Higuerón sits on the border between Benalmádena and Fuengirola. Technically I could have tucked it into either city guide, but this place deserves one of its own. If you are driving west from Málaga Airport it is easy to miss. From the A-7 you only see the sea, because the resort sits just below the highway on a steep hillside. You would not know it is there unless someone pointed it out.
Over the years I have placed more than a dozen clients here, and I have spent countless hours in the resort myself. It is one of those places that checks more boxes than most people expect. For me, it feels a bit like home.
A Resort on a Different Scale
The first thing that strikes you is the size. Higuerón is not a single gated community or a one off project. It is more than twenty different developments built by a handful of developers including Urbania, Higuerón Developments, RH Privé, Top Gestión and a few others. Together they have turned this hillside into something closer to a modern city.
When I say “American sized resort” some clients make a face. But this is not a resort full of chain restaurants and neon. It is built around health, recovery and lifestyle. Think more wellness retreat than amusement park.
The Heart of Higuerón
Most developments here connect into the heart of the resort, the five star Higuerón Hotel Málaga, operated under Hilton’s Curio Collection. The hotel remains owned by the Higuerón group while Hilton manages it under its brand, which means the resort keeps close control of its standards. And it shows. The hotel feels polished and contemporary. Suites are booked solid in high season, and I often recommend clients stay here when we are viewing the area. It is the best way to test if the Higuerón lifestyle fits.
Inside the hotel you’ll find several restaurants, and one of them being Sollo, a Michelin star and Green Star restaurant. Chef Diego Gallegos literally farms his own fish and produce through an aquaponic system. It is not a marketing trick, it is part of what makes the resort lean into sustainability.
It is also a favourite spot for big names. Rafael Nadal has been spotted here more than once, and each summer NBA teams pass through, making use of the world class facilities. That is no coincidence. The brothers who built the foundations of the resort studied in the United States and came back with a love for basketball and a few tricks they applied here.
An important detail is that the resort has areas reserved only for hotel guests, areas only for members, and other zones where both overlap. It keeps the experience balanced without either side feeling overcrowded.
Amenities That Make Gated Communities Blush
Higuerón is the only place on the Costa del Sol where the amenities list makes most gated communities blush. You have communal, rooftop and lagoon style pools. A beach club with a free shuttle running every day of the year, connecting the hotel, residences, commercial area at the top and beach. The commercial hub itself has cafés, restaurants, supermarkets, beauticians, a pharmacy and even a dentist.
The Sport Club and Spa is the centerpiece. I have used it too many times to count. (Check out my heated pools guide HERE) This is not a light a candle and relax spa. It is a recovery spa with thirty four hydrotherapy stations, each with buttons targeting different muscle groups. Every station fits two people. Add a cold plunge, hot pools, sauna, hammam, indoor and outdoor sun decks, and you understand why people keep coming back.
The gym is enormous. Free weights, CrossFit zones, spinning, dance, rumba, yoga, and you also get access to two huge pilates rooms with full machines. Courts for padel and tennis. An NBA sized basketball court. Because why not. There are massage rooms, a beauty salon and hairdresser, a sportswear shop, manicure and pedicure services, and even a clothes boutique.
There are plans for an outdoor gym, and already there are communal farming gardens (looked after by the resort), children’s playgrounds, a dog park and green walkways with gazebos and cycle paths. Families use them, joggers use them, dog walkers love them. For events, the conference hall is vast and often used for car launches, expos and large gatherings. The sports facilities bring their own energy, with padel and beach volleyball tournaments taking place on the courts. Airline crews also use the hotel as a base when on standby, and in the mornings you hear the staccato of heels and rolling flight bags.
Membership and Access
One of the smartest things about Higuerón is how it separates living from amenities. In most Costa del Sol developments you pay higher community fees for small underused gyms, amenities you rarely use. Here you choose. Most buyers get a year of Platinum membership included when they purchase, covering pools, gym, spa and classes. After that you can keep it, pause it if you are away, or downgrade.
The €8,000 Platinum family membership that developers include can also be purchased by outsiders. For those who live in the resort, Platinum runs around €105 per month per person. Not even on paper that looks steep, but once you compare to the running costs of smaller developments, for everything you get, it’s a bargain.
Location and Connectivity
Higuerón is well connected. From Málaga Airport it is less than fifteen minutes by car. A taxi or Uber is usually €30. The Renfe C 1 train runs straight from Malaga and the airport to Carvajal station in around twenty five minutes for just a few euros. From there you hop on the resort shuttle or walk.
