Browse Costa Sunsets homes for sale across Marbella and the wider Costa del Sol.
Manilva
Presenting a stunning ground floor apartment under construction in the desirable area of Manilva, Malaga, scheduled for completion by early 2027. This brand ne…
Bahia de las Rocas, Manilva
This off plan ground floor apartment located in the exclusive enclave of Bahia de las Rocas, Manilva, Malaga set to be delivered by end of 2027. This new proje…
We're Bianca and Omèr, and after twenty years on the Costa del Sol we know Manilva the way you only can by living it: which Duquesa blocks face the right way, which Sabinillas streets stay quiet, and which asking prices simply don't add up. We'll always tell you the truth.
“They found us a frontline villa that wasn't even on the open market. Smooth, honest.”
“Three viewings, no pressure, sound advice on schools. Best agency on the coast.”
“Bianca speaks Dutch, knew our notary, and introduced us to other Dutch families nearby.”
A ground floor apartment in Manilva is the one you reach without a lift, opening onto its own terrace and, more often than not, a private garden of anywhere from around 25 to 60-odd square metres. That single-level, step-free layout is the whole appeal, and it draws a particular buyer: downsizers leaving a villa but not the garden, families with small children or a dog, and anyone who simply prefers to walk straight out onto grass rather than up a flight of stairs. The trade-off is honest — you gain outdoor space and easy access, you give up the sea views the upper floors and penthouses command — and we'll always tell you when an upstairs home offers better value for what you actually want.
You'll find most of them clustered around La Duquesa and Los Hidalgos Golf, in gated communities such as Jardines de la Duquesa, Duquesa Suites Golf & Garden and Castillo de la Duquesa, typically with communal pools, mature gardens, underground parking and a storeroom. Layouts run mostly two and three bedrooms, with built areas generally from the high 80s to around 130 square metres. As a guide, two-bed garden units tend to start in the high €200,000s, with the larger three-bed homes backing onto the golf or close to the beach running into the €400,000s and above.
Manilva sits at the far south-western tip of Malaga province, right on the border with Cadiz, which makes it the last proper town before you cross into Sotogrande and the road down to Gibraltar. It splits in two: the original whitewashed village, perched about three kilometres up a hill among the Moscatel vineyards, and the coastal strip below it, made up of San Luis de Sabinillas (usually just called Sabinillas), the marina at Puerto de la Duquesa, and the small fortress hamlet of Castillo de la Duquesa. Estepona is roughly five to ten minutes east, Sotogrande around ten minutes west, and Marbella and Puerto Banus a half-hour up the coast. That position is the whole point of Manilva: you get the same sea and the same golf as your pricier neighbours, without paying Marbella money for them.
It's a genuine mix, and that's what keeps the place honest. The village and Sabinillas have a strong Spanish working population, so you hear as much Spanish in the bakery as English. Around Duquesa and the golf you'll find a long-settled international crowd: British, Irish, Scandinavian, Dutch, Belgian and German owners, many of them retirees and families who came for good value and stayed. Plenty of homes are second homes and holiday lets rather than full-time residences, which means the marina buzzes in summer and quietens down off-season. If you want a polished, gated, full-time expat enclave, Manilva isn't pretending to be that. If you want a real Spanish town with a friendly foreign community layered on top, few places on this stretch do it better.
Apartments dominate Manilva, and ground-floor apartments most of all, the kind with a private terrace or a slice of garden that suits holiday owners and retirees who don't fancy stairs or a lift. Around those you'll find a steady run of semi-detached houses in the golf and hillside urbanisations, duplex penthouses and standard penthouses that trade the top two floors for sea views and a roof terrace, and a healthy spread of mid-floor apartments throughout Sabinillas and Duquesa. Detached villas exist, mostly up on the hill and in pockets like the Manilva Pueblo outskirts, but they're the exception rather than the rule here. Architecturally it's classic Andalusian coastal: white and sand-toned blocks, terracotta roofs, arched Mediterranean styling around Puerto de la Duquesa, and a wave of cleaner, contemporary off-plan developments climbing the slopes for the sea views. Named urbanisations worth knowing include Colinas de la Duquesa and Aldea Beach near the marina, Duquesa Fairways beside the golf course, and Hacienda Guadalupe, Manilva Beach, Princesa Kristina and Bahia de las Rocas down on the coast.
Manilva is consistently one of the better-value addresses on this part of the coast, and that's the main reason buyers come. As a rough guide, a smaller apartment in Sabinillas or inland typically starts in the low-to-mid hundreds of thousands, with a comfortable two-bed apartment near Duquesa or with a sea glimpse generally running into the mid hundreds. Penthouses and duplex penthouses with proper terraces and views command a premium above that, and detached villas climb well into seven figures depending on plot, position and how much sea you can see. Castillo de la Duquesa and the marina tend to price higher per square metre than Sabinillas, which remains the affordable, everyday-Spanish end. Those are typical bands, not a snapshot, and the honest part of our job is telling you when an asking price is chasing a view the property doesn't really have, or when a tired block is priced as if it were renovated. We'll always show you why a number stacks up or doesn't.
