Mijas Vacation Rental villa: Benalmadena, Mijas area

I originally stayed at Villa Mariposa in July 2005 in a family group of 7 and returned this year in June with my grown up son. On both occasions we all had a magical holiday.

The views from the villa out to the ocean are stunning. The villa is on an exclusive urbanisation,within easy access to the main motorway. There is a Carrefour supermarket within 10 minutes walking distance, along with some other shops which include a bank, cafe, Indian restaurant and beauty salon. There is also Wyn's bar and a small convenience shop just before you reach the main parade of shops. The beach is about a 25 minute walk downhill, but it is a very challenging steep uphill climb on the way back, especially if attempted when the sun is still out. If you enjoy walking, once you reach the beach, it is about a half hour walk into Fuengirola.

Access to the villa is down a very steep driveway which is part shared at the top by the adjacent property but on both of my stays at the villa there was never a rpoblem with this.

A car is not needed if you intend to have a quiet holday swimming in the lovely clean pool and walking around the local area, however, if you want to go further afield, perhaps to the pretty hillside town of Mijas or to the fair at Torremolinos, then a car is recommended. When I stayed in 2005, the group used Dragon cars who were very good. For our transfer from the airport on our last stay, we booked and paid in advance with Suntransfers and I would use them again.

The villa is as described in the property details. You will get the telephone number of an English couple who live in the local area and look after the property, who you will be able to contact in case of any problems, so you are not completely isolated.

For non-drivers, there is a circular bus and taxis are easy to contact. As the villa is situated on the hillside, it is of course hilly!, so it may not be suitable for people with walking difficulties, however there are plenty of seating areas, a swing, DVD player, games, the pool and Sky TV to keep you amused, so you never have to leave the villa.

My best recommendation is to say that I hope that I will one day be able to stay at Villa Mariposa again and I would definitely recommend this beautiful place to friends and family.

We spent two wonderful weeks here from May-June 2009. Brian was friendly and answered all our queries promptly both by email and phone before our depature. You are given a number of a couple in Spain before your departure should any problems arise.
The villa itself is set in the mountains and a car is a must as there are some steep roads although it is possible to walk to the shops/beach it isn't easy with a pushchair especially with the heat. We used niza carz hire which provided an excellent service and the directions to the villa were spot on.
The villa is situated down a steep drive-way so do take care. The villa is just like the picture and very large and comfy, you wont be disappointed!! The main room provided comfortable seating and tv/sky/music player so the boys were happy. The three bedrooms are of good size as are the bathrooms (I left some nappies in the on-suite bathroom if anyone needs them). The views from the villa are absolutley breath taking and well worth the experience! The pool is fantastic and accomodated us (5 adults, 2 children and 6mth baby) perfectly, it's cared for frequently by the cheerful and friendly gardener and is surrounded by a bbq, grassed area, patio with shaded seating area and table and chairs(excellent for our baby) and a paved patio with a number of sun loungers and a table and chair area with umbrella. The kids loved the swing and there is plenty of places to dry wet clothes upon using the washing machine. We also hired the flat which is under the main house this has it's own bathroom and kitchen- didn't use so can't comment. For babies a travel cot and high chair are provided, remember to take bedding for the cot.
Aldies have a store close by (turn right when coming out the urbanization) and there is a small shop and supermarket, cafe, Indian on the road as you enter the urbanization. On an evening we visited wynns bar at the top of the hill which has a pool table and outside seating (didn't dine here but was able to order a chinese to take back with us).
Overall we had a great family holiday and the villa is just as described, it could maybe do with a lil tlc and a safe to store money/passports but this doesn't affect your holiday in the slightest!!
We have spent holidays here before and recommend the water park, zoo, Mirimar shopping centre and a drive along the long coastline which is amazingly beautiful. Hope this is helpful to you and we hope your stay is just as memorable.

Just returned from a 2 week stay at Villa Mariposa with our friends and family to celebrate a 40th Birthday and had the most amazing time. The villa is in an amazing location with breathtaking views and the pool and terrace get the sun all day long. The villa is located in a great urbanisation but you will definately need a car to get around. However all essential ammenities are close by so you don't have to travel far. Some critisicms though: only one towel was provided per person which seems unreasonable for a two week stay, so we went out and bought more towels (which we left in the Villa for future guests) some rooms have metal frame sprung beds which can be uncomfortable, so you may have trouble sleeping if you have a bad back. The Gardnener/pool cleaner seems to come every other day which is great as the grounds look great but very inconveneient when you are trying to sunbathe or swim in the pool, as you are in his way and it disrupts your peace and tranquility. Other than that this Villa is worth every penny and we would definately stay here again.