11 Marbella Tours & Experiences You’ll Never Forget
‘Tour’. Just the mention of the word might conjure up visions of a guide with an umbrella droning on to a large group of disinterested tourists as they traipse round a series of overcrowded…
From high-class Asian fusion to simple Andalucian classics, we’ve picked out a few of the very best Estepona restaurants.
Baltazar Bar & Grill
Set in the Kempinski Hotel this steakhouse and grill has positioned itself nicely: it’s both a laid-back alternative to the coast’s fine dining restaurants and a step up from the more rustic and lively tapas bars. The spacious dining room is like a breath of fresh air with forest greens, natural materials and a touch of North Africa, while tables spill out onto a terrace next to the hotel pool for alfresco dining during the summer.
Start with one of their signature cocktails – our favourite: Germano Papito. Food-wise, it’s a question of plate after plate of perfectly grilled meats, fish and vegetables. There are tapas to share as well as the main menu and plenty of sauces and sides to compile your perfect plate. The whole seabass cooked in the tandoor oven is an absolute must-order as well as the tuna belly with watermelon, macadamia nuts and mint.
Address: Carretera de Cadiz km 159, Playa El Padron, Estepona. Telephone: 952 80 95 58; Baltazarmarbella.es.
Kabuki Raw
Simply the best Asian food in Malaga province and the owner of a well-deserved Michelin star. Kabuki Raw is in Finca Cortesin, and as you’d expect from a five-star hotel the service is just sublime. The dining room strikes that perfect balance between welcoming comfort and refined elegance: first and foremost, it’s just a very pleasant place to be – but it’s also, of course, ultra-stylish and smartly formal.
Take the tasting menu and chef Luis Olarra will lead you on a gastronomic journey by skillfully pairing Mediterranean and Japanese cultures – try to reserve the table opposite the kitchen to get the full experience. Balanced, tasteful, never showy and always delicious, this is Asian fusion food at its very best.
Another lovely touch is the valet parking – always a welcome way to start and end any meal.
Address: Hotel Finca Cortesin, Casares. Telephone: 952 93 78 00; Restaurantekabuki.com.
Felix Restaurant
Chef Manuel Camisuli creates Mediterranean food with a firm nod to Asia. You really feel that every little thing has been considered when you dine at Felix: the dining room (within the Healthouse Las Dunas Hotel) is a triumph of peacock blues and greens; the lighting is perfect, and there’s plenty of space and comfortable seats.
On the food front, every dish that comes out of the kitchen is as good to look at as it is to eat. There’s a commitment to local Mediterranean cuisine and an excellent wine list (the hotel’s restaurant conforms to the ethos of the hotel’s wellness regime and no alcohol is served) and attentive service.
Address: Urbanización Boladilla Baja, Crta. Cadiz km 163,500, 29689 Estepona.
La Alcaria de Ramos
On the edge of El Paraíso golf course this traditionally styled townhouse is a real mainstay of the Estepona restaurant scene. Haute it may not be, but if you’re looking for hearty, homely cooking then you’re in the right place.
In terms of standouts on the menu, on our last visit we swooned over the stuffed mussels with cream of mushroom sauce and the turbot in the clam sauce. It feels (and is) a family-owned restaurant where everyone you deal with is fully invested in delivering good food and a great atmosphere.
Address: Calle Vista al Mar Diseminado 1, 29680, Estepona. Telephone: 952 88 61 78; Laalcariaderamos.es.
Restaurante Taberna Miguel
In the centre of Estepona town, Taberna Miguel is a long-standing favourite with locals and visitors. With a huge terrace and courtyard as well as an indoor dining room it’s a good option for a large group at any time of the year.
Traditional Andaluz food – from plates of Jamon Iberico to revuelto (scrambled eggs) – is very much the order of the day here, but it’s done with a fair amount of finesse. During the summer months it gets full to bursting as the cool courtyard and terrace seating are filled with in-the-know regulars.
Address: Calle Caridad 30, 29680, Estepona. Telephone: 952 79 25 38; Restaurantetabernamiguel.com.
La Bulla Gastrobar
Opposite the beach this is less fine dining and more casual eating. The food is good, though, and the service and atmosphere follows suit. The reason La Bulla Gastobar made our Estepona restaurants list is because it’s open all day – an important point if you’re visiting the area in summer.
Inside, plants hang from the ceiling and it has a lovely, healthy breakfast offering as well as a cocktail list for evening drinks. Aside from the breakfasts, it’s ideal for a quick, relaxed bite, with the beef churrasco with BBQ sauce and scallops with spinach pesto the pick of the bunch on our last visit.
Address: Avenida Espana 38, Plazoleta Ortiz, 29680, Estepona. Telephone: 952 80 65 75; Facebook Page.
