The Costa del Sol is in Andalucia Province in southern Spain.  The province stretches from the Portuguese border in the west to Almeria in the east. It includes the famous cities of Sevilla, Granada, Cadiz, and Motril. 
The heart of the Costa del Sol is from Malaga to Gibraltar.  Here you'll find the best beaches, golf courses, and lifestyle communities ranging from  stylish Marbella to fabled Ronda and Casares as well as old town Malaga. 
Malaga is your starting point with its world class airport and easy access up and down the Costa.  
If you have not been to the Costa del Sol before or only to its more famous cities, we urge you to do your research.  YouTube videos can show and tell you so much about Duquesa, Sotogrande, Estepona, Marbella, Fuengirola, and Malaga.  Each one of these areas has a wide range of properties from original beachfront complexes to beautiful new developments.  
We gave our realtors, Simply Costa Homes, a set of parameters (number of bedrooms, baths, new or re-sale, location,  price range, etc.) for them to search the market.  You'll have your own criteria; just do as much research as possible before you visit or buy.  
What may be of particular interest to you are a number of new developments with American-style appointments, spacious living areas and captivating views of the Mediterranean and the mountains.  
In the next section, we'll tell the HOW and our experience.