Hotel Los Monteros

Marbella Beaches

by Carmela71

Between Guadalmina and Cabopino there are beautiful beaches on a length of 26 kilometers .

The many small bars, Chiringuitos, located at the seaside offer the possibility to alternate a bath with enjoying of the delicious meal. some are expensive, but not all of them.

I do not go often, but for restuarant tips go further Here is a list of the names of each:

GUADALMINA BEACH in San Pedro de Alcantara, next to the Guadalmina urbanization.

LINDA VISTA BEACH in San Pedro Alcantara, next to the Linda Vista Urbanization

SAN PEDRO DE ALCANTARA BEACH

NUEVA ANDALUCIA BEACH

PUERTO BANUS BEACH

RÍO VERDE BEACH

EL ANCON BEACH

NAGÜELES BEACH at theGolden Mile of Marbella, next to the Marbella Club Urbanization

LA FONTANILLA BEACH at the urban area of Marbella. The whole beach is close to the pedestrian promenade and it is next to the Port in Marbella.

EL FARO BEACH West of the Port in Marbella, more concretely between the Port entrance and the breaker, in the center of Marbella.

LA VENUS BEACH, close to the Marbella Sports Port and finalizing at the limit with the Represa River.

LA BAJADILLA BEACH close to the fishing port and neighborhood. Very good fish restaurants there for an excellent price.

EL CABLE BEACH nest to the fishing Port to the Rio Real River.

EL PINILLO BEACH next to the Los Monteros Urbanization, with golden sand forming natural dunes.

LOS MONTEROS BEACH, next to the Bahia de Marbella Urbanization

REAL DE ZARAGOZA BEACH

LAS CHAPAS BEACH (my favorite, see photo) is situated in a semi urban area, next to the urbanization of the same name.

Look for the RANCHON CUBANO (cuban restuarant for nice mojitos)

LAS CAÑAS BEACH next to the Marbesa Urbanization.

ARTOLA BEACH, Due to its location and characteristics, this beach is situated in a protected sand dune area, known as LAS DUNAS DE ARTOLA, next to the Cabopino Leisure Port.

CALAHONDA BEACH

Marbello - Classy, Glitzy and oozing Charisma!

by dlytle

"Marbella is Spain's answer to St Tropez"

Marbella is still the most exclusive resort area along the Costa del Sol and remains a pleasant Andalusian town a the foot of the Sierra Blanca. Traces of the past are found in its palatial town hall, its medieval ruins, and its ancient Moorish walls. Marbella’s most charming area is the old quarter with narrow cobble stoned streets and Arab houses, centered around the Plaza de los Naranjos.

Marbella has been molded on the tourism that embraced its shores in the mid-1900s, laying the ground for today's mass tourism. Yet its history goes much further back than this century and the area enjoyed importance through much of its history.

First Settlers: The first settlers date back from the Stone Age times when ice covered most of the northern hemisphere of the earth, a period ending 10,000 years ago.

The Phoenicians and Greeks: There are important although scarce remains of Phoenician settlements close to the outlet of the Rio Real, at the entrance of Marbella and not far from Los Monteros dating from the 7th or 6th century BC.

The Carthaginians: Most likely there was a Carthaginian fish factory nearby the mouth of the Rio Verde, where Puerto Banus today is located. A legend has it that Marbella received it's name from the Punic general Maharbal who fought under Hannibal's command in the 2nd Punic war (218 BC), and Marbella is believed to have been an important city under the rule of Carthage.

The Romans: Rome defeated Carthage in 146 BC and all the southern coast of Spain fell in their hands. Later on important Roman cities were built along the entire coastline of Spain, along the Via Augusta, named after Emperor Augustus (63 BC - 14 AD), who renovated the road in the year 0 and converted it into an important transport and trade link between the Mediterranean cities, provinces and ports. Historians believe that Marbella was established in the 1st century AD as Barbesula, situated around the outlet of the river Verde (Puerto Banus), where once the Carthaginians had their fish factory.

The Visigoths and the Vandals: In the 2nd century Germanic tribes battled the Romans and forced them southwards, and created successor kingdoms where once the Romans ruled. The Vandals conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula in the 4th century. On the peninsula they had, however, constant conflicts with the Visigoths, and were eventually forced further south into the North of Africa. The Visigoths, ruling Iberia, became the most powerful of the successor states to the western empire and reached its peak in terms of extension and power in 507 AD.

Moorish Rule: In 711 AD the Visigoth rule ended with the King Roderic's (Rodrigo) death in battles following the invasion of Spain by the Omayyad Muslims. The Muslims conquered most of Spain and Portugal with little difficulty, and in fact with little opposition. By 720 AD Spain was largely under Moorish control. In Marbella, possibly at the time called Barbella among the local people, the Moors built a fortress in the style of the Damascus Caliphate in the 10th century, believed by historians to have been built upon the ruins of a Roman town.

The Reconquest: Internal disputes lead to the shattering of the single Islamic Caliphate into a score of small kingdoms early in the 11th century. These fell under the attack of Christian Kings and soon most of the North Iberian Peninsula was in the hands of Christian rulers. Marbella fell in 1485 when King Ferdinand the Catholic received the city keys from the Moorish ruler without further resistance.

Modern History: In the 300 years to follow, Spain went from colossal colonial expansion to serious decline. Now, in the last half of the 20th century, Marbella has been converted into Spain's foremost resort town but it is also a city that lives out its roots with traditional Andalusian customs and ways of life, its rich gastronomy - and the sun.

Trust me - the feel-good-factor is high in Marbella!

"Notably, Marbella is the Gateway to the Alhambra!"

If you are on a cruise then it is usually from Marbella where an adventure tour up to Granada and the Alhambra begins. A typical bus tour takes about 2 hours to make the trip to the Alhambra given at least one rest stop on the way. Along the bus route are many scenic vistas of Mediterranean cities, olive groves, forestlands, mountains and rivers. Keep your camera handy and try to get a window seat for some great (if you are quick enough) photo shots.

The Alhambra itself is situated overlooking Granada and is considered by some to be one of the 10 wonders of the world. In case you don't know, the Alhambra is a massive castle constructed over many centuries. It consists of gardens, fortifications and sumptuous palaces. It was the home of many of the Arabic Sultans who ruled the whole province. If you read the Koran it continually repeats the idea that heaven is a garden with running water. From this perspective you could say that the Alhambra is an Arabic attempt to create heaven on earth. Nowadays it receives 8,000 visitors per day and is Spain's most visited monument. Founded in the 1240's, it was originally comprised of houses, schools, baths, barracks, and gardens surrounded by seemingly impenetrable walls.

Rising up above the Red Hill, the royal city of the Alhambra stands proud and eternal, one of the most important architectural structures of the Middle Ages and the finest example of Islamic art left to us in the western world.