Almost all of Marbella fits into a walk. From our suites the old town is three minutes away and the sea is straight ahead, so there is very little to organise: you simply step outside.
Even so, some places deserve an unhurried visit, and some details rarely make it into the guidebooks. We have chosen the ones we know best and set them out over three days — more a list to choose from than a fixed schedule.
Day one: the old town
The old town keeps its original street plan and is still lived in, and you notice that as you walk it. The best way to see it is to turn into any of its white streets and let yourself wander: you reach Plaza de los Naranjos almost without looking for it.
The orange trees in the square are worth a moment. They were planted in 1941, before them there were palms and, earlier still, horse chestnuts: the square everyone photographs as though it were medieval has been reinventing itself for centuries.
On one side stands the Ermita de Santiago, the oldest church in town and also the most intimate, at eight metres by sixteen. Two streets away is the church of La Encarnación, with an exceptional stone doorway and an organ of remarkable tone.
Sections of the Moorish castle walls survive built in among the houses, a detail we are especially fond of. They surface along Calle Solano, Portada, Arte, Salinas, Trinidad and Carmen, and halfway down Calle Portada one of the towers still stands. You can walk them freely, at any hour and with no ticket.
Inside the old town is the Museum of Contemporary Spanish Engraving, housed in the former Hospital Bazán and considerably larger than it looks from the street. It is worth confirming opening times on 952 765 741.
Day two: the Alameda, the Dalís and the sunset
The Alameda park is the finest shade in the centre. It is a garden from the mid-eighteenth century — there are papers from 1761 describing an avenue of poplars, and the little fountain we call "la pila" dates from 1762 — and its most impressive trees were planted a little over a hundred years ago.
From the Alameda, Avenida del Mar runs down to the seafront between ten bronze sculptures by Salvador Dalí, outdoors, at any hour and with no ticket. It is one of the most distinctive stretches in the centre.
Then the promenade, which for us is the best plan in Marbella. It begins a few metres from the door and continues west to the marina and the lighthouse. If you want to extend it, you can walk all the way to Puerto Banús: around seven kilometres, an easy hour and a quarter, first on promenade and then on the coastal path, passing the big hotels and several beach bars worth stopping at for a drink. By bike it takes very little time, and it is one of the most enjoyable seafront walks on this coast.
Save the sunset for this day: from the promenade, looking west, with the mountains behind you.
Day three: your choice
We leave the third day open on purpose, because it depends on the trip and the company. These are the three we are asked about most.
Stay on the beach. Going down to the sand with no plan is what our guests thank us for most. If it is your first time in Marbella, give it a whole morning.
Puerto Banús. Five kilometres away, an elegant marina with plenty of shops and plenty of atmosphere. It opened in 1970 and was built in the image of a traditional fishing village.
A day out. Málaga is sixty kilometres away and fills a full day: the Alcazaba, Calle Larios and a wander along Muelle Uno. And the Caminito del Rey, seventy kilometres away, is a walkway suspended between gorges that stays with you for a long time. Book ahead.
Depending on the season
In summer the old town is at its best after seven in the evening, when Plaza de los Naranjos fills with terraces. And the first hours of the morning are the best time for the beach: quiet, with the water perfectly still.
Between May and September you will overlap with Starlite, the festival held in a quarry in Sierra Blanca, three kilometres from here, with major names every season. And if you play golf, the Costa del Sol has more than a hundred courses, which is why it is also known as the Costa del Golf.
If you would like us to expand on anything
Do write to us. We answer personally, and we particularly enjoy this part of the job: recommending where the best sardines are this week, or the right hour to head up to the old town. We will be glad to help you complete the plan.
Manuel · Arlequin Suites