Marbella, a classic favourite

Tony Bryant

Friday, 3 March 2023, 12:34 | Updated 14:50h.

Situated in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca, Marbella has long had a reputation for its exclusiveness and for providing every concept of luxury to attract property investors.

This internationally renowned resort offers 27 kilometres of coastline divided into twenty-four beaches, along with some of the best golf courses, designer shops and Michelin starred restaurants in Andalucía.

It also boasts a delightful old town that is dripping with the essence of Andalucía and a luxury marina and shopping complex offering the world's most fashionable merchandise.

The most well-known and exclusive area is the Golden Mile, a stretch between Puerto Banús and Marbella town, where you can find beachfront penthouses and villas with unobstructed views of the Mediterranean. This area is home to some of the most exclusive beach clubs on the Costa del Sol, such as those of the Marbella Club and Puente Romano.

Despite being the second largest place in Malaga province, Marbella retains much of its small-town charm while managing to offer its residents all of the amenities of a much larger city.

It is an alluring mix that leads so many foreigners to consider it one of the best places on the Costa del Sol to invest in and call home.

Marbella's climate and location - less than one hour from two airports (Malaga and Gibraltar) - have made it a favourite destination for foreigner residents looking to find their dream home and enjoy their retirement in the sun.

The town also attracts families looking to start a new life and, more recently, digital nomads.

Marbella offers a wide range of education from primary to further education, along with several language schools. The international community offers schools for all ages and backgrounds, with multinational interaction and varied extracurricular activities.

For the more mature students who want to further their education, or simply enjoy a new hobby, the U3A International serves the interests of English-speaking community with a broad range of courses and activity groups that take place in Marbella.

Pleasant temperatures all year round make Marbella a magnet for expats seeking a stylish place to enjoy a peaceful and relaxing lifestyle. With more than 140 nationalities and over 45,000 foreigners registered in the town, Marbella offers a truly cosmopolitan ambience.

The large foreign community makes up around 30 per cent of the municipality's inhabitants.

The area of Nueva Andalucía is the district with the most diversity and it is one of the most desired.

The town has its own English-language television channel, Marbella Now, founded in 2014: it also boasts several social-media groups designed for the local English-speaking community, all of which offer information concerning all aspects of living in Marbella.

Several charitable organisations offer services to the foreign community: these include The Rotary Club of Marbella/Guadalmina, which offers meetings, fundraising events, fellowship and service projects to the local and international community; and The Lions Club, which has several international branches in and around Marbella.

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The international community is very integrated and involved in the social life of Marbella due partly to the efforts of the town hall's Foreigner Residents' Department, which organises all kinds of activities, such as conferences, informative meetings and other events of interest to the foreign community.

The department also gives advice and information on many of the procedures that the international residents have to carry out on a daily basis.

Marbella also offers an excellent cultural scene, presenting world-class live music and entertainment, as the celebrated Starlite Festival and the Marbella International Film Festival demonstrate.

The town has emerged as one of the Costa del Sol's most exciting cultural hubs, offering a wide cultural selection that includes museums, theatres, art galleries and cinemas that show films in their original versions, and many cultural events organised throughout the whole year.

For the more adventurous residents, the area also offers plenty of outdoor activities, such as rock climbing, nature trails and hiking through olive groves and mountainous terrain with panoramic views of the coast. Not forgetting adventures on water - the municipality has four upscale marinas, including the legendary Puerto Banús.

If its diversity you are looking for, then Marbella has it all. As the town's mayor recently said, Marbella «is the best place to visit, live, work and invest».