Inside the resort, walkability is better than you would expect given the slopes. I nickname one of the beach access roads Murder Hill, because at forty percent incline it is not stroller friendly. I once had a family laugh nervously and say “imagine letting go of the stroller by mistake, game over.” Thank God for the shuttle bus. Thankfully there are two other roads that are longer but much gentler. Within the resort itself the paths are lit, monitored by cameras, and surrounded by manicured gardens. I have spent plenty of time walking those myself, and they are as pleasant as they look in the brochures. Perfect for morning runs, dog walks and evening strolls.
The Beach
The local beach is Carvajal, a sandy stretch wide enough to handle tourism without feeling cramped. Beach bars appear every couple of hundred metres. The promenade links straight into Fuengirola’s skyline, so you can walk, run or cycle right into town. Restaurants range from simple tapas bars to award winning seafood. Los Marinos José and Los Marinos Paco, two brothers with a touch of brotherly rivalry, have turned this beach into a dining destination. One of them has even picked up international awards.
The resort actually has a private beach club with a members area, Japanese restaurant and beach restaurant. Along with beachheads for guests. It’s one of the very few places that offer this kind of luxury. It’s a place where it’s easy to make friends, connections and get to know people with the resort in common.
The People
The resident mix is global. Scandinavians, Dutch, Belgians, Brits, Polish and North Europeans dominate, but in recent years North Americans have arrived too. I’ve personally placed Hollywood stars, Americans, Swedes, Icelandic families, Koreans, Chinese, South Americans, Canadians and more. They are not all my clients crossing paths, but it shows how international the community has become. Retirees, young families and entrepreneurs all live here side by side. What unites them is a focus on health and lifestyle.
Property and Pricing
Entry level apartments in 2025 start around €450,000. Villas pass €3 million. The area is dominated by apartment complexes, but the few villa projects that pop up sell out quickly.
Urbania’s Higuerón West is known for green landscaping and three storey whitewashed blocks with ground floor pools and penthouses above. Higuerón Developments focus on sustainability certifications with projects like South Residences, Valley Collection and Waterfall. RH Privé lean more flashy with Carat, and Peninsula Villas, Seaviews Reserve. Top Gestión’s six Lomas phases sit at the more accessible end and main bulk. Other names include The Wave, The Hill Collection, Palm and Bay Villas.
Quality varies. Some projects shine, others cut corners. After sales service can make or break the experience. I have seen both sides, from fantastic support to developers disappearing after handing over keys. Do not completely trust the sales staff, renders often paint an expectation when reality is different, get everything in writing with your lawyer, and always check surrounding plots before you sign.
Rental returns have long been strong here. A modern two bedroom apartment can fetch €2,500 a week between June and September. That is why the resort experimented with North Residences, a branded residence model offering a capped 7 percent return. It sounds high, but once you crunch the numbers against real market returns, it is not quite as generous as it looks. (Curious about how rentals work? Check out my rental guide HERE)
The Brothers
The roots of the resort go back to a Spanish family that owned much of the land. Two brothers carried the vision forward, building together for years before branching off creatively. There may be a little brotherly rivalry between their approaches, but both helped turn this hillside into what it is today. You might even spot them still around the resort, swimming, joining a XFit class or chatting in the sports bar La Higuerita.
The future
Higueron is approaching full build out, with only a handful of plots remaining for development. At the same time, other developers are attempting to benefit from the prestige of the Higueron name by building above the A7 highway. These locations come with increased road noise, weaker connectivity, and, importantly, no access to the resort itself, which for many buyers remains the core value of owning in Higueron.
At the end of 2025, the Higueron Group acquired Marbella Golf Club in East Marbella, a property that was in serious need of renewal. Building on their existing relationship with Hilton, they announced that the site will be transformed into a Waldorf Astoria Golf Resort, including branded residences (read my branded homes guide here). This marks the beginning of a new chapter for the group, backed by a proven track record and a successful concept they have already perfected in Higueron.
Closing Thoughts
Higuerón has been under construction for more than a decade and is nearly out of land. What stands today is not just a development, but a carefully planned city. One motto is “live, work, play”.
The other is “only a few can have it all”
And it works.
Some buyers love it instantly. Others hesitate at the size or the steep hill. But when you look at the value of the amenities, the fact you can choose when and how you pay for them, and the lower community fees compared to other projects, Higuerón beats most of the coast hands down.
It offers exactly what many buyers are looking for in Costa del Sol: lifestyle, connectivity and quality of life in one package. And that is why it deserves a guide of its own.
If you want to explore whether Higuerón fits your lifestyle or compare it with other areas, I am always here to help.