BOH

Anyone been to Marbella lately?

Have the chance of a really nice apartment for a week in August at what seems an amazing price. But what is Marbella like as a resort?

IIRC is was quite upmarket once but has this now changed in recent years or is it still OK?

jahason

Delete - posted wrong place

SchmeckFlyer

Like other places on Costa del Sol, Marbella seems like a colony of either the British or the Germans. I suppose if that floats your boat, and one really loves to play golf, then Marbella is the place to be. I always have found it odd, however, that people would go on holiday to a completely different country only to eat the exact same food, do the exact same things, see the exact same people, and speak the exact same language as they do at home.

Just my opinion though. I'm sure Marbella has its charms.

HIDDY

Bit of a posers paradise full of the "beautiful people" showing off their latest facelifts and flash cars.

I was last there in the winter a few years ago and it was nice and quiet with cafe prices 50% cheaper than the summer.^

Skipcool3

The whole stretch of coast is developed on a huge scale; plenty of money but not nec. "Upmarket." A friend of mine lent me his apartment last winter..... Plenty of things to do for a week if you have a hire car.....

Radioman

Hi
We were over in Costa Del Sol last year but we stayed at the Crowne Plazza Estopona and it was excellant. We did venture upto Marbella a few times and what did we do? Well lets say my wife and daughter had no problem with passing the time in the shops. Its certainly not the standard bucket and spade place (I hate these sort places).

I know of a lot of folk who go over too beat the hell out of a little white ball with sticks

I dont like Spain as a holiday destination as such but we are certainly looking at going back to Estopona (maybe even in October this year if not Easter next year).

If you do decide to go, then enjoy your trip.

regards

LHR Tim

Hated it.

Malaga was nice.

Ronda was lovely.

Puerto Banus should be renamed and have the 'B' forcibly removed from the name by trading standards.

mwalsh

Did anybody see that ITV thing late last year...."Marbella Belles"? If it's anything like that, then you can keep the bloody place! Bunch of wannabes following the every move of folks that could but really shouldn't be allowed to on grounds of bad taste if nothing else.

David-A

Like many places, there are many people living in blissfully ignorace of other social spheres.

The people who think they are rich etc, not knowing the people who really are. And some of the real rich mix with the poorer people, etc, etc.
And then on top of that different social spheres, cultural spheres...

In short, I don't doubt Marbella Belles was real, but I wouldn't dream of thinking of it as being representative of anything other than the limited ghastly world it showed.

chipster

I agree entirely about Malaga (which is a bit of a gem really, often overlooked ancient city, as is Ronda). PB and Marbella - nothing special, but have to stay somewhere and if it's a good price, then Marbella is as good a base as anywhere I suppose. I was just shocked by the complete overdevelopment of what seemed like the entire coast west of Malaga. It's no surprise that there's a house price crash in the making there. There's a fast (toll) autopista which means you can pretty much get to wherever you want quickly if you've got a car.

PSICA

When I was a kid (early 1980's) we had an apartment in Puerto Banus, before all the development, you could find a nice cafe or decent place to eat, and it was cheap as chips.

Since the development it has become "my yacht is bigger than yours" and rather full of rich wannabes. However saying that, if you venture BEHIND the coast and visit some of these places you might find a spain that has been left untouched by people for decades....

Istan
Ojen (pronounced Och en) up the mountain behind the bullring
The Parador at the top of the mountain, which has an amazing vista (Mirrador) and is a very nice place to visit.
Estapona (well it's getting more like Marbella by the day)
Casares (K sar es) very quaint
Benhavis (full of eateries!)

Please note that if you venture into these places, you will find traditional spanish food, and not "spaneglish" food with the emphasis being on egg and chips, but more on castilian spanish food.

There is of course Ronda, and the bridge, then if you have time go up to the Alhambra which is in the beautful city of Granada which has a moorish infulence.

The choice comes down to how much you are prepared to get off your a** and travel in a hire car. I live in Australia now, but I go to Malaga at every opportunity to visit these nice places, and keep away from the costa del crime.

PUCCI GALORE

No - not chavy. Just people with lots of money (or credit) and no education or who have come to eek out their retirement and who have no education in most cases. The South of Spain has got some of the most dreadful expats I have ever met. They live in Spain. A country with a past and a history and a culture second to none. Most of these people are pushed to manage "Gracias" or "Por Favor". They cannot follow a TV newscast or read a local newspaper about the country in which they live nor in most cases conduct a simple conversation with local people.

This does not impinge upon their daily lives until things go wrong. They fall ill, they have accidents, or need to deal with the police. Depending on them speaking the language is not substitute to dealing with matters oneself. This is not restricted to Spain of course.

Marbella is completely phony and has all the Spanish elan of a Bg Mac. You may discern that I was entirely unimpressed. I would far rather go to Valencia which is a lovely city, or indeed to Alicante which is still Spanish with Benidorm and Clape well away.

sunshinebob

Well ladies and gents,

I live there... and I agree with all your comments.. its alwful , its full of sunburnt brits with their fat beer swilled guts hanging over their union jack shorts. Yes , there are plenty of chavs with fake burrrrberry baseball caps , tribal tattoos and snotty kids in "crocks". If you want burger and fries , pints of john smiths or ten different types if VD , come on down.


But... Its great too... if you want to see the real spain , its here as well ( but keep it quiet for gods sake ).. there is culture , great food , plenty to do and see... Come , book the week off and find out where the locals eat and drink.. Keep away from all the tossers down the front and its paradise. I have been here five years and love it.

But its hot in august ,real hot , got into the mid forties last year

sunshinebob

HIDDY

Mrs HIDDY and I once flew to MAD in winter time picked up a car and drove over the Picos De Europa stopping as and when we wanted on our way to Betanzos in Gallicia where she has relatives.
Segovia,Oviedo and La Corruna were amongst the towns we stopped and in the whole of the two weeks I never heard another British accent.
The weather was crap but it never stopped us from enjoying the food, culture and scenery that the real Spain has to offer.^

starlight

I for one can't stand Marbella. Why oh why would anyone want to go on holiday with a bunch of British ex-pats. Spain attracts the very worst of the British and Marbella is no exception.

I think middle class Spanish people are beautiful and elegant and live in a wonderful country but this is difficult to find around the coasts. I always stay in a Parador well away from an ex-pat community and drink vast quantities of the local wine before donning a Burberry cap

Marbella has always attracted a weird bunch and lacks any of the finesse of the south of France. I have always been a sucker for Monaco but accept that even that has changed recently. It the new money...