Coin (pronounced KO-IN) is an inland town virtually equidistant from Marbella and Malaga some 30 km from each. It is a town of approximately 22,000 inhabitants even though looking at the town from a distance it doesn’t look as if it has such a high number of inhabitants.
The reason for this is that there are many suburbs and rural areas which come under the Coin area. Coin forms part of a triangle of towns, Alhaurin el Grande and Monda, the three of them seem to work hand in hand and share a number of resources.
Coin has a comprehensive industrial estate with numerous businesses trading from there; you will find mechanics, building merchants, furniture manufacturers among numerous other businesses.
As you enter Coin, you will notice the shopping centre on the right hand side, La Trocha is said to be the largest shopping centre inland in Malaga province.
There is ample parking space in the covered parking as well as outdoor parking. For a number of years there has been a car boot sale held on a Sunday in the covered car park, this has proved a popular venture for expats as well as for Spanish and foreigners alike looking for a good bargain.
Within the shopping centre you will find a good variety of shops such as hair stylists, mobile phone shops, travel agents and a number of others as well as a well-stocked supermarket and bars/ restaurants in the food quarter.
The architecture is slightly different to many other shopping centres; there is an internal cascade feature which is the marvel of many visitors.
The town centre of Coin is adorned with cobbled streets depicting a bygone era as well as well as buildings in traditional style surrounding the square.
There are very ambitious plans in improving Coin’s infrastructure with new access roads to Malaga as well as a new hospital and numerous other improvements which will see Coin being firmly placed on the map of towns in inland Spain.
The A355 opened a number of years ago, this road connects Coin to Marbella, prior to this road opening, this was a lengthy and time-consuming trip thus discouraging many people from moving to Coin. However, once the A355 opened it cut travelling times down to approximately 20 to 25 minutes along a wide and modern stretch of road. This major improvement in infrastructure catapulted Coin into the 21st century and increased its popularity no ends.
From Coin to Malaga airport is a 30 minute drive approximately, however, once all the road works and new road is in place, this will be reduced significantly.
Even though there are a certain number of Olive trees around Coin, you will notice that there are also large citrus plantations on the outskirts, the areas of Coin, Alhaurin el Grande and the corridor up to Alora are renowned for their oranges, lemon trees and almond groves.
Photo credit: Jordan van Bergen