The most common mistakes when booking a holiday rental — and how to avoid them.
If you're thinking about spending your holidays on the Costa del Sol this summer, there's something you should know: May is the key month to book well… or to get it expensively wrong. Every year we see the same thing: travellers who wait too long, choose the wrong area, or book without checking important details. The result is clear — they pay more, have fewer options, and often don't enjoy the experience they hoped for.
Here are the most common mistakes when booking a holiday rental in Fuengirola and Mijas — and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Waiting too long to book for summer
By May, demand has already taken off, and many international travellers (especially from the UK, Germany and the Nordic countries) book weeks or even months ahead. What happens if you wait until June or July? Prices go up (sometimes 20–40%), the quality of available properties drops, and the best locations are gone.
What to do instead: book between January and May at the latest — that's when you can still find better prices, more variety and well-located properties.
Mistake 2: Choosing the wrong area
Not every part of Fuengirola and Mijas offers the same experience, and choosing badly can spoil your holiday. For example:
- Too central → night-time noise
- Remote developments → you need a car for everything
- Areas without services → daily inconvenience
How to choose well? It depends on your kind of trip:
- Families → Los Boliches and the Sohail area (peaceful, with very good services)
- Couples → Fuengirola centre (all-day atmosphere, great food and culture, everything close by)
- Pure relaxation → Mijas Costa and the Sohail area (quieter developments a little further from the bustle, pools, incredible views)
Mistake 3: Not checking the tourist licence
This matters more than it seems: in Andalusia, holiday rentals must hold an official licence. If they don't, your booking can be cancelled, you can run into problems during your stay, and quality standards tend to be lower.
To avoid this, make sure the property is registered and professionally managed. At GR Estates, we only work with verified, fully legal properties.
Mistake 4: Trusting the photos alone
Photos can be very deceptive — even more so now that many companies use AI to enhance them. Spaces look bigger, locations are unclear, and information about the surroundings can be missing. When booking your stay:
- Read the full property description and clear up every doubt.
- Look for reviews from other guests — if they're not on the company's site, search Google.
- Trust specialised local agencies with years of experience.
Mistake 5: Ignoring extras and hidden costs
Many travellers only look at the nightly price and end up with surprises. From our experience managing holiday rentals, always check the final cleaning fee, the deposit, late check-in charges and parking.
Extra tip: before booking, review the complete total price and call the agency with any questions before paying. In our case, Andrea — who manages our rental apartments — will happily take your call or WhatsApp for any question.
Mistake 6: Not thinking about transport
A very common mistake, especially for visitors choosing places like Mijas: some properties are in spectacular settings… but you absolutely need a car.
- If you don't want a car → look for central areas that are well connected by bus, train and taxi.
- If you rent a car → you can get better views and better prices further from the centre, and visit several places (Nerja, Ronda, Fuengirola, Mijas Pueblo…) in one trip.
Booking a holiday rental isn't just finding something pretty — it's making decisions that shape your whole experience. If you book early, choose the right area and trust professionals, you pay less, enjoy more and avoid problems. At GR Estates we help you find selected, verified properties in the best locations. If you're thinking of coming this summer, now is the moment to book — talk to Andrea today.
The GR Estates Team
The best experiences on the Costa del Sol
Written with AI assistance and reviewed by the GR Estates team before publication. AI transparency
