La Mairena is a hill top residential resort on the

Costa del Sol The Costa del Sol (literally "Coast of the Sun" or "Sun Coast") is a region in the south of Spain in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of Málaga and the easte ...

, just 5 km (3 mi) from the coastal ruralisation of Elviria, on the eastern outskirts of Marbella,

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. At 400 m (1300 ft) above sea level, the village has views towards the

Sierra Nevada Mountains The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Cars ...

, the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

, the Rock of

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and the African coast. The village is located within the municipalities of Ojen and Marbella, in the

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

n province of

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

. In 2012, a wildfire devastated much of the countryside surrounding La Mairena, There was one reported fatality, with damage mainly to gardens. Many cork oaks, which hadn’t had their protective bark harvested before the fire, have survived and are regaining their abundant canopy of small dark leaves.

History and development

The village was the brain child of the Massoud family, and was developed by their real estate company, Sarena SA. Development company Sarena SA created and trademarked the name La Mairena, which gave the name to the village, with construction beginning in the late 1980s. Many developments of apartment complexes and villas have since been completed, with only a few still under construction. There is an approximate 50/50 mix between individual villas and apartment complexes, with many green zones and forested areas in between.

Amenities

The village is home to the Hofsaess Tennis Academy, which has coached grand slam winners including Steffi Graf and Sánchez Vicario. The academy’s tennis courts (four clay, five hardcourt, and two with floodlights), gym and cafe are available for use by members of the public. Adjacent to the tennis academy is the Kudu Bar and Restaurant, which is open all year round as well as a Sardinian Restaurant, Montebellu. The El Soto de Marbella development in the village has a 9 hole practice golf course, gym, bar and restaurant. Non-residents of El Soto are welcome in the bar and restaurant, which hosts live entertainment throughout the year. There are a further five golf courses near La Mairena. La Cala Golf, on the road to Mijas has three courses, and the Santa Maria and Greenlife Golf Clubs are in Elviria. Walking, and mountain biking are popular with a number of trails from the village leading into the Sierra de la Nieves National Park and along the nearby River Ojen. The village is home to two international private schools: the German Hoffman College (often referred to as the Deutsche Schule Málaga) and the bilingual Colegio ECOS.

Unesco Biosphere

La Mairena is on the eastern edge of the Sierra de la Nieves National Park, which is a Unesco biosphere.
Reserve:unesco biosphere reserve
.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mairena, La Marbella Populated places in the Province of Málaga