Basic information

Manilva is the first village of the province of Malaga on the coast, on the limits with the province of Cadiz. The main nucleus settlement lies little more than 2 kms. inland. Embraced by a magnificent vineyard of muscatel grapes, it looks out over the Mediterranean forming a straight line of about 7’8 kms. of coast which on reaching the extreme south-west forms an area of cliffs and bends in the Punta Chullera. At 97 km. from Malaga and 13 km. from Estepona, the area is on route between Malaga and Cadiz and, together with Casares, is the municipality which has least been affected by the development of tourism on the western Costa del So. Most of the district is within the area of influence from the coast. This and its proximity to Gibraltar are important aspects with regards to its future urbanistic development. In the district, apart from some isolated urbanisations and a magnificent Marina, there are two more population nuclei primarily dedicated to tourism: "San Luis de Sabinillas" and "El Castillo",where a tourist centre and place of gastronomic interest specialising in fish is being developed, with numerous well patronised restaurants. The first traces of human activity in the area are the Neolithic remains in the "Sierra de la Utrera" near Manilva. More than 20 sites of archaeological interest have been found in the district. The remains of "Cerro del Castillo" corresponding to the end of the Bronze Age are of particular interest, although the presence of Roman remains is especially evident, giving us a wealth of archaeological heritage. Manilva’s village centre was founded at the request of Gibraltar, Malaga and Ronda in 1528 when, in order to improve security in the area, Charles V ordered the Duke of Arcos to build a settlement for 50 or 60 inhabitants.The village was an annexe of Casares until the 26th of October 1796 when it was conferred the status of a municipal district by Royal Charter and became independent from the town of Casares.With its vineyards, irrigated homesteads, coast, gentle slopes and hills, Manilva is an inviting place where the visitor is invariably drawn to stay for more than a day: whether for sun, sea and sand, more demanding sports or rural tourism.