The Costa Del Sol isn’t just the golden beaches of the Mediterranean coastline, or the Miles of sea front promenades.

The Costa Del Sol is also white washed pueblo villages and mountainous scenery.

Spain has taken advantage of the European grants available for renovating the road network over recent years, which now means that the inland areas of Spain are so much more accessible. There was a time when you had to think either countryside or beach holidays. Now you can easily do both. Owning a second home in the countryside of the Costa Del Sol couldn’t be easier.

I took a drive over to Alora on Friday to show a rural hotel to a client who had flown in from Norway. My client got a real feel of inland Spain when the local goat herder crossed the road in front of our car with his herd of 100+ goats.  Imagine the sound of all those goat bells!

The rural hotel in Alora is right on the slow train line, from Malaga to Madrid. Throughout the year the Alora station attracts hundreds of visitors every week. The hotel is in a prime position, right across the court yard from the station. Alora’s train station is just outside the town itself, and a regular bus service picks up outside the hotel to take tourists up to the town.

This hotel is a real gem. Fully renovated, and with all licences in place to open the doors on a 100+ seat restaurant and bar, and 8 studio apartment letting rooms. The opportunities for the property are vast.

Upstairs on the first floor are 8 fantastically decorated studios. They each have a private entrance and a view over the valley and mountains. The studios will all come to the new owner fully furnished and ready to take rental guests.

The 2nd floor is now the living accommodation of the owners. It is light and spacious, with a very large incredibly decorated lounge/ living area, with a modern kitchen area and wet room. There is a double bedroom on this floor, and an exit onto a large chill-out terrace. If you buy this property, you can decide whether you keep the large relaxation Jacuzzi for yourself, or make it available to the guests. The views, locations and quality of this property would be major factors in helping you to make this a great success.