Marbella

50kms from Malaga this is probably the main international tourist attraction of the Costa del Sol.

There is a huge ex-pat community from all over northern Europe including the UK. The nightlife is unequalled and this is the place to party with the rich & famous. Actors, artists and multimillionaires live here making this the main centre for gossip and exotic parties. However during the day it has a lot to offer with beaches, a lovely promenade, numerous golf courses, 3 leisure ports, parks and gardens and luxury hotels and restaurants.

Marbella has managed to retain some of its charm and Andalucian character. Step away from the glamour of the port area and venture into the old quarter where you will find the popular resting place, the Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Square), leading off in every direction with a maze of narow alleys and streets. The old town is also one of the best places to shop. Here you will find a multitude of shops selling local wares, alongside the designer label clothing that Marbella has become known for. Local crafts mingle with European fashion, cheap leather goods and colourful ceramics.

The Paseo Maritimo is one of the best along the coast. Walk the marble paseo and rest in one of the many bars or restaurants or make your way to the centre of town where you will find one of the most attractive parks, with its water features, statues and beautiful tiled benches.

Marbella also offers a selection of street markets for new and second-hand goods. Here's where you are sure to find a bargain.

Puerto Banus

The promoter Jose Banus gave his name to this port, 6m west of Marbella. This is one of the most famous ports in Spain and receives 4 million visitors a year. Since it was inaugurated in 1970 it has received many awards and has 915 moorings. Here can be seen luxury yachts from all over the world including some of the world's largest.

Most people visit just to look at these boats, few of which ever leave the marina. This was the first of Spain's pueblo-marinas, an urbanisation built around a modern port. It has shops, apartments, hotels and many places to eat and drink. There are many shops and restaurants immediately on the harbour where you can sit and watch the boats; the ferraris and porches drive by and the rich and famous amble by wanting to be seen.

At the back of the harbour is a new development of shops and restaurants (including a t.g.i. fridays) and a large department store.

There is a huge open piazza beneath which is an extensive underground car-park.
The beach is at the north of the town and is called Playa Levante. It is long and wide and very clean. There are all the usual facilities. The nightlife in Puerto Banus is also as well known as it's celebrity status. There are ample clubs and pubs and after midnight, especially in the summer months, the whole place rocks 'till daybreak' but expect to pay for it. Hotels of all grades are plentiful but you will find it cheaper to stay at a nearby resort and travel to see Puerto Banus.

The property market in both Puerto Banus and Marbella is one of the most buoyant of the whole of the Costa del Sol. Prices have soared over recent years and villas of huge proportions are springing up in the surrounding areas.

In the centre of Puerto Banus you will find a huge marble square, close to el Corte Ingles. Here you can enjoy the sun and a drink in the outside bar.

Close by is the cinema that show films in both Spanish and English.

The town’s origins may have been the 1st-century Roman settlement of Barbesula. Archaeological remains from this era are to be found at the mouth of the River Verde.

Near San Pedro de Alcantara, which is also part of the municipality, there are remains of the Roman colony of Cilniana -apparently destroyed by an earthquake in the 4th century-, one of the most interesting sites on the Malaga coast, which some historians equate with the city of Salduba mentioned by Pomponius Mela. Roman baths known as Las Bovedas can be found close to the beach.

Accommodation :
Gran Melia Don Pepe *****(gran luxe) Avda Jose Melia 202 rooms tel: 952 770 300
Don Carlos ***** Ctra N340 237 rooms tel: 952 831 140
Coral Beach **** Ctra 340 157 rooms tel: 952 824 500
Artola *** Ctra 340 31 rooms tel: 952 831 390

DISTANCE FROM THE CAPITAL (km) : 58

ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL (m) : 25

PLUVIOMETRÍA (l/m2) : 628

AREA (km2) : 116

Nº OF INHABITANTS : 98.377

NAME FOR PEOPLE : Marbellíes

POSTCODE : 29600

PHONE NUMBER FOR INFORMATION : Tourist Office: 952-77-46-93