No more than twenty years ago, most ‘normal’ people would consider the prospect of buying property abroad as something out of reach, something confined to the rich or very daring. Well, times have changed, as they consistently do. These days we are not thinking, “Wouldn’t it be nice to own a second home abroad?”, instead, we are thinking “WHERE will I buy my second home?”

Population: 14,000

Cártama is located in the heart of the beautiful Guadalhorce valley in the province of Málaga just 20km from Málaga city.

Surrounded by thousands of orange and lemon trees the original Moorish town, Cártama Pueblo, stretches across the side of the steep Hill of the Virgin (240m) from where you get panoramic views of the area and access to La Ermita de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (the Hermitage of Our Lady of the Remedies)

Puente Verde (a green iron bridge) crosses the Guadalhorce river is one of the town's landmarks as is a well preserved 2nd century Roman column called the Hummilladero Cross welcomes visitors to Cártama

Population: 2,700

454m above sea level and 60km from the city of Málaga the small Andalucian town of Ardales is packed full of interesting sites for those who love the "real Spain".

Situated on the River Guadalhorce as it spills into the magnificent reservoir of Embalse del Conde de Guadalhorce the lakes here and the spectacular gorge - Desfiladero de los Gaitaneswith its Caminito del Rey (King's Little Road) is reminiscent of something you'd expect to see in an Indiana Jones movie.

Amongst the many attractions here are the church of Nuestra

Population: 3,373

Sierra de Yeguas is 550m above sea level in the north-western part of the province of Málaga bordering on the province of Seville.

Despite its height above sea level the terrain in this area is gentle and the Los Caballos (just 748m high) is one of the area's landmarks along with the vast plain of Llanos de Navahermosa.

Some well preserved Roman archaeological sites in the region include villas and bathhouses where columns, coins and ceramics have been found.

Population: 18,000

The Costa del Sol town of Nerja lies at the foothills of the Sierra De Tejada. 50km east of Málaga international airport in the easternmost part of the Málaga region.

Whil Nerja has several beaches don't expect the golden or white sand you see elsewhere in the region and in places it is quite rugged. Thanks to this fact Nerja has retained much of its real Spanish charm with the old town retaining its narrow cobbled streets and tapas bars.

There is a large ex-pat community in Nerja and a golf course has been proposed (but not yet approved) near the Caves of Nerja.

Population: 25,682

The Costa del Sol fishing town of Rincón de la Victoria is just 12km east of Malaga and up until recently managed to escape the Tourist invasion that has overrun many of the towns to Málaga's west.

A once popular summer retreat for Spaniards, heavy expansion since the beginning of 2000 has seen high rise blocks springing up over night and historic ruins of Bezmiliana (Moorish town) is being destroyed by irresponsible construction.

Rincón has a nice (recently renovated) sea front and beach along with a lively nightlife where people drink, dance and dine the night away.