The beaches here are one of Manilva's quiet advantages: long, sandy and far less crowded than Marbella's, with a proper coastal path linking the chiringuitos, and coves like the ones around Bahia de las Rocas for swimming. Golf sits on the doorstep: La Duquesa, the Robert Trent Jones course beside the marina, with Doña Julia, Alcaidesa, La Cañada and the Sotogrande courses all a short drive west. The village is known for its sweet Moscatel wine and the September Fiesta de la Vendimia grape harvest, when people still tread grapes by foot, and the 2,000-year-old Roman sulphur baths, the Baños de la Hedionda, sit in the valley below. For families, the well-regarded international schools cluster around Estepona, roughly fifteen to twenty minutes away, including British-curriculum options, so the school run is manageable. For getting about, the AP-7 toll motorway and the coastal A-7 both run past; Gibraltar airport is about twenty-five minutes away for UK flights, and Malaga airport around an hour up the AP-7.
We treat Manilva the way we'd want an agent to treat us: no hype, no 'stunning sea-view' for a flat that sees the sea only if you lean off the terrace. We'll walk you through the trade-offs honestly, whether Sabinillas or Duquesa suits how you actually want to live, which orientations get the afternoon breeze instead of baking, which complexes have sensible community fees and which have surprises lurking in the accounts, and where the genuine value sits versus where a price is simply optimistic. We know the streets, the community administrators and the resale history because we live here, and we'd far rather find you the right home slowly than sell you the wrong one quickly. If you're weighing up Manilva, or just want a straight answer about a place or a price, drop us a line.
Many do. In Manilva's gated communities around La Duquesa and Los Hidalgos Golf, ground floor apartments typically open onto a private terrace plus a private garden, usually somewhere between about 25 and 60 square metres, in addition to the communal gardens and pool. Not every ground floor home has its own garden, so it's worth confirming the private plot size and whether it's fully enclosed before you commit.
As a typical guide, two-bedroom ground floor apartments in Manilva generally start in the high €200,000s, while larger three-bedroom homes with a private garden backing onto Duquesa golf or close to the beach commonly run into the €400,000s and higher. Price depends mainly on the urbanisation, garden size, proximity to the marina or golf, and condition, with Manilva usually offering better value per square metre than neighbouring Estepona.
They suit buyers who want single-level, step-free living and usable outdoor space: downsizers moving from a villa, families with young children or a dog, and anyone who finds stairs or lifts impractical. The trade-off is that ground floor homes rarely have the open sea views of the upper floors, so they appeal to people who value a private garden and easy access over elevation.
Manilva is at the south-western edge of Malaga province on the border with Cadiz, between Estepona (about 5 to 10 minutes east) and Sotogrande (about 10 minutes west). The village sits roughly 3km up a hill, with the coast below at Sabinillas, Puerto de la Duquesa and Castillo de la Duquesa. Gibraltar airport is around 25 minutes away and Malaga airport about an hour via the AP-7 toll motorway, with the coastal A-7 as the slower, scenic alternative.
Manilva is one of the better-value spots on the western Costa del Sol. As a typical guide, smaller apartments in Sabinillas or inland often start in the low-to-mid hundreds of thousands of euros, a comfortable two-bed near Duquesa generally runs into the mid hundreds, and penthouses and duplex penthouses with terraces and views command a premium above that. Detached villas climb well into seven figures depending on plot and sea views. Castillo de la Duquesa and the marina usually cost more per square metre than Sabinillas.
The market is led by apartments, especially ground-floor apartments with terraces or gardens, alongside a good supply of semi-detached houses in the golf and hillside areas, plus penthouses and duplex penthouses for those wanting sea views and roof terraces. Detached villas exist but are less common and tend to sit up the hill. Styles range from classic Andalusian white blocks and Mediterranean marina apartments to newer contemporary developments on the slopes.
Yes. Manilva is a real, mixed Spanish town with a settled international community, quiet sandy beaches and a coastal promenade, which suits family life. The main international schools cluster around Estepona, roughly 15 to 20 minutes away, including British-curriculum options, so the school commute is comfortable. Sabinillas and the village have everyday shops, health services and a strong local Spanish feel, while Duquesa offers the marina lifestyle.
Plenty within a short drive. Golf is a big draw, with the La Duquesa course beside the marina and Doña Julia, Alcaidesa, La Cañada and the Sotogrande courses nearby. The beaches are long, sandy and uncrowded, with chiringuitos along the coastal path and coves such as Bahia de las Rocas. The village is known for its sweet Moscatel wine and the September Fiesta de la Vendimia grape harvest, and the 2,000-year-old Roman sulphur baths, the Baños de la Hedionda, lie in the valley just below the town.