Claro! Restaurant & Beach Club
Another decent casual place to eat in Estepona is Claro! Leaving aside the superfluous punctuation points in the name, it makes for a very agreeable summer lunch or dinner with its mix of high and low tables and soft and hard seating, all under a Balinese hut-style cover on the beach.
Their traditional Malagueño BBQ cooked fish is the absolute highlight of the menu – particularly the espeto de sardinas (sardines cooked on a BBQ). The ‘beach club’ bit refers to the sunbeds and parasols next to the restaurant on the beach – they’re absolutely perfect for after lunch lazing and there’s a great cocktail list from which to enjoy a sundowner or two, should afternoon wind its way into evening…
Address: Laguna Village, Carret. Cadiz, Km 159, Exit 160 – “Cambio de sentido”, 29680 Estepona. Telephone: 952 800 873; Clarobeachclub.com.
Like our pick of Estepona restaurants and looking for more local dining recommendations? Check out a few of our favourite places to eat in Benahavis.
And if you’d like to stay as close to the action as possible on your next trip, have a look at our collection of nearby luxury villas.
Ben Cooper
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[post_content] => ‘Tour’. Just the mention of the word might conjure up visions of a guide with an umbrella droning on to a large group of disinterested tourists as they traipse round a series of overcrowded sights.
It’s time to leave those preconceptions behind, though. Because tours have changed.
In southern Spain, at least, tours these days tend to be unique experiences that take you deep under the skin of a place; inspiring, enlightening and helping you to make indelible holiday memories.
We’ve worked hard to find the most enthusiastic, knowledgeable and fun tour guides to give you an access-all-areas insight to Spain. Here are a few of our favourite Marbella tours…
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Tapas Tour of Marbella
We can all go wandering around a town or city and trust in a mix of travel guides, social media and (gulp) TripAdvisor to help us find the best places to eat. But it can be hit and miss.
The beauty of a tapas tour is that you only get taken to the best, most authentic places, know exactly what to order in each bar and also have someone on hand to give you an insight into Spanish food, too.
More information: Tomaandcoe.com
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Off-road Buggy Tours
Leave city life behind and get into a motor powered (500cc) buggy: four wheels, low to the ground, a roll cage and the countryside to explore – this is a whole lot of fun.
Your guide will take you on a tour where you get to splash through rivers, skid round dusty corners, zoom through valleys and up mountains.
More information: Buggyfunmarbella.com
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Marbella Helicopter Tour
Something a whole lot less exhausting but just as exhilarating is seeing the countryside surrounding Marbella from the air – by helicopter, to be exact.
There are lots of tours to choose from. A couple of our favourites are: flying over Ronda (seeing the town and its magnificent bridge perched on the gorge from the air is something else!); taking the helicopter for a romantic countryside lunch; or a tour of Marbella’s ultra-exclusive Golden Mile.
More information: Heliairmarbella.com
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Spirit of Jerez Tour
A day trip from Marbella to Jerez is a must for wine-lovers. The home of Sherry, you can forget everything you think you know about classic Spanish vinos and be swept away by the history and culture of one of Spain’s greatest wine towns.
Aside from a guided tour with tastings of the centuries-old Sherry wineries, you get to visit the Royal Equestrian School for which Jerez is also famous. Here you can visit the stables as well as seeing an exhibition of spectacular horsemanship.
Afterwards, there’s even time for a tapas lunch sampling platters of regional specialities. Washed down with a glass or two of Sherry, of course.
More information: Tomaandcoe.com
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A Day at an Olive Farm
Spend the day in a beautiful farmhouse (just a short drive from Marbella) learning about organic olive farming. Disconnect and reconnect with nature among fields of olives.
You’ll learn what the different olives taste and look like, and what the difference is between EVVO and lower quality oil.
You’ll also see how traditional methods are still used to harvest this golden oil which is so important to the Mediterranean diet – past, present and future.
After the tour you stay at the farmhouse for an al fresco rustic lunch of local produce, giving new meaning to ‘farm to fork’. There’s even a visit to a 15th-century chapel with its very own mosque.
More information: Tomaandcoe.com
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Malaga Cooking Tour
Here at LVC we’ve always thought that there’s no better way to get to know a culture than exploring it through its food. And it’s with this firmly in mind that we’ve chosen this Malaga cooking day tour.
Malaga city centre is only 50mins drive from the centre of Marbella so a easy day trip. Starting the day in a fresh food market in Malaga city you’ll be guided around the meat, vegetables, spices and fish to select what dishes are going to be made for lunch.
Once you’ve stocked up on supplies, you leave the big city behind and are driven out into the countryside north of Malaga to an 18th-century farmhouse.
