September on the Costa del Sol: Paella, Blue Flags, and Beaches That Actually Work

September is when the Costa del Sol quietly becomes its best self. The crowds thin down, the prices drop, the sea is still warm, and if you happen to be in Mijas on the 23rd someone is handing out free paella in the Plaza Virgen de la Peña.

The occasion is World Tourism Day, which Mijas is marking with flamenco, a paella tasting, and what the councillor for tourism describes as a celebration of "tourists, visitors and residents" coming together. The cynic in you might note that World Tourism Day falls on the 27th of September and the event is on the 23rd, but four days is close enough when there's free paella involved. A shuttle bus will be laid on, which is either very thoughtful or an indication of how far the paella is from the car park.

None of this is entirely frivolous: tourism is Mijas' main industry, and extending the season beyond August is a genuine strategic priority. The councillor specifically mentioned winter visitors drawn by "peace and quiet, golf facilities and mild temperatures," which is a politely accurate description of a large portion of the people who book El Faro in November.

While Mijas is busy with the paella, its coastline has been quietly collecting distinctions. ADEAC, the organisation behind the Blue Flag scheme, sent a letter to the mayor specifically praising the town's environmental awareness on its beaches. A letter of recognition from the people who give out the flags is, essentially, extra credit on top of the flag itself. The beaches were apparently already doing well enough to merit a special mention for going above and beyond.

Down the coast, Fuengirola has its own quiet achievement worth noting. Nearly 8,000 people with reduced mobility used the town's accessible beach areas between June and August this summer, 7,798 to be precise, with lifeguards assisting on 6,256 occasions, mostly helping people into the sea. Fuengirola introduced dedicated accessible beach areas back in 2000, which makes it a 26-year pioneer in a field that most places still treat as an afterthought. Every beach along the Fuengirola coastline now has an accessible area. ADEAC gave that a special mention, too.

So: the beaches are clean, accessible, environmentally managed, and occasionally accompanied by free paella. There are worse places to spend September.

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Sand, Sea, and the Occasional Bonfire

I wrote about these beaches once before, a couple of years ago. Reading it back, it's clear it was written from a particular vantage point — plates spinning, deadlines everywhere, the kind of stretch where you write the post because it's Tuesday and the calendar says so. Nothing wrong with the beaches in that post. Just not much of me in it.

So: same beaches, same coastline, written from somewhere with a bit more room to actually look at things.

Socorrista at work on by the sea

The flag system, and the people who enforce it

Spanish beaches run a flag system — green, yellow, red — and a fair number of people treat it as more of a suggestion than an instruction. What those people may not have factored in is that on any beach with a red flag and a tricky entrance, there's usually a small squad of socorristas watching very closely, fully prepared to march into the water and physically remove anyone determined to test the sea's patience. If that doesn't work, the Guardia Civil are not far away and, by all appearances, quite enthusiastic about getting involved. The beaches are safe. They're safe partly because somebody is actively making sure of it, in real time, all day.

The chiringuito, an institution

A chiringuito is technically a beach bar, but that undersells it. Part restaurant, part social hub, part open-air kitchen running the same handful of dishes it's been running for decades. Espetos — sardines on a skewer, grilled over an open fire dug straight into the sand — are the main event, and they're exactly as good as everyone says. Possibly better, for reasons nobody can quite explain beyond "sand, sea air, early afternoon."

Noche de San Juan

Coming up soon, and worth knowing about if you're around for it: the Night of San Juan, when beaches up and down the coast — Fuengirola's among the most enthusiastic — light enormous bonfires and let off fireworks with a level of commitment that borders on personal vendetta. It's a proper local tradition, genuinely something to see, and also the one night of the year when every dog owner on the Costa del Sol is simultaneously checking their pet's whereabouts. If you're travelling with a dog, it's worth planning around — for them, not for you.

Happy dogs on dog beach

The dog beach

Away from the bonfire season, there's a stretch where dogs are properly welcome — not just tolerated. Watching a dog meet the sea for the first time is one of the better things you'll see all week.

The bit that's actually true

Underneath all of this, the beaches along this stretch are properly looked after — clean, accessible, free, and maintained year-round by people doing genuinely unglamorous work that mostly goes unnoticed. Several carry Blue Flag status, which is its own quiet badge of honour and, conveniently, another flag to ignore once you're in the water.

So: pack the SPF 50, bring the dog if Noche de San Juan isn't imminent, and head down. And if sand really isn't your thing — there's always the pool.

Costa del Sol Urban Planning: Surprisingly Good, Occasionally Terrifying

Fuengirola to La Cala Boardwalk Expansion | Mijas Costa Beaches Update

The coastal boardwalk between Fuengirola and La Cala continues its slow but determined march toward becoming what locals suspect is eventually going to be one continuous wooden promenade stretching from Cádiz to somewhere near Italy.

To be fair, it’s hard to complain. The newer sections look excellent, beach access is better than ever, and the whole thing has made those “quick evening walks” dramatically longer than originally advertised.

As for the beaches themselves - they are heading into summer in good shape. Mijas municipalities hold Blue Flag status at La Cala, El Bombo and Calahonda I this year, while Fuengirola has added a new Blue Flag at Playa Fuengirola - the central urban beach next to the marina, cementing its status as the only municipality on the Costa del Sol where every beach holds the award. Fuengirola and Torremolinos also received special mention this year for accessibility and services for people with reduced mobility - a genuine improvement worth noting. There was some post-winter beach maintenance activity along the stretch between El Faro and La Cala in recent weeks - the kind of enthusiastic yet philosophically relaxed approach to timelines that locals will recognise - but the beaches are looking well prepared for the season ahead.

Credit where it’s due: the authorities actually handled the post-storm road repairs on the A-7 remarkably well. Rather than the traditional Spanish technique of aggressively filling one pothole while three more appear nearby, entire sections of road were resurfaced properly by the end of February, and the finish is genuinely good.

That said, some eyebrows are still being raised about the section near La Cala where the boardwalk edges rather enthusiastically close to the A-7 bend — a stretch of motorway already famous locally for making drivers grip the steering wheel just a little tighter.

It’s probably fine. Probably.

Still, controversy aside, the boardwalk remains one of the best improvements Mijas Costa has seen in years. More walking, better beach access, easier cycling, and considerably more opportunities to stop for “just one drink” at a chiringuito that somehow turns into... another one at the next chiringuito.

Fancy experiencing the boardwalk for yourself? We're just a short walk from the beach and a very pleasant stroll from both El Faro and La Cala. Book direct with us for the best rates - and we'll throw in local tips on which chiringuito to stop at along the way.

See you on the broadwalk!