Miraflores: The full story from 1981 to 2023

This is the impressive story of how Miraflores was created and developed from a desert to the green, popular, affordable, and award-winning urbanisation it is today!

Jacob met the mastermind behind Miraflores, Ole Sigurdsson, and got a unique opportunity to share the story of how Miraflores has developed from 1981 to today, where there are many fantastic properties, a golf course, tennis club, social club, bowling club, beach club, business centre, shops, and restaurants.

Where is Miraflores, Mijas Costa?

Miraflores belongs to the municipality of Mijas Costa, which is the beautiful 12 km long stretch that goes all the way from Cabopino in Marbella in the west to Fuengirola in the east. It is just half an hour’s drive from Málaga Airport, 15 minutes from the city of Fuengirola, and a 20-minute drive from the famous city of Marbella.

The urbanisation is just by the beach and thereby also Senda Litoral Mijas, the lovely boardwalk along the Mediterranean Sea that begins in La Cala de Mijas and makes it possible to walk by the sea all the way to Calahonda.

More specifically, Miraflores is located in the attractive area between Torrenueva, next to the charming town of La Cala de Mijas, and the urbanisation Riviera del Sol. In La Cala de Mijas, you will find small shops, golf courses, local markets, supermarkets, great restaurants, and various bars. On the other side, in Riviera del Sol, you also have supermarkets, cosy restaurants, bars, sports club, and of course, one of Mojo’s favourite beach clubs, Max Beach.

How did it all begin? Meet the mastermind behind Miraflores!

The mastermind and founder, Ole Sigurdsson, bought 350.000 square meters (35 hectares) of land back in the late 70’s, when it was only a desert. He built everything we know today as Miraflores from scratch. It was not exactly a predictable move, considering that Ole did not speak a word of Spanish and he did not know where Málaga was.

Ole was born in Iran, his father was from Iceland, and his mother was from Iran, yet they sent Ole to Denmark to study at a young age. After completing boarding school, he went to the university in Denmark and decided to become a civil engineer – a decision that proved to be very useful!

Building houses in Málaga province

After working five years in Denmark, Ole’s father returned from a trip to Torremolinos, which used to be the centre of Costa del Sol, and said: “I know what you should do! You should go to Málaga province and buy some land and build houses!”

Ready for adventure and the unknown, Ole packed his bags and went to Spain in 1973 when he was 30 years old. And that was how he began his building career! He started by building villas in, for example, Torremuelle, later a complex of 38 duplex apartments in Riviera del Sol, and another complex right next to it called El Mirador.

Why is Miraflores so popular?

Ole Sigurdsson claims not to have a master plan, just some dreams. Nevertheless, Miraflores is now one of the most popular areas in Mijas Costa and the greenest community on the Costa del Sol!

It is a multicultural, award-winning luxury resort with over 1200 Andalusian-styled garden apartments and townhouses grouped in individual phases. It is an ideal area for both resale properties and holiday rentals. Moreover, Miraflores has been awarded for having the most emblematic landscaping and gardens.

It is no wonder that many homeowners choose Miraflores because of the beautiful green nature. However, there are also other factors that play an important role in making Miraflores an attractive property area. Factors like the affordable house prices, the short distance to the beach, the nearby cities and their facilities, as well as the elevated land structure that goes up, up, up, and, thus, enables a magnificent view over the Mediterranean Sea.

Property for sale in Miraflores

See an example of a property for sale in Miraflores below. This is a completely redesigned penthouse apartment with a terrace, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, beautiful green surroundings and within walking distance of the beach.

If this property is not what you are looking for, use our property finder form and let our agents know what you are looking for so we can find the right property for you.