Here you’re guided through various Spanish staple dishes, before settling down to eat them for yourself in a setting that couldn’t be more quintessentially Andalucian.
More information: Tomaandcoe.com
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Morocco Day Tour
One of the great things about visiting this part of the world is that you can easily add another continent to your travel log and nip across to Africa for the day.
This day tour allows you to get under the skin of Morocco’s rich cultural heritage, meander around the Kasbah, the Medina and food markets and be shielded from tourist traps and haggling. Lunch is in keeping with a sensory tour of Tangier keeping your taste buds tickled.
More information: Tomaandcoe.com
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Uber-Luxe Moroccan Overnight Trip
For something a little bit special, you don’t get much more VIP than this overnight tour of Tangier.
You’re driven over from Marbella to Tarifa from where you can hop across the Straits, take in the sights, do some shopping, and then settle down to dinner in a private house/mansion that belonged to a Sheikh.
Contact: Tomaandcoe.com
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Tour of Gibraltar’s Tunnels
Gibraltar is just over an hour by car from Marbella old town. The little slice of Britain in southern Spain is certainly a curious place… plus, well, it’s got monkeys. So it’s hardly surprising that it so often makes visitors’ to-do lists of things to do when visiting Marbella.
Gibraltar is very small – so why do you need a tour we hear you ask? Well, it’s simply because the interesting part of this British territory is its history.
The Rock is riddled with military tunnels with long and colourful pasts, and the best way to see and learn about them is to go with a guide who can bring it all to life for you.
More information: Gibraltar-sightseeing.com
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Moorish Malaga City Tour
With its Pablo Picasso art heritage, shopping, diehard foodie credentials and lovely history-studded old centre, the city of Malaga offers a jam-packed day of sightseeing.
Rather than doing a whole city tour and trying to take it all on in a day, we’ve chosen a specific tour of just the Alcazaba.
Exploring this palace-fort with a guide gives you a unique insight into Moorish Malaga and a bit of general background into the captivating history of Al-Andalus – not to mention some beautiful views of the city.
This tour is only just over an hour long, so you’ve got plenty of time to see at least some of the rest of Malaga. Our top lunch tip is La Terraza de la Aduana: the views are wonderful; the service is excellent and the food’s delicious.
More information: Malagaadventures.com
11. Historic Ronda
Ronda is a inland town, just an hour from Marbella. It has a wealth of historic sights to see from bull rings to palaces. It's setting is spectacular sitting on a gorge and the old town is charming.
The tour visits all the sights in Ronda with a guide explaining the relevance of each as well as a boutique winery in a ancient monastery.
More information: Tomaandcoe.com
Why Hire a Tour Guide Rather than Going Solo?
A guide takes the pain away from doing the research. They’ll take you to the best places, order the best food and drink and impart as much knowledge as you choose to absorb.
You’ll also get the opportunity to ask any burning questions you have about Marbella, or just Spain generally, with no stone left unturned.
A lot of tours can be private or in small groups so there’s no limitations as to where you can visit and what you can see because of group size. There’s no better way to experience the real Spain than through a local who really knows their stuff.
If this has spiked interest and you want to see the best places to stay in Marbella then our collection of luxury villas are here. And for more reading on things to do while on holiday to Southern Spain then there are lots of fun self-guided day trips to do from Marbella too.
Happy discovering!
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[post_content] => From the misty green inlets of the north-west to the dusty south, via the rolling plains of the centre, Spain is nothing if not incredibly varied in terrain and temperature. Which is precisely what makes the range of Spanish wines produced so diverse, lively and interesting.
Here’s our 101 guide to some of the top Spanish wine regions to help you explore this fabulous country through one of its very finest assets: its grapes.
Spanish Red Wines
Rioja
Rioja is without a doubt, Spain’s best known red. Stretching away across three valleys – the Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental – to the south of the Cantabrian Mountains, it’s a relatively small area that nevertheless packs quite a punch when it comes to global wine production.
Some numbers, then: it’s Spain’s oldest wine (with written records dating back to the 9th century); there are more than 600 wineries and nearly 15,000 grape growers spread across 65,000 hectares of vineyards.
Made from a variety of grapes it comes in three age classifications: Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. All are full-bodied and generally best served with food. One thing to look out for is whether the Rioja was aged in American oak, French oak or a mixture of both barrels, with each having their distinct tastes.
A Rioja winery you must visit: Bodegas López de Heredia - in the town of Haro, it's one of the older wineries in La Rioja. By appointment only. More information: Lopezdeheredia.com.
Ribera del Duero
The ‘other’ great Spanish wine beginning with R. Only the best Tempranillo grapes are used to make polished Ribera del Duero wines, and there are many in Spain (and outside) who prefer the, frequently, softer more delicate taste, than that of their cousins from Rioja.
