For families moving abroad in search of a different life that includes plenty of educational outdoor activities, Marbella in Spain may seem at first glance an odd choice, despite its favourable climate and heavily discounted real estate prices.
Buying a property abroad is for some people merely a question of investment, while for others it comes with the hopes and dreams of a better lifestyle, a more fulfilling way to live and work. While many people will easily see Spain and the sunny Costa del Sol as a great place to buy a property, Marbella real estate prices and the type of people it has attracted in the recent past have not exactly been what could be termed “family-friendly”.
Marbella is famous for being the playground of the rich and famous, the seriously wealthy and those who enjoy to be seen. However, with the collapse of the Spanish property market in 2008, house prices across the country started to tumble and have in real terms declined by some 40% since prices peaked in December 2007.
For families who prefer to spend their spare time in active outdoor pursuits like bird- and wildlife watching, biking and hiking, horse-riding and swimming, Marbella offers an astonishing array of facilities, not all of which are reserved merely for the wealthy.
The foothills of the Sierra Blanca Mountains, that form the backdrop to much of the Marbella coastline and city, are ideal for hiking and discovering local wildlife first hand. There are golden eagles, martens and foxes, badgers, dear, wild goats - and many indigenous plants that make a day spent in the easy to reach Sierra Blanca Piedmont (foothills) an unforgettable experience and great fun for all the family.
Budding natural history explorers can start widening their knowledge on the animal kingdom with a visit to Selwo Aventura in nearby Estepona, just a 15 minute drive from Marbella along the A7 motorway (exit km 162.5). The safari park is a great hit with children of all ages, who can ride a camel, climb wobbly bridges and see all manner of beasties roaming free in their natural habitat. The safari tour can be done partly on foot and partly by taking to open-air jeeps.
There are bat caves, fun trails, monkeys, a petting zoo, water sprayers providing a little cooling off during summer and an aviary atrium, elephants and meerkats, leopards and a fantastic playground to let off steam and run around.
Living in a permanent home in Marbella rather than just coming for an occasional holiday means one can travel to certain areas at different times of the year to observe animal behaviour changing with the seasons. Some animals, like sea birds for example, migrate and are not resident all year round. The protected dunes at Artola are an entirely different habitat to the mountain retreat of short-toed eagles and genet cats, vultures and falcons in the Sierra Blanca Mountains.
Located in the east of Marbella, the Dunes of Artola will be of special interest to budding botanists, as plants like the sea thistle, marram grass, sea daffodils and caudate juniper have made their home here together with migratory birds, reptiles and elusive insects rarely found anywhere else along the coast. The Dunes of Artola are protected as a Natural Monument and have fortunately escaped the ferocious development of urbanisations during the last housing boom.
The eastern districts of Marbella are as varied in architecture and house prices as they are in flora and fauna. The coastline in Marbella’s east, mostly in Elviria and Mijas Costas, attracts not just rare sea birds but also families who do not have the budget to buy property in the affluent west of the city or in the city centre.
For a budget that would barely buy a terraced house in England one can buy a property with 247 sqm floorspace, 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms, a 113 sqm terrace and spectacular sea views. Luxury apartments for a family with one or two children can be bought for less than EUR 230,000, offering communal swimming pools and landscaped gardens as well as close proximity to the sea.