the history of the first individuals or even families who first developed the town into the tourist destination that it is today.

Pioneers of Calahonda’s urbanization
The development of Calahonda, for the most part, was undertaken by a select group of families who settled in town for this specific purpose. The pioneers of the town came into the area in 1966 when they families started acquiring estates and putting them together to create bigger properties.

The founder of the town’s urbanization, however, was believed to be Don Jose de Orbaneja who arrived in Calahonda in 1963. Upon arriving, Orbaneja purchased a large estate that combined two separate properties together.

He then moved on to building the fort house where the El Campanario now stands. This is an emblematic landmark that seems to oversee to the development and construction of the whole Sitio.

Providing for the town’s basic utilities
Later on, expansion projects were conceptualized and implemented, giving birth to the La Naranja Club, a nucleus that will trigger all other developments and expansions in town.

This has enticed other businessmen to invest on urbanization in town. Foremost on their list of priorities was to tap into a proper water supply for the town. Originally, wells were drilled around Calahonda but as the population of the town grew, the wells proved to be insufficient.

Eventually, the water supply issue was addressed with the construction of the Confederacion Hidrografica del Sur, a reservoir located in Rio Verde. Water in Calahonda was supplied through a network of pipes.

Influx of homeowners
As Calahonda continued to develop, more people started investing in homes in the town. Famous personalities started buying properties and even those that are lesser known have been enticed by the potentials of the sitio to become one of the most attractive respites from the hustle and bustle of the city without the feeling that one has sacrificed urban comforts.

Road networks were further developed to accommodate the entry of new homeowners and investors into the town.

Basic services
But to create a real urbanized town, certain business services should be established. Originally, those who vacationed in town had to purchase their supplies from nearby towns or in the city before they drove to Calahonda.

In 1969, a great complex was buildt by Jose Maria Cuevas from Santander and Jesus Angel Guerrero. The commercial complex was composed of a supermarket, a souvenir shop and a bar and restaurant. The complex pretty much accommodated the basic needs of the residents of the sitio.

In 1976, Holy Mass began to be celebrated on the site where the church will be eventually constructed. The then parish priest of Cala de Mijas proposed the construction of a hermitage that will. A number of business owners pitched in to create what is now known as the Hermitage of San Miguel.