How to Get to Marbella
Marbella. There aren't many places offering year-round sunshine in Europe that, from beaches and golf to shopping and fine dining, tick as many of the luxury holiday boxes. Sounds tempting?…
Heady summers, long nights and time off from work allow us to indulge in all sorts of fun. No matter your age, life stage or persuasion there’s a music festival to suit everyone.
Souvenirs don’t always have to be physical things. Music is the soundtrack to our lives, so they say, and everyone takes home that special ‘holiday song’ as a lasting memory. Much easier to carry home than a straw donkey!
What better way to create a whole music memory album of your holiday, than by attending one of the upcoming festivals? There might be one close to your planned holiday destination, so browse our list of some of the hottest Spanish (and Gibraltar) music festivals for 2018.
Mad Cool Festival – Madrid
When? 11th – 13th July 2019
A newbie on the summer Spanish festival scene, Mad Cool Festival is only in its second year. It means business, though, with big indie acts like Green Day, Kings of Leon, and the Foo Fighters headlining as well as Neil Young, The Who, The Prodigy, Die Antwoord, Biffy Clyro, Jane’s Addiction, Editors and Two Door Cinema Club. This rock/pop festival in Madrid with four stages is going from strength to strength, promising to be one of the best urban music festivals in Spain.
More information: Madcoolfestival.es.
Bilbao BBK Live
When? 11th – 13th July 2019
When it comes to festivals there aren’t many in Europe that beat the location of Bilbao BBK Live – the Arriaz Mountains as a backdrop, views over Bilbao city, nearby beaches and stunning sunsets at the end of the day. It’s simply stunning. The music starts late so it’s ideal for visitors as you can sunbathe during the afternoon or even see some sights in the city. If this year’s line-up – featuring the likes of Muse, Mumford & Sons, alt-J or Disclosure, Depeche Mode, Die Antwoord and Fleet Foxes – doesn’t tempt you, then we’re not sure what will.
More information: Bilbaobbklive.com.
Festival Internacional de Benicassim – Castellon
When? 18th – 21st July 2019
FIB to its friends, with four days of non-stop rock, alternative, indie and electronic music in a beach setting, Benicassim has become a permanent fixture on the Spain festival circuit. Running for 23 years, tickets are quickly sold out, so if you still want one you’ll have to start hunting.
The most successful music festivals now offer more than just music and FIB, being something of a veteran now, is no different. We want more from our festival experience, and FIB delivers – expect to see a short film festival, fashion shows, art exhibition, and a festival of dance and choreography, with educational arts courses provided by a local university, too. If you’re bored by all of that there’s even a water park just down the road for a cooling respite. Headliners this year are The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kasabian.
More information: Fiberfib.com.
Marbella Starlite
When? Jul 5 – Aug 22, 2019
This eagerly awaited annual event has celebrities, pop stars, and Marbella’s elite reaching for their Louboutins at the chance to see Anastacia, Juan Magán, Art Garfunkel, Elton John, and more over the course of an event that runs well over a month in total. In true Marbella style, the Starlite’s a glamorous affair – no dust or porter loos here. Instead it’s very much a case of see and be seen, with the chance to rub shoulders with the rich and famous at an important annual social event for the town.
More information: Starlitemarbella.com or contact our Concierge to book your tickets or VIP entrance
DGTL Barcelona
When? Aug 23 – Aug 24, 2019
If you like electronic music and house is on your playlists then DGTL is for you. The Spanish spin-off of the Dutch festival is celebrating all things in digital arts. World-class DJs provide the sound while visual arts play a huge part in the ambience, too. This is no one-dimensional concert: sculpture, futuristic design, boundary-pushing experimental visual arts and around 60 DJs all make for one of the best examples of clubbing in 2017. Big names like Jackmaster, B.Traits, Seth Troxler and Tale Of Us will all be stepping up to the decks to play to an artsy, hipster-heavy crowd.
More information: Bcn.dgtl.nl.
Arenal Sound – Arenal de Burriana
When? July 30th – 4th August 2019
The first beach-side Arenal Sound was in 2010, and with its location on the Costa del Azahar about 60km outside Valencia it’s proved very popular with a younger crowd, camping and hanging out on the beach. You’ll require energy for this one – it lasts for six days. Into its eighth year, and proving more and more popular with each passing year, it attracts fans of pop, indie, electronic, and rock with headliners of the calibre of Clean Bandit, Jake Bugg, Bastille and Martin Garrix.
More information: Arenalsound.com.
MTV Calling Gibraltar Music Festival – Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar
When? TBC around 21st September 2019
It may not be the first time this festival has taken place, but it is the first year it’s been produced by MTV – a guarantee that the music-filled weekend will be a roaring success. Ok, so technically its not Spain, but its the best musical event by far that’s close enough to be enjoyed by anyone staying on the Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz.
A stellar line-up is on the cards in the shadow of the Rock, with Craig David, Fatboy Slim, Jonas Blue, The Kaiser Chiefs, Tinie Tempah and The Vaccines all confirmed and various other acts still to be announced.
It’s the perfect family weekend with the added bonus of superb acts, food stalls, and of course, warm September sunshine. For more information and tickets, go to: Gibraltarcalling.com.
Like our pick of the best summer music festivals in Spain? For more after dark activities, check out our guides to the best Marbella nightlife and beach clubs.
Ben Cooper
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[post_content] => Marbella. There aren't many places offering year-round sunshine in Europe that, from beaches and golf to shopping and fine dining, tick as many of the luxury holiday boxes.
Sounds tempting? Perhaps the best part of all is just how easy it is to get to...
Where is Marbella?
First things first, though. Where is it? Marbella is in southern Spain - in the province of Malaga in the Andalucia region, to be exact - on a stretch of coast called the Costa del Sol.
Here's a map of Marbella to help you get your bearings:
Where Do You Fly to?
It depends on from where you're flying in. The nearest international airport to Marbella is Malaga. Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (Aena.es) is 51km away and an easy 40-minute car/taxi ride. Virtually all the major airlines fly there direct from the UK and from across northern Europe.
The next closest airport to Marbella is Gibraltar (Gibraltarairport.gi), which is just over an hour's drive away. British Airways, Easyjet and Monarch all fly direct from the UK to Gibraltar.
From the US
If you’re flying into Spain from the USA you'll probably have to travel to Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (Aena.es). From there you'll have to either fly, take the fast speed AVE train (Renfe.com) or drive to Malaga and transfer from there to Marbella.
The most convenient way to get to Marbella from Madrid is by the fast speed train taking just 2.5hrs or by flying taking only 1 hour and 15 mins.
how to get there from malaga airport
By Car
The best way to get from Malaga to Marbella is to drive. And if you're on holiday that probably means you're going to need to hire a car.
As with almost all international airports, Malaga has a frankly baffling array of different car hire options to pick through.
To avoid the scrum of the departures lounge, jump on the complimentary minibus to the offices of Niza, Helle Hollis or Enterprise situated a mere minute outside of the terminal. Inside the terminal you can find Sixt, Hertz and Europcar.
If you're unsure of which company to use, click the following link.
For a more luxury car hire service we'd recommend Sixt (Sixt.com). They're friendly, totally professional, trustworthy and have a range of high-end rental options, from BMWs, Audis and Porsches to Mercedes and Range Rovers - and even automatics. If you're travelling in a large group, they also have 8-12 seater self-drive minibuses available for hire.
Of course if you're looking for ease, our Concierge can make the reservation for you to be dropped directly off at the villa. A car of your choice can be delivered to your villa.
Once you've picked up your car/minibus hire, driving from Malaga airport to Marbella could hardly be easier.
Directions from Malaga-Costa del Sol airport are as follows:
- Leave the airport and head southeast onto N-348
- At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on N-348
- Take the Torremolinos ramp to N-340/Cádiz
- Merge onto Avenida de Velázquez/N-340/MA-21
- Take the ramp to E-15/A-7/Benalmadena/Algeciras. Merge onto AP-7
- Pass Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola
- Take exit 184 towards Marbella/Casco Antiguo/Avenida del Trapiche
By Taxi
For sheer ease, you can’t beat jumping in a taxi. A taxi rank is situated outside the arrivals sidewalk of Terminal T3, level 0.
It's best to ask the driver, beforehand, how much a taxi is from Malaga to Marbella to ensure they don’t overcharge you.
There are two transfer prices, and these are dependent on both times of the day and the day of the week. Transfer Price Band 1 is weekdays from 06.00 to 22.00 hrs. Transfer Price Band 2 is weekdays from 22.00 to 06.00 hrs, all day Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, the August Feria and Holy Week. Band 2 transfer time is more expensive than Band 1.
Alternatively, you can pre-order a taxi at Malaga Airport Taxi (Malagaairporttaxi.net) and get a price when booking. The transfer time from Malaga Airport to Marbella takes around an hour, in a taxi.
Other Ways to Get to Marbella
- By bus: It is possible to take a bus (Alsa.com) from Malaga airport to Marbella. But it's a whole lot less convenient than driving via hire car or private transfer.
- By train: There isn’t a train connection from Malaga airport to Marbella.
Distances - how far is marbella from...
- Malaga (city): 61km away and 46 minutes' drive.
- Granada: 187km and just over 2 hours' drive.
- Seville: 258km and 2 hours 45 minutes' drive.
- Gibraltar: 78km and 1 hour 2 minutes' drive.
- Madrid: 584 km and 5 hours 45 minutes' drive.
A Bit of History
The land previously belonged to the Saudi businessman Adnan Khashoggi, who it is said, used the estate as his party house and hunting grounds. The property and land went up for sale and a group of Spanish property developers bought it and put plans together to create a playground for the rich and famous in Marbella. Each villa is unique, with their own styles depending on the specifications of the owner.Location & Getting There
So where is La Zagaleta?
The large estate sits in Malaga province in the south of Andalucia. It’s in the foothills of the Ronda Mountains just 25 minutes from Marbella, 18 minutes from Nuevo Andalucia and the nearest beach. It's 20 minutes from the village of Benahavis, 40 minutes from Sotogrande port, 50 minutes from Ronda, 55 minutes from Malaga airport and just over an hour from Gibraltar airport. La Zagaleta is very easily accessed by car or helicopter. There's heavy security surrounding the estate and entrance is on prior permission only.
What Else is in La Zagaleta?
It’s worth noting that all the facilities in La Zagaleta are for exclusive use to villa owners only; they pay an enormous service charge to be allowed to use the facilities.Golf Course
La Zagaleta golf club is only open to villa owners and their guests. They have exclusive access to two of the Costa del Sol's best private golf courses, La Zagaleta and Los Barrancos. La Zagaleta golf course - known as the Old Course - is to championship standard with 18 holes, Par 72 over a distance of 4800 - 6000 yards. Designed by renowned golf architect Brad Benz in 1991 and redesigned by Marc Westenborg in 2016, it’s a rewarding course with fantastic views to the coast and flanked by mountains. The New Course, Los Barrancos, is very different to the Old Course. It’s a challenging 18-hole, Par 70 with lots of obstacles over a distance of 4356 – 5381 yards.
The Clubhouses
The hub of the estate is the spectacular Old Clubhouse, or La Zagaleta country club. Measuring 5,100m² it has an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, billiards, bowling alley, tennis courts, gourmet food supermarket, pro-golf shop and restaurants (see below). There's also a nightclub, bars and events space where there’s a full schedule of experiences and parties planned. The New Clubhouse is a thatched lakeside venue. A lot smaller than the Old Clubhouse, it's still just as popular with La Zagaleta residents for events or having a quick drink in the bar.Horse Riding
La Zagaleta is home to some beautiful stables with indoor and outdoor schooling arenas. Horses can either be kept on a full livery basis, or horses and ponies can be hired for lessons or hacks. ‘The Riding Club’ equestrian centre has a team of instructors and well-schooled horses for all levels of rider including Arab, PRE and, for the children, Farabella horses and Welsh ponies.Restaurants
Why leave the comfort of a beautiful villa when you can enjoy a top-quality meal at home? At La Zagaleta there are Michelin starred chefs available for in-house dining throughout the estate. However, for owners the clubhouse has two restaurants: the formal dining Old Course Restaurant; and a terrace bar restaurant that's ideal for light bites and brunches.Famous Residents
There is private security throughout the whole of La Zagaleta - so know one really know who lives or owns houses there. It’s a place where the super-rich and famous go to be away from the limelight. However, it is said that Hugh Grant, Rod Stewart and Vladimir Putin all have house in La Zagaleta.What to Do Nearby
When staying in La Zagaleta, the houses are so special that it’s sometimes difficult to tear yourself away from the estate. However, if you do want to see more of the area, here's our pick of easily accessible and great day trips:
- Ronda: historic, boutique wineries and ab-so-lutely beautiful.
- Benahavis village: a great option for restaurants; have a lunch or dinner in this pretty village.
- Granada: a romantic inland city and home to the Alhambra Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Malaga: the birthplace of Picasso with a fort, palace and Roman amphitheatre.
- Cordoba: historic city with a stunning mosque-church at its centre.
- Sevilla: one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
- Sotogrande: a lovely port, wake boarding lake and polo hub.
When to Go
The temperatures in Marbella are some of the most comfortable in Europe. Depending on the time of year, you can expect from 16°C to 30°C for daytime temperatures. The houses in La Zagaleta are the most luxurious around, and so often have heated pools, spa areas and lots of home entertainment options. As a result, visiting in the winter is also a good option.Where to Stay
All villas have unbroken views of mountains, golf course, the sea or all three.
Our collection of La Zagaleta villas are Villa Shiro (sleeping 16), Villa Vivaldi (sleeping 15), Villa Azure (sleeping 10) Villa Matisse (sleeping 10) and Villa Verdi (sleeping 12).
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