Luxury holiday rentals are on the up in the Costa del Sol

Luxury holiday rentals in Malaga are reaching eye-watering prices of up to 4,000 euros per night. It’s a far cry from 2016 when the Andalusian Government first started to regulate tourist accommodation, when holiday apartments began to pop up throughout Malaga at the same time as criticism arose that the move would only encourage backpackers and other budget tourists.

However, over the last few years, the type of tourists visiting Malaga has changed, and it now attracts some big spenders sparked by an increase in the arrival of digital nomads and major technology companies in the city.

As a result, there has been an emergence of luxury homes and exclusive villas where people are already paying more than a thousand euros a night, and in some cases up to 4,000 euros, according to the president of the Andalusian Association of tourist housing (AVV-Pro), Carlos Pérez-Lanzac.

"In the city of Malaga there is beginning to be this high-level demand and the sector is beginning to respond. It is still a minority, but the properties designed for this client with high purchasing power are growing strongly," he said.

He pointed out that “villas where people are paying up to 4,000 euros a night are no longer exclusive to Marbella. In Malaga, we already have alternatives for this exclusive visitor and with the growth of the city we believe that there is a greater scope for the luxury offer.”

In the city, penthouses in areas such as the Plaza de Félix Sáenz or Plaza de la Constitución, or near the beach such as Avenida de Reding or Pintor Sorolla, are going for prices that few can afford.

This is the case of a penthouse located in front of the sea in Pintor Sorolla with four bedrooms, a living room with a kitchen, gym, and games area, which is rented for over a thousand euros per night, according to Marta Rodríguez, from Caleta Homes, in charge of managing this and other holiday rental properties.

She said that the clients she deals with are families or executives and professionals with high purchasing power. They are offered a concierge service as well as private chefs in this type of property.

In another case, in the Huerta del Conde estate, there is an 80,000 square metre property, with an Arab spring, six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, five fireplaces, a library, a living room, an Andalusian patio, which was a setting for filming several series on Netflix. The owner said the whole process of transforming this property from a family home into a place of luxury has contributed to guests now paying 4,500 euros per night to stay there.

"It's a personal project and I think it's a new and good alternative for luxury tourism in the city," he added, pointing out that guests are usually foreigners who come on holiday for stays of 15 to 20 days, and that some have stayed for up to two months.