When we speak of Marbella, we think of it as a collective, an area encompassing the downtown centre, beachfront extending along the shoreline, leafy suburbs following the curves of golf courses and also country club environments in the hills on the fringes of the coastal plain. However, in reality this describes greater Marbella – the jewel of the Costa del Sol – and it in turn is made up of a good deal of different areas, each with its own character and appeal. Here is our selection of the top five areas in Marbella to own a property in:
Marbella chic – Golden Mile
It’s perhaps the most famous part of all, but no listing of top Marbella areas would be complete without mention of this Mediterranean classic, whose luxurious properties and resorts flank a 6.5-kilometre long palm-fringed avenue that connects Puerto Banús with Marbella town. It was here that Marbella’s glamorous story began with the opening of the Marbella Club Hotel in the 1950s, continued with the Puente Romano resort and lives on today as the ultimate chic address in this part of the Mediterranean. The exclusive penthouses and villas for sale on the Golden Mile are of a premium, for there is more demand than supply here, especially on the ultra-select beachside of the road.
Beachside glamour – Puerto Banús
Another classic ingredient of Marbella’s international reputation as a glamorous resort is reached when you come to the western end of the Golden Mile. Puerto Banús started life in 1970 as Marbella’s elegant village-like marina, but it has since become a byword for modern glamour, with celebrities and the world’s beautiful and wealthy attending its restaurants, nightclubs, boutiques and beach clubs. The large El Corte Inglés department store – one of the most important ones in Spain – is another landmark in an area dominated by yachts, sandy beaches and the luxurious frontline beach apartments and penthouses of Puerto Banús – private but within walking distance of all the excitement.
Verdant valley – Nueva Andalucía
Cross the coastal road inland from Puerto Banús and you come to the largest and in many ways most popular luxury residential area in Marbella – Nueva Andalucía. The stylish apartments and villas in Nueva Andalucía occupy a verdant valley surrounded by sea and mountain views, in which the homes follow the meanderings of three of the region’s most famous golf courses: Las Brisas, Los Naranjos and Aloha, which together create the famed Golf Valley. Living in Nueva Andalucía offers peace and privacy surrounded by greenery while being close to all amenities.
Among the pines and dunes – Marbella East
Extending eastwards from the centre of Marbella is an extensive zone made up of attractive residential suburbs fronting sandy beaches and lofty golf courses. From Río Real and Los Monteros to Las Chapas, the marina of Cabopino and also Elviria, the apartments, townhouses and villas for sale in Marbella East offer a world of options, budgets, settings and views. It’s a highly popular option that offers space, natural surroundings and luxurious homes between sand dunes and pine trees.
Country club living in the hills – Benahavis
Though Benahavis itself is a charming country village in the hills just inland from Marbella, it is a large municipality that encompasses top-end country clubs such as La Zageleta, Los Arqueros, La Quinta and El Madroñal, all of which offer wonderfully luxurious villas and to some extent apartments set within wonderful open countryside, looking down from among wooded hills and golf courses to the coast and the expansive Mediterranean Sea.
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