Where to Stay in Mijas for Two Families

For two families, the place to stay in Mijas is a single house with enough separation built in: bedrooms with their own bathrooms, a second living space and more than one place to eat. Mijas Golf, the quiet valley between Fuengirola and Mijas Pueblo, is a good area to look, because it has larger detached villas with gardens and pools, and it sits within a short drive of the beach, the old village and the airport.

The house matters more than the postcode, though. Here is what to check before you commit, and how to plan the week so that both families come home still friends.

One shared villa or two separate places?

Two apartments in the same building can look like the safe option. In practice, you spend the week knocking on each other’s doors, carrying food between kitchens and splitting up every evening.

A shared villa works better when the layout gives each family a bit of territory. What you are looking for:

• Bedrooms spread over more than one floor, so the toddler’s bedtime does not dictate the adults’ evening.
• A second living room, even a small one, where one family can watch a film while the other sits outside.
• More than one kitchen, or at least a large one with two fridges’ worth of space.
• Outdoor space with more than one seating area, so not everyone is at the same table all day.

If a listing shows six bedrooms but only one sitting room and one bathroom per floor, imagine 8:00 on day three and decide whether that still sounds relaxing.

How should bedrooms and bathrooms be split?

Start with bathrooms, not bedrooms. Two families with young children can share a lot, but a queue for the shower every morning wears thin quickly.

A simple split that works: each couple gets an en-suite room, the children sleep near their own parents, and any remaining room becomes the flexible one for a grandparent, an older teenager or the family that wants a little extra space.

Floors help too. One family on the upper level and the other on a separate lower level is the closest you get to two homes under one roof. Early risers get the kitchen downstairs without waking anyone; late talkers can stay up on a terrace without a baby monitor crackling from the next room.

Tip: Before booking, send both families the floor plan and photos and agree the room allocation in writing. It sounds formal, but it settles the “who gets the room with the view” question before anyone has packed, and it lets you check that cots, high chairs or a quiet room for a light sleeper are where they need to be.

Meals: one big table, two kitchens

Food is where shared holidays succeed or fail. A pattern that tends to work: breakfast and lunch by family, at your own pace, and one shared dinner each day that everyone turns up for.

For that, you need two things. First, a table that genuinely seats everyone, or two tables close enough to feel like one. Second, enough kitchen space that one family can make pancakes while the other is still doing coffee.

Casa Hestenes is laid out along these lines: six bedrooms with seven double beds, five of them en-suite, across three levels, with an independent lower floor that has its own living room and second kitchen. Outside, the main terrace has a table for eight next to a charcoal barbecue, and the lower terrace by the pool has another for six, so a group of twelve can eat together without anyone perched on a sun lounger.

Take turns cooking the shared dinner, one family per night, and eat out once or twice so nobody spends the holiday at the hob.

Walkability, beaches and days out with children

Be realistic about walking. Mijas Golf has a few neighbourhood restaurants and a minimarket within walking distance, but the beach is a drive: Fuengirola seafront and Playa del Castillo are about 12 to 15 minutes by car, and La Cala de Mijas about 15 to 18 minutes. Larger supermarkets are 7 to 10 minutes away.

With two families, two cars is a real luxury. It lets one family do an early beach run while the other has a slow pool morning, and you meet again for lunch. If you only have one, plan the day around a couple of fixed points rather than trying to move twelve people at once.

Family-friendly days within easy reach include a morning in Mijas Pueblo, about 15 minutes away, a beach afternoon in Fuengirola, or a visit to the wildlife park there. The area guide has our current picks, with approximate drive times from the house.

Making the week work for everyone

A few habits make a big difference:

• Agree the money up front. Split the house, then keep a shared kitty for groceries and shared dinners. Separate everything else.
• Plan one shared outing, not five. One day where everyone goes somewhere together is plenty. The rest of the time, let each family do its own thing.
• Protect nap and bedtime routines. Put the families with younger children closer to their bedrooms in the evenings, and let the other family take the far terrace.
• Keep one evening free. Somebody will want a night off from the group. Build it in, and nobody has to ask.

If you are comparing houses, send us the ages of everyone travelling and how you would like to split the rooms, and we will tell you honestly how the layout would work for your two families. You can see all three floors and terraces on the homepage.

Planning your trip? Check dates at Casa Hestenes.