Manilva is a municipality located in the province of Malaga which in turn is part of the autonomous community of Andalucia. The whole of the south coast of Spain lies within Andalucia as do both the Costa de la Luz which extends along the Atlantic coast and the Costa del Sol which runs along the Mediterranean Coast. Manilva is on the Mediterranean coast and hence lies on the Costa del Sol or "Sun Coast".

Manilva is situated 11 Km to the west of Estepona and 30 Km to the E of Gibraltar. In addition to the inland town itself it includes on the coast; the old and delightful Spanish fishing of Sabinillas; The modern marina of Duquesa; And the charming village of Castililo de Duquesa

The town of Manilva is situated a couple of kilometres inland. It has remained mainly Spanish in character and atmosphere, as most of the English and other sizeable nationalities prefer to be on the coast. The town is still surrounded by vineyards growing Moscatel grapes which are converted to wine or. This local industry is continually declining with many acres of vineyard being developed for houses, apartments, shopping complexes and golf courses.

San Luis de Sabinillas , more commonly known simply as 'Sabinillas' was originally a small Spanish fishing village. Today there are squares and gardens with bars, cafés and restaurants where you can watch the world go by. The Paseo Maritimo, which runs from the La Noria development of apartments in the E to well beyond the Duquessa Marina in the W offers the opportunity of a level walk of several kilometres, well away from any busy roads. The "blue flag" beach stretches for over 1.5km between the Puerto de la Duquesa and the Rio Manilva and includes the entire frontage of the town of Sabinillas. Local fishermen still launch their boats from the beach and recover them with the use of capstan winches. The beach is cleaned daily throughout the summer and manned by both lifeguards and first-aiders.

The Puerto de la Duquesa is situated halfway between Castillo de la Duquesa village to the west and the town of Sabinillas to the east. The attractive marina/port is used by fishermen and pleasure craft alike. A small boatyard offers repairs and maintenance together with storage ashore, including dry-stack. Prices are "eyewatering" even for this part of the coast. Boats can be hired for fishing trips, as can pleasure trips on catamarans for a half or full day. The beach on the eastern side is "blue flagged. The harbour itself is surrounded by attractive apartments and an array of shops bars, and restaurants. Access to vehicles is limited and controlled by barrier. Puerto de la Duquesa is busy in the evenings with an extensive night-life.

Castillo de la Duquesa is a small village located just to the west of the marina of Puerto de la Duquesa. It took its name from the fortress that stands at the entrance to the village. The castle was erected in the 1760 and the architect Francisco Paulino was granted the command of a company of cavalry by King Charles lll for his services. Since then the building has had many uses and is currently used for exhibitions, cultural events and council offices. The village has a number of pleasant squares and gardens and boasts some of the best fish restaurants in the area. Castillo de la Duquesa's history can be traced back to roman times when it was a busy centre for salted fish and a paste known as Garum. This was a "gentlemen’s relish" craved by the Romans and as such brought great prosperity. The remains of the Roman settlement are southwest of the castle. Next to the Plaza de Banos is the bathhouse together with the old boiler house, associated hypocausts and a large stone bathing tank with patches of the original mosaic floor. They can be viewed but remain behind locked gates.

Getting to Manilva by air is easy. Malaga Airport, some 45 minutes away, offers flights from most airports in northern Europe. A new airport is being developed in Gibraltar to allow even more convenient access to this unspoilt part of the Costa del Sol. The nearest train stations are San Roque to the west and Malaga to the east. From Malaga trains run directly to Madrid with a journey time of just 2.5 hours. Buses run to Algeciras in the west and Malaga in the east. From both stations it is possible to get connecting buses to the major cities of southern Spain and also to Madrid, the capital, in central Spain. The A7 coastal road or Autovia de Mediterraneo runs through the municipality and the AP-7 or Autopista de Mediterraneo, a toll road, runs just to the north of Manilva. The nearest exit is #142