The Province of Malaga is, in our humble opinion, one of the best places to live, not just in Spain, but in Europe. Why, I hear you ask? Let me tell you.
The Costa del Sol is famous for it´s so-called micro climate. On days when the right wind is blowing, we can stand in Europe and look at Africa. But how does this work?
Malaga is located on the coast of Andalusia, that dreamy and historically rich area of Southern Spain that boasts a Mediterranean climate, with mild relatively rainy winters and hot sunny summers. Residents here proudly boast of the fact tht we have around 320 days of sunshine each year! And that is a correct claim.
The coast is set within a bay of sorts on the coastline. Along with the back drop of the magnificent sierra mountain range that hugs the coast line, this geographical enclave is privileged to have a unique micro climate. The winds that come in from the sea during the summer provide welcome relief to the otherwise hot sunshine that becomes incredibly intense further into the interior of Andalusia, and by contrast ensure warmer temperatures in winter. The Levante wind is dry in Winter and humid in summer. The Poniente is humid in Winter and refreshingly cool in summer.
If you choose to live on the Costa del Sol it is useful to get to know the winds in order to understand what to expect from the weather and the chnges in temperature that these are likely to bring.
The Levante (meaning "to rise") blows in from the east, and with the Straits of Gibraltar to the west acting as a sort of funnel, the winds can become very powerful. The Levante brings hot weather. Although this wind can cause very sandy conditions on the beach, it is a wind surfers dream, and Tarifa comes into it´s own when this wind blows.
Poniente comes from the Latin Word to set ( in Spanish “poner” to put) and is therefore coupled with the setting of the sun in the west. This wind blows in from the west. It blows in from the Atlantic and brings with it generally dry and hotter weather. At it´s most glorious, our precious horizon brings views which are jaw-dropping. And these are thanks to the Poniente. If you can see the Atlas Mountains and the north coast of Africa, then the Poniente is blowing.