Over the years Marbella has changed with the times, developing into a small, but vibrant and cosmopolitan city.
A few things remain the same, however: a beautiful setting, a privileged climate and a series of distinct areas.
Marbella town
Known above all for its beachside promenade, beaches, yacht harbour and broad, leafy avenues, Marbella’s downtown area also includes a charming historic quarter.
Partly contained within impressive medieval walls, this small but compact quarter of cobbled streets and quiet squares is home to pretty churches, elegant galleries, independent fashion and craft boutiques and a great many restaurants, tapas bars and sunny terraces.
The Golden Mile
West of the old town, if you follow the main Avenida Ricardo Soriano past the conference centre and the iconic copper Pirolí tower, you soon hit the famous Golden Mile of Marbella.
This road, which connects Marbella and the marina of Puerto Banus, cuts like a palm-lined artery through what is perhaps the best address in Marbella. It’s here that you find the famous Marbella Club Hotel and the Puente Romano, with its renowned tennis centre, but also fine dining restaurants, glamorous nightclubs, stylish beach clubs overlooking yachts moored just offshore and exclusive luxury Marbella villa zones.
Puerto Banus
Leaving these privileged enclaves of grand Marbella villas and mansions behind, you come to Puerto Banus, the famous playground of Marbella. Centred around a charming marina lined with mega yachts, Puerto Banus offers the full suite of nightlife, beaches and shopping with an emphasis on opulent hedonism.
Besides a great many luxury shops and villas in Puerto Banus, you’ll find small malls and a grand Corte Inglés department store. If you’ve tired yourself out shopping there are beach clubs, spas and also a very cosmopolitan selection of restaurants, bistros and cafés to choose from.
San Pedro Alcantara
If Puerto Banus is where Marbella comes to play then the lively little town of San Pedro is where people come for a gentle stroll or to absorb the Andalucian atmosphere. The shops, restaurants and cafés may be less exclusive, but together they produce a very authentically Spanish street scene.
Extending outwards from Marbella and San Pedro are attractive, green, low-density residential zones. Here many residents from Northern Europe have settled in charming townhouses, luxurious apartment complexes and some of the finest luxury villas Marbella has to offer.
East Marbella
To the east, Marbella extends from Rio Real and Los Monteros near the town’s edge all along the coast, passing the leafy suburban areas of El Rosario, Elviria, Las Chapas, Calahonda and the pretty little marina of Cabopino en route.
From Rio Real to the trendy beach clubs of the Hotel Los Monteros and Nikki Beach at the Hotel Don Carlos, this eastern area is marked by open undulating land lined with world-class golf courses and, dotted with chiringuito beach bars and fish restaurants, some of the best beaches on the Costa del Sol.