Megarich Russians are putting the merely wealthy in the shade in Marbella, writes Renagh Holohan, a long-time fan of the Costa del Sol, in her insider's guide
COSTA DEL SOL, Costa del Golf, Costa del Crime. The first two names are accurate. The third, if you discount planning corruption, is probably an exaggeration. This is despite the daylight shooting of a Dublin gangster, Paddy Doyle, earlier this year in Cancelada, the village between Marbella and Estepona where he lived, and the fact that northern European criminals hide out on the Spanish costas.
As for planning, corrupt local officials, including the mayor of Marbella, have been jailed, and illegal developments have been demolished or stalled.
This area of Spain, the Andalusian coast around and to the west of the provincial capital of Malaga, is called the Costa del Sol because it can be warm and sunny when the rest of Spain is wet and cold. And no wonder. It is tucked behind Gibraltar, and on a good day the mountains of north Africa are visible.
It has become a haven for tourists, expats and second-homers. Marbella is its glitzy holiday centre, English its second language. You could be forgiven for thinking you weren't in Spain at all. It is full of Irish, as well as British, Germans, Scandinavians and, now, very rich Russians, who, it is believed, are making life tough for expat gangsters from elsewhere.
Marbella and its surroundings are the expensive bit of the Costa del Sol. The grand houses of Irish millionaires face the sea but always appear empty. They are close to Marbella Club, the hotel that brought the jet set to what was once a fishing village. The hotel has nice gardens, an outdoor restaurant around the pool and its own stretch of beach. It is the swishest address on the Golden Mile, the road out of Marbella towards Puerto Banús.
Other mansions are in the hills behind, cooler in the summer and more private. Apart from the Russians, the king of Saudi Arabia and the sultan of Brunei have elaborate spreads. Their arrival, with huge entourages, in midsummer, when Marbella is hot for us but cool for them, is a bonanza for local restaurants, taxis and service providers of all kinds.
None of this makes Marbella sound very attractive, particularly if you like to swim in the sea. The beaches are not great, just straight strips of coarse sand or pebble with no natural shelter or rocky coves. The best is at Rosario, east of the town.
But Marbella has its merits. It is quiet, wealthy and, compared with many Spanish resorts, not honky-tonk. Indeed, it is reckoned that only a third of properties are occupied at any time. It is mostly low-rise (unlike Fuengirola and Torremolinos, up the coast), it has some good hotels and restaurants, and its old town has charm, with its narrow streets spreading out from the pretty Orange Square. It is accessible, and its climate makes it a year-round destination.
Where to stay, eat and go
Where to stay
Almost very second building in Marbella appears to be a hotel or aparthotel, so there's plenty of choice - and some very tempting offers.
Try the five-star Gran Hotel & Spa Guadalpin (Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso de Hohenlohe, 00-34-952-899400, www.granhotelguadalpin.com), on the Golden Mile, which has offers such as €64 per person sharing per night, or two- bedroom suites from €50pps.
El Fuerte, a four-star hotel by the beach in the heart of Marbella (Avenida El Fuerte, 00-34-902-343410, www.fuertehoteles.com), averages about €90pps a night.
NH Marbella, one of several NH hotels in the town (Avenida Conde de Rudi, 00-34-952- 763200, www.nh-hotels.com), is very well placed. Starts at €90pps but has deal.
At the other end of the scale is Hostal El Gallo (Calle Lobatas, 00-34-952-827998), a very simple, very Spanish family-run hotel in the old town, with rooms from €32 a night per person sharing.
Where to eat
A simple but good tapas bar, serving good seafood, is Bar Altamirano (Plaza Altamirano, 00-34-952-824932), in the old town.
The Da Bruno chain ( www.dabruno.com), with branches around Marbella, is always reliable.
For traditional (and expensive) Spanish cuisine, there's El Portalón (Carretera de Cádiz, 00-34-952-827880, www.elportalonmarbella.com), on the Golden Mile.
Hotel Puente Romano (Carretera de Cádiz, 00-34- 952-820900, www.puenteromano.com), also on the Golden Mile, does a terrific Sunday buffet.
Outside Marbella, in the white village of Benahavis, we like having Sunday lunch on the balcony at La Sarten, on the main street (Avenida Andalucia, 00-34-952-55575, www.benahavis.net/english/restaurants/lasarten.htm). Suckling pig is a local speciality. The Spanish arrive between 2pm and 3pm in big family groups and stay for hours.
Chinales (Calle Pozo, 00-34-952-785948), in the less touristy town of San Pedro de Alcántara, displays its fish for customers to choose.
In Puerto Banús, Tango (Paseo de Ribero, 00-34-952- 812358), an Argentinian grill, is good on atmosphere and does big steaks, but it once charged us extra for sauce.
Look out for a lunchtime menu del día. This is a three-course meal of basic Spanish food, costing as little as €8, which comes with a glass of wine. We were told it was introduced by Franco, who dictated that a midday meal should be available to the working man at a reasonable cost. Venta Los Pacos, a place with an excellent menu del día, is almost opposite the Marbella Club hotel, so workmen in dungarees mix with the businessmen and -women in Mercs who drop in from 2pm. Not a word of English is spoken, but the restaurant tobacconist sells The Irish Times.
Where to go
For a day trip, Ronda, an ancient town full of character in the hills behind Marbella, is well worth a visit.
A trip to Gibraltar is also interesting, because it's so strangely British. A lot of Costa del Sol expats go there regularly to stock up on British food. Weird.
For bling, there is no better place than Puerto Banús, with its sumptuous floating gin palaces lined up in the port. The boats fly flags from all over the world. Many are shut up; on others only the uniformed crew are visible. The best time to go there is between 8pm and 10pm, when the Spanish take their traditional pre-dinner stroll, everyone watches everyone else and the nightlife has not yet started in earnest. Later, the clubs and pole-dancing bars get into full swing, the music blares and eastern European girls entice men into their lairs. It is all out in the open for all to see.
Take a walk along the Paseo Maritimo, which stretches along the seafront from the port of Marbella to the nightclubs of Puerto Banús, seven or eight kilometres away. Cyclists use it all day, and in the evening the Spanish come out to stroll with their friends and their dogs.
For golfers, there are a huge number of pristine courses where visiting players are welcome, with green fees of about €100. There is generally at least one golfing party on each flight from Ireland.
For news, events and listings, look out for Sur in English. The thick local free-sheet is produced weekly in several languages.
Where to shop
In the unlikely event that you want