Etagenwohnung in Benahavís, Costa del Sol

125 square metres inside, 30 square metres of terrace. That ratio is what gives this apartment in Benahavís its character. Thirty square metres is not a small balcony with room for just a little table; it is almost an extra living room. You can fit a full-size dining table and a seating area, without having to choose.

The apartment is on the first floor. In this type of residence that is often the best choice: you have more privacy than at ground level, you don't get the heat you would under a flat roof, and you are still within half a minute of the pool.

Inside there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. With three bedrooms you can have guests to stay, and that changes how you use a second home. Children who drop by, grandchildren on holiday, friends who stay for a week: you don't have to put anyone on a sofa bed.

The level of finish here is particularly high. There is nothing left to do before you move in, no painting, no kitchen that first has to be replaced. You also get your own garage space and a separate storage room. That storage room sounds unimportant, until you have spent a summer here and realise what it is worth to be able to leave suitcases, bicycles and beach gear somewhere instead of in the second bedroom.

The residence is a gated community with a gym and a heated pool. The heating is not a luxury detail but a difference in use: it lets you enjoy the pool for extra months. In Spain most pools are not heated, so here you have an extra advantage.