Advice on towns between Malaga and Granada

I'm  going to Nerja  Costa Del sol  next month & renting a spanish villa if all goes well today , good luck  ..  Very excited

You may want to go just beyond Costa del Sol and head into Costa Tropical.  (1 hr from Granada and 1 hr from Malaga) The first pueblo driving from Costa del so into Costa Tropical is La Herradura. You can choose to hang out with expats or the locals.  Right next door is Almunecar (25,000 population) and still very Spanish town.  There are some expats from Europe, but not in masses.  It is right on the coast and just 1 hour from Sierra Nevada.   You could go to the next town, Salobrena as well.   There are many choices, but Costa Tropical is still traditional Spanish.  That said you give up a few conveniences when you take this route.  If you want a big variety of international cuisine and bigger markets, then Costa del Sol is the place.   We have been in Almunecar since 2012, nice sea views and on the coast.

Thanks for that. I may well check out there as well. All very last minute!!