Arenas village is of Moorish origin and is situated 44 kilometres from Málaga and 13 kilometres from the coastal town of Torre del Mar. The terrain is composed of a succession of gentle hills abounding with almond and olive trees and grapevines.
The Bentomiz fortress, which is built on a hill close to the village, has played such a decisive role in the history of Arenas that no reference is possible to this locality without first alluding to the Bentomiz castle, whose origins have been dated back to the Iberian era. It is believed that the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans all successively occupied and modified it. Together with the castles of Comares and Zalia, Bentomiz castle was considered one of the three most important Muslim bastions in the central part of La Axarquía.