Marbella is known as a glamorous resort town and is a favourite location with the rich and famous, boosted by foreign residents who are seduced by the lifestyle. But there's plenty for ordinary folk to see and enjoy too in southern Spain's answer to St Tropez.
-- Marbella is a city and resort area on southern Spain’s Costa del Sol, part of the Andalusia region. The Sierra Blanca Mountains are the backdrop to 27 km of sandy Mediterranean beaches, villas, hotels, and golf courses. West of Marbella town, the Golden Mile of prestigious nightclubs and coastal estates leads to Puerto Banús marina, filled with luxury yachts, and surrounded by upmarket boutiques and bars.
In the chic, sun-drenched Costa del Sol town of Marbella, hints of its former Moorish occupation mingle with modern-day resort amenities. Bask on the sands of famous La Fontanilla beach or ricochet among the area's family-oriented water, wildlife and theme parks. Experience the Andalusian charm of the historic quarter, filled with whitewashed buildings, remnants of a ninth-century Arab fortress and fragrant orange trees. End a relaxing day with a dish of the cold almond soup ajoblanco and some of the region's excellent dessert wine.
Marbella is the Costa del Sol’s classiest (and most expensive) resort. This wealth glitters most brightly along the Golden Mile, a tiara of star-studded clubs, restaurants and hotels stretching from Marbella to Puerto Banús, the flashiest marina on the Costa del Sol, where black-tinted Mercs slide along a quayside of luxury yachts. Marbella has a magnificent natural setting, sheltered by the beautiful Sierra Blanca mountains, as well as a surprisingly attractive casco antiguo (old town) replete with narrow lanes and well-tended flower boxes.
Marbella has a long history and has been home to Phoenicians, Visigoths and Romans, as well as being the most important town on the coast during Moorish times. Arab kings still own homes here, as do plenty of rich and famous people, such as native malagueño Antonio Banderas.
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ABOUT THE AREA
Estepona was one of the first resorts to attract foreign residents and tourists some 45 years ago and, despite the surrounding development, the centre of the town still has a cosy old-fashioned feel – for good reason: the town’s roots date back to the 4th century. Centuries later during the Moorish era, Estepona was an important and prosperous town due to its strategic proximity to the Straits of Gibraltar.
Estepona is steadily extending its promenade to Marbella; at its heart is the pleasant Playa de la Rada beach. The Puerto Deportivo is the centre of the nightlife, especially at weekends, and is also excellent for water sports, as well as bars and restaurants.
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