We live in front of these beaches and walk them all year round. The four in the centre all hold a Blue Flag, are within a fifteen-minute walk and are quite different from one another.
One detail that surprises first-time visitors: the water here looks remarkably clean and clear, and when you are swimming that matters more than you would expect.
La Venus, the closest
At the end of Avenida del Mar, next to the Alameda, this is the one you reach with barely any walking. Calm water, sunbeds, showers, a lifeguard, beach bars, a wooden playground for children, boardwalks and assisted bathing: it is the best equipped and the most central, with the lively atmosphere that brings in summer.
If you are travelling with small children and beach gear, it is the natural choice.
El Faro, the most sheltered
Five to ten minutes west, beside the marina. It is the most intimate of the four and has the feature that makes it special: two breakwaters that leave it almost waveless. It is the one we recommend to anyone with very young children or who prefers calm water. Swimming there is like swimming in a pool.
La Bajadilla, by the fishing harbour
Five to ten minutes east. Calm water too, a neighbourhood feel, and two things the others do not have: a beach club and an outdoor calisthenics area. A five-minute walk buys you noticeably more space than the centre.
A plan we recommend and few people know: go down early to watch the catch being unloaded at the harbour.
La Fontanilla, the largest
Fifteen minutes west, past the marina. More room, more beach bars and more atmosphere. It is also the only one of the four with any swell, which makes it the best option for anyone who enjoys a livelier sea or wants to try watersports.
If you want even more quiet
Twenty to twenty-five minutes east is El Cable, a narrow, lightly visited strip. And by car, thirteen kilometres away, Cabopino: protected dunes, a sixteenth-century watchtower in the middle, paler sand and the most natural landscape in the whole municipality. There is a naturist area too.
The climate in Marbella
This is what we are asked about most before a booking, and here the geography works in our favour. The Sierra Blanca, crowned by the peak of La Concha, rises directly behind the town and shelters it from northerly winds. Together with the shape of the bay, that creates a microclimate of its own, described by the town council as unique in the world, and it is why Marbella is regularly named among the finest climates anywhere.
In figures: the average annual temperature is around 18.5 °C and the town counts some 320 sunny days a year, with fewer than fifty days of rain, concentrated mainly in December and January. The seasons are gentle: winters are mild, and spring and autumn feel close to summer.
| Month | Average high | Month | Average high |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16 °C | July | 28 °C |
| February | 16 °C | August | 29 °C |
| March | 18 °C | September | 26 °C |
| April | 20 °C | October | 22 °C |
| May | 23 °C | November | 19 °C |
| June | 26 °C | December | 16 °C |
That is why October is one of our favourite times of year here: afternoons in the low twenties, a sea that still holds the summer warmth, and a quiet town.
For a drink without leaving the sand
A hundred metres away, on the same promenade, is Soleo, which is where we go at sunset. A little further along, Cappuccino Grand Cafe a kilometre and a half away and La Milla, a beach restaurant with the sand beside you, ideal for a special occasion. All four central beaches have chiringuitos, so you never need the car to eat well by the sea.
If you would like a specific recommendation for your dates, just ask and we will tell you which is on best form this season.
Manuel · Arlequin Suites