Andalucia, Malaga, La Duquesa, Spain

This is a genuinely spacious duplex ground-floor apartment in Jardines de Manilva, offering three bedrooms and three bathrooms across two well-proportioned levels, a layout that gives it more the feel of a townhouse than a typical apartment.

The main living level opens onto a private garden terrace, ideal for morning coffee or evening drinks without needing to negotiate lifts or communal stairs. The terrace has glass curtains turning it into a wonderful south-facing garden room in the winter.


Inside, the living and dining space is bright and generously sized, flowing through to a well-equipped kitchen. On this level there is a double bedroom and full bathroom. Upstairs, the 2 double bedrooms are well separated for privacy, and with an ensuite for the primary bedroom and full family bathroom, this is a home that works properly for a family or for regular guests, without anyone queuing for the shower.

Jardines de Manilva itself is a well-established, well-maintained gated community with mature gardens and communal pools, sitting in a quiet residential pocket of Manilva that’s close enough to the coast to make the beach a genuine part of daily life, not just a weekend outing. The development lies at the bottom of a hill and is just 7 minutes walk to the beach and chiringuitos.

La Duquesa is one of the most understated stretches of the western Costa del Sol, and that’s very much part of its appeal. Centred around La Duquesa Marina, with its line of restaurants, cafés and boats bobbing in the harbour, the area has a relaxed, low-key character that’s increasingly hard to find further along the coast. The beaches here are wide and genuinely uncrowded even in high season, and the walking and cycling path along the seafront connects you all the way to Sabinillas and beyond.

Golfers are well served too, with several courses within a short drive. Manilva town itself, just inland, still feels authentically Andalusian, while Sotogrande and Estepona are both easily reachable for a change of scene. It’s an area that rewards people who want a genuine slice of Spanish coastal life rather than a resort experience — which is exactly why so many of our clients end up here.