Wines from Ribera del Duero are usually 100% Tempranillo and are mostly aged in French oak; they have the same age classification as Rioja (Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva).
A Ribera del Duero winery you must visit: Matarromera - in the town of Valbuena del Duero, a trip to this winery can also include a visit to their museum, the EMINA Wine Museum. More information: Matarromera.es.
Priorat
Priorat is probably Spanish wine’s greatest secret. With a wine growing history dating back to the 12th century, this southern Catalonian region these days produces some of the finest and fullest bodied reds in Spain… of which most people outside of Spain have never even heard.
The terrain here is tough (even by Spanish wine region standards), so the vines are forced to search for water in the soil, making yield low - and prices high. The most common grape varieties used are: Garnacha, Cariñena with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.
A Priorat winery you must visit: Alvaro Palacios - the name that practically singlehandedly spearheaded Priorat's ascent to the summit of Spanish wines back in the 1980s is still one of the leading wineries in the region. More information: Aseuniv.com.
Spanish White Wines
Rias Baixas
On the border of Portugal in the north-west of Spain, the Rias Baixas region of Galicia is cool, green and crisp – not unlike its white wine. The crowning glory of this wine-growing region is Albariño, which is clean, with occasional floral notes, and is absolutely ideal paired with the sublime local seafood.
A Rias Baixas winery you must visit: Far from the largest, it's the setting of this family business - in the grand, fortified country house of Finca La Moreira - that makes it one the more atmospheric wineries in Spain. More information: Marquesdevizhoja.com.
Cava
From the northeast of Spain above Barcelona, Cava is Spain’s most famous sparkling wine. Labelled with brut (dry) or semi-seco (semi sweet), Cavas can be white or rosé, and are usually made from Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo grapes.
A Cava winery you must visit: Dating back to the Middle Ages, this Empordà winery certainly doesn't lack for provenance - and it's got the grand castellated headquarters to prove it. More information: Perelada.com.
Sherry
Sherry is made from grapes grown within Cadiz's ‘Sherry Triangle’ between Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa Maria in Andalucia.
It comes in sweet and dry varieties. Dry Sherries like Fino or Manzanilla are crisp and acidic, and make for the perfect accompaniment to fish and seafood; Oloroso is caramel-like and nutty and goes well with meat, while medium-dry Amontillado is perfectly paired with chicken or game birds.
A Sherry bodega you must visit: Bodegas Tradición is not the oldest bodega in the Sherry Triangle by a long chalk (that honour goes to Domecq), but it is one of the most insistent on traditional techniques. More information: Bodegastradicion.es.
Rioja
White Rioja is made with Viura; sometimes on its own, other times blending with Chardonnay or Garnacha Blanca amongst others. Most white Riojas are young but are still full-bodied to taste.
Malaga Wine
Malaga has a long and distinguished wine-making history, with wines having been made in the region since the Phoenicians were in southern Spain, before the Romans picked up the baton. British wine merchants were sending Malaga wines back to sweet-toothed Victorians in the 19th-century.
These days, made from Moscatel or Pedro Ximenez grapes, vinos de Malaga are fortified and naturally sweet. Coming in both red and white, they’re at their best served with a ripe local goats’ cheese.
A Malaga winery you must visit: Bodega F. Schatz - it's entirely in keeping with the international past of the Spanish wine industry that one of the best wineries in Malaga should have been founded by a German. More information: F-schatz.com.
Rueda
The most commonly drunk white wine in Spain can be just a little disappointing to a new world white wine drinker.
The Rueda region is in Castilla y Leon and its wines are usually made with Verdejo grapes. It produces very aromatic wines, often with tropical fruit and fresh grass hints, that’s fresh with just a hint of bitterness.
Things to Look Out For with Spanish Wine
There are several wine classifications in Spain, each holding specific criteria. The ones to look out for are Denominacion de Origen (DO), Denominacion de Origen Calificada (DOCa, DOC or DOQ) and DO Pago (only for single winery estates).
On the bottle you’ll see the words Joven, Crianza (aged at least 2 years and 12 months in oak barrels), Reserva (aged at least three years with at least 12 months in oak barrels), or Gran Reserva (aged for a minimum of two years in oak barrels, and more than three years bottled before they’re sold).
Like the sound of these wine regions in Spain and want to experience some of the very best wines they produce?
Stay with The Luxury Villa Collection and you can order the finest Spanish wines direct to your villa, or arrange a tasting or tour through our concierge.
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A Brief Introduction to Spanish Wines
From the misty green inlets of the north-west to the dusty south, via the rolling plains of the centre, Spain is nothing if not incredibly varied in terrain and temperature. Which is precisely what…