Benalmádena.i7.rent

Pedalo Turquoise — the plastic of the pedal boats at Puerto Marina

Puerto Marina rents by the half hour, which is the only sensible unit with children.

Families, the marina and short hires. Below: what is rentable here, when the window opens and closes, and the ground rules worth knowing before you hand over a card.

Read the 35 piecesSee the season

Pastel plastic pedal boats with slides hauled up on the sand at Benalmádena, the whitewashed arches of Puerto Marina behind.

What matters in Benalmádena

Only the categories that genuinely run here

When to book

Price pressure, what is left, and how far back to reach

The booking window

Renting in Benalmádena — Marina and beach craft. Relative price pressure and typical availability by month. For August, act by May.
JFMAMJJASOND
PriceJan: pressure 2 of 9.Feb: pressure 2 of 9.Mar: pressure 3 of 9.Apr: pressure 4 of 9.May: pressure 6 of 9.Jun: pressure 8 of 9.Jul: pressure 9 of 9.Aug: pressure 9 of 9.Sep: pressure 6 of 9.Oct: pressure 4 of 9.Nov: pressure 2 of 9.Dec: pressure 1 of 9.
LeftJan: usually open.Feb: usually open.Mar: usually open.Apr: usually open.May: usually open.Jun: getting tight.Jul: getting tight.Aug: usually gone.Sep: getting tight.Oct: usually open.Nov: usually open.Dec: usually open.
Book

For August, act by May. today is Jul

Renting in Benalmádena — Apartments by the week. Relative price pressure and typical availability by month. For August, act by February.
JFMAMJJASOND
PriceJan: pressure 3 of 9.Feb: pressure 3 of 9.Mar: pressure 4 of 9.Apr: pressure 5 of 9.May: pressure 6 of 9.Jun: pressure 8 of 9.Jul: pressure 9 of 9.Aug: pressure 9 of 9.Sep: pressure 7 of 9.Oct: pressure 5 of 9.Nov: pressure 3 of 9.Dec: pressure 1 of 9.
LeftJan: usually open.Feb: usually open.Mar: usually open.Apr: getting tight.May: getting tight.Jun: getting tight.Jul: usually gone.Aug: usually gone.Sep: getting tight.Oct: usually open.Nov: usually open.Dec: usually open.
Book

For August, act by February. today is Jul

Renting in Benalmádena — Bikes on the coastal path. Relative price pressure and typical availability by month. Family sizes go first, not adult frames.
JFMAMJJASOND
PriceJan: pressure 4 of 9.Feb: pressure 4 of 9.Mar: pressure 5 of 9.Apr: pressure 6 of 9.May: pressure 6 of 9.Jun: pressure 7 of 9.Jul: pressure 8 of 9.Aug: pressure 8 of 9.Sep: pressure 7 of 9.Oct: pressure 6 of 9.Nov: pressure 5 of 9.Dec: pressure 4 of 9.
LeftJan: usually open.Feb: usually open.Mar: usually open.Apr: usually open.May: usually open.Jun: getting tight.Jul: getting tight.Aug: getting tight.Sep: getting tight.Oct: usually open.Nov: usually open.Dec: usually open.
Book

