Just come back from a family wedding in Marbella. Our hotel was on the beachfront, with views stretching from Gibraltar to Africa - not that amazing when you consider that the distance between the two is only 14 miles - doesn't look like that on maps! No wonder boatloads of illegal immigrants land on the Spanish coast so frequently. It is easy to imagine them crossing that pond-like sea, so smooth and glassy you could skip a stone across it.
For those who have been told that Marbella is a concrete jungle, it isn't all that different to Sea Point, only prettier, and the vibe is as laid back as Cape Town. The sea is too cold to swim in unless that doesn't bother you, and the sand is sticky and brown, too hot to walk on. But the real charm of Marbella is the Old Town, where you wouldn't know you were in a bustling resort.
Our favourite place was the Plaza de Los Naranjos, where we passed many hours under bright umbrellas, eating tapas and drinking beer and coffee, and once an amazingly refreshing pineapple and strawberry juice. Interesting shops line some streets, while others seem residential, genuinely old, white walled and red tiled, with here and there a striking mosaic of tiles. Bougainvilleas tumble over walls and bright geraniums fill pots on every balcony. The tiny cobblestones are laid in exquisite patterns. It was good to be wearing flat shoes, although the local girls wore nothing but platforms and spike heels - rather a twisted ankle than looking less than stylish!
If you are ever in Marbella, don't miss the Old Town. It will take you back to the time when Marbella was a little town with a beach where young people from all over the world would hang out, tanning all day and partying in the beach bars at night. How the locals must miss it.
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