"Marbella - Just like it oughta be ..." Marbella by amapola66

Most people have heard of Marbella and some people (especially Brits) like to pretend they don't like it, but that doesn't stop the British tourist invasion in their thousands every summer!

There are different parts of Marbella (meaning 'beautiful sea'), Puerto Banus - supposedly 'glitsy' with a port full of luxury yaughts, alot of millionaire types and fashionista posers; The Golden Mile - the long stretch of beach running from Puerto Banus to Marbella centro and housing all the larger hotels and apartment blocks and Marbella Centro (my kinda place) which is suprisingly unspoilt town full of tapas bars, beautiful shops and parks, a long promenade and a pretty chilled out vibe.

We spent six days in the Palm Beach apartments near the Marina May 2008 and great fun was had by all.

Dropped into one of my favourite places for a couple of days this August (2010). It was a busy time of year and we had no booking, but after a littel investigation, we found a traditional Spanish style hostal in the old town with a large room for 4 people. The room was simple, clean, had its own bathroom, two double rooms and a fridge - Ole! (I will be adding details and adresses in the near future, should you arrive with nowhere to stay at a busy time).

Parque Marbella

Marbella centro has a lovely park full of shady tress, benches, cooling fountains and some original Dali sculptures. There are often events going on there and I have stumbled across childrens magicians and flamenco shows among other things. It's a lively, vibrant place at any time of year.

• Pros:Beach, great shops & restaurants - Chilled out city by beach - Cosmopolitan, nice cultural mix
• Cons:rather busy in August, car parking expensive
• In a nutshell:Funky cosmopolitan yet laid back city, close to beach, in a sunny climate - what more could you want!