Family sizes go first, not adult frames. today is Jul

The index

All 35 pieces

Every article on Benalmádena, with its season, category and reading time.
SeasonCategoryArticleRead
All yearPlacesRenting an apartment by the week or by the month hereApartment rental4 min
Jun–SepOn the waterBanana boats and towed inflatables, and the age rulesTowed inflatables5 min
All yearGearBarbecue, cool box and holiday kit hire for a rented flatHoliday kit hire5 min
Apr–OctGearBeach equipment rental and the concession systemBeach equipment5 min
All yearTwo wheelsBike hire or the coastal train for getting about BenalmádenaGetting around5 min
Apr–OctOn the waterRenting a boat at Puerto Marina, hour by hourBoat hire5 min
All yearGearBuggy, cot and baby equipment hire for a family stayBaby equipment5 min
All yearOn the roadCar hire without a credit card, and what the options really areCar hire5 min
All yearOn the roadChild seats and boosters: what hire firms actually supplyFamily car hire4 min
Mar–NovTwo wheelsHiring a bike for the coastal path to FuengirolaBike rental5 min
Jun–SepOn the roadThe coastal road or the motorway, in seasonDriving the coast4 min
All yearPlacesDeposits and cleaning charges on a short apartment letDeposits and fees4 min
Mar–NovTwo wheelsE-bike hire and the climb up to Benalmádena PuebloE-bike hire5 min
Mar–NovTwo wheelsFamily bikes, trailers and child seats in BenalmádenaFamily bike hire5 min
May–OctOn the waterA first boat trip with small children, and what goes wrongFamily boating4 min
Apr–NovOn the waterFishing trips out of Benalmádena, and what is providedFishing trips4 min
All yearOn the roadA hire car for day trips, or staying on the coastal trainCar hire strategy5 min
Apr–OctOn the waterHiring a boat here, in Fuengirola or in TorremolinosComparing ports4 min
All yearPlacesHoliday let or residential let, and why it mattersRental contracts5 min
May–OctOn the waterJet ski rental for complete beginners in BenalmádenaJet ski hire4 min
Apr–OctOn the waterLicence-free boats, and what the briefing actually coversLicence-free hire4 min
Oct–AprPlacesLong winter lets on this coast, and how they workWinter lets5 min
All yearOn the roadOne-way and short hires on this stretch of coastShort and one-way hire5 min
May–OctOn the waterWhere to rent a paddleboard on the Benalmádena beachesPaddleboard hire4 min
Jul–AugOn the roadDriving and parking around Puerto Marina in AugustParking5 min
May–OctOn the waterPedal boats and small craft, priced by the half hourPedalos and kayaks4 min
Apr–OctGearPool and garden equipment for a rented villaPool and garden kit5 min
All yearPlacesRenting near Puerto Marina or up in the puebloWhere to rent5 min
Mar–NovOn the roadQuad and buggy rental in the hills behind BenalmádenaQuads and buggies5 min
All yearOn the roadScooter rental with airport pickup, and the honest alternativeScooter hire5 min
Mar–NovTwo wheelsScooters and mopeds compared for a family week in BenalmádenaScooter hire5 min
All yearPlacesWhat a Spanish holiday rental licence number tells youLicences and paperwork5 min
Apr–OctGearSun loungers, parasols and what you may bring yourselfBeach equipment5 min
Apr–OctGearWater sports kit hire for a week in BenalmádenaWater sports kit4 min
All yearTwo wheelsA week of bike hire against buying something cheapHire or buy5 min

Basics on the ground

General, and worth verifying

Driving licence

An EU or EEA licence is accepted as it stands. Licences from outside that area are usually accepted alongside an International Driving Permit, and some desks insist on one even where the law does not. Bring the physical card — a photo of it will not open the barrier.

Cards and deposits

This is a resort market with a lot of short hires, and the credit-card requirement bites hardest here. Operators that accept debit cards usually do so only with their own full-cover product, and some will take a cash deposit for small items like beach kit and pedal boats. Ask before you arrive rather than at the kiosk.

Short hires and the unit of time

Puerto Marina and the beaches rent by the half hour and the hour, not the day, for pedal boats, paddleboards and small craft. That changes the arithmetic completely with children — the practical question is how long anyone will actually last, not what the day rate is.

Boat licence

Small, low-powered craft can be taken out after a briefing, with the threshold set nationally. Rental staff will mark the area you may stay within and it is enforced by the harbour. Anything larger, or leaving the marked area, needs a certificate.

Age limits

Car hire generally opens at 21 with surcharges into the mid-twenties. Jet skis, quads and buggies each carry their own minimum age and licence requirement, which are stricter than for a car and are checked at the point of hire.

Apartments by the week or the month

Weekly holiday lets and monthly residential lets are different products with different rules, deposits and cancellation terms, and the crossover point is where people get caught. A stay of a month or more is often cheaper per night and much harder to cancel. Establish which kind of agreement you are signing.

Licence categories, age limits and what may be taken out without a certificate change, and operators set stricter terms than the law requires. Treat everything above as orientation and confirm it with the operator and the local authority before you book.