Marbella guide.
Tourist information about Marbella, Spain.

Marbella

Marbella stands in considerable contrast, after another sequence of apartment-villas, to most of what's come before. It is undisputedly the quality resort of the Costa del Sol, where restaurants, bars and hotel Marbella are more stylish and everything costs considerably more. It has the highest per capita income in Europe and more Rolls Royce’s than any European city apart from London.

The town has been spared the worst excesses of the concrete architecture inflicted upon Torremolinos. Marbella also retains the greater part of its old town (set back a little from the sea and the new development). Centred on the Plaza de los Naranjos and still partially walled, the old town is hidden from the main road and easy to miss. Slowly this original quarter is being bought up and turned into quaint clothes boutiques and restaurants, but this process isn't that far advanced. You can still sit in an ordinary bar in a small old square and look up beyond the whitewashed alleyways to the mountains of Ronda.

Really the rich don’t stay in Marbella itself. They secrete themselves away in villas in the surrounding hills or lie around on phenomenally large and luxury yachts at the marina and casino complex of Puerto Banus, 6 km out of town towards San Pedro. If you are impoverished, this fact is worth noting as it’s sometimes possible to find work scrubbing and repairing yachts. As you expect Puerto Banus has more than its complement of cocktail bars and seafood restaurants, most of them very pricey.

Many people have been those who have defined Puerto Banus as the flagship of the Mediterranean and therefore of Malaga. By touring Puerto Banus we will find expensive yachts anchored at the port and the latest car models coming from all latitudes. It is also common to see celebrities and many other people moving through Banus in a relaxed way and eat at fine restaurants surrounding the port.

Tourist information about Marbella:

Town council: Glorieta de la Fontanilla, s/n.
Phone: +34 952 77 14 42.
Official website: Ayuntamiento de Marbella.

Malaga to Marbella

Marbella is not very far from Malaga airport, indeed you can get there in about 40 minutes by car (50 km distance). Find the cheapest Malaga airport car hire rates and see how to get from Malaga airport to Marbella.