Las Lagunas de Mijas: the modern heart of Mijas

The municipality of Mijas has three cores: the white mountain village of Mijas Pueblo, the coastal strip of Mijas Costa with La Cala, and Las Lagunas. The last one is by far the biggest: a modern residential town that blends seamlessly into Fuengirola. This is where the people who keep the Costa del Sol running actually live.

For a holidaymaker, Las Lagunas is not a sight in the classic sense. But that is exactly why it is useful to know: the big shops, the sports facilities, the theatre and the fairground of Mijas are all here. We come here every week ourselves.

The best-known address is El Corte Inglés Costa Mijas, the big department store on the border of Las Lagunas and Fuengirola. Everything under one roof, from fashion and cosmetics to an excellent supermarket and a gourmet section. Blissfully cool on hot days, and the rescue of your afternoon when it rains.

Around it sit the big chains you know from home: Decathlon for sport and beach gear, Leroy Merlin for anything house-related, plus electronics and furniture stores. Forgot your sunscreen, snorkel set or charger: in Las Lagunas it is sorted within half an hour. For more atmospheric shopping we also have a guide to the markets of Mijas.

The green heart of the district is Parque Andalucía, a large park with playgrounds, shade and café terraces around it. On summer evenings half of Las Lagunas gathers here, and with children it is a lovely free night out. For culture there is Teatro Las Lagunas, programming theatre, music and flamenco all year round, often for a few euros.

Sports lovers get the Ciudad Deportiva of Las Lagunas, with a pool, athletics track and sports halls. And if you need summer cooling with kids: the Aqua Mijas water park is a few minutes away by car, on the edge of Fuengirola.

On the edge of Las Lagunas lies the Recinto Ferial de Las Lagunas, the municipality's big events ground. In June it hosts the Feria de Las Lagunas, with casetas, fairground rides and live music, and through the year it catches concerts, food festivals and markets.

Visiting during a fiesta week? Do go and have a look one evening, even if you speak no Spanish at all. An Andalusian feria is an experience, and the one in Las Lagunas belongs to locals rather than tourists. Our guide to events and fiestas in Mijas lists the whole festive calendar.

Las Lagunas is the best place in Mijas for a cheap, good menú del día. Along the Camino de Coín and in the side streets sit dozens of bars and small restaurants where working Mijas has lunch: three courses with bread and a drink for the price of a single main course at the beach.

Expect no English menus and no sea view, but genuine Andalusian cooking and warm service. Point at what your neighbour is having and you will be fine. For the coastal restaurants, see our guide to eating in La Cala de Mijas.

From our penthouse in Riviera del Sol you reach Las Lagunas in about fifteen minutes, via the coastal road and Fuengirola. Parking is easy: El Corte Inglés and the retail parks have large, partly free, car parks.

Our advice: combine. Shopping in Las Lagunas, lunch among the locals, and a dip in the sea on the way back. In one afternoon you will have seen a side of Mijas most visitors skip.