Resort Guides › Spain › Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol’s most glamorous resort — luxury marina, real old town, wide beaches too.
Overview
Marbella is the Costa del Sol’s best-known upmarket resort, famous for Puerto Banús’s yacht-lined marina and designer shopping, but it also has a genuinely charming whitewashed old town and long, family-friendly beaches away from the glamour.
Families & toddlers
The beaches either side of the old town are wide and well equipped, with a long seafront promenade good for cycling or an easy walk, and Puerto Banús itself is an easy, free afternoon of yacht- and window-shopping for kids and adults alike.
Couples, teens & nightlife
Puerto Banús has some of the smartest bars, clubs and restaurants on the whole Costa del Sol, while the old town offers a quieter, more romantic evening among its narrow streets and plazas — genuinely covers both moods.
Seniors & accessibility
The old town’s central squares and the seafront promenade are both pleasant and manageable, though the old town does have some narrow, cobbled streets; the newer parts of the resort are flatter and easier going.
Best time to visit
Mild winters and hot summers, with the Costa del Sol’s reputation for near year-round sunshine holding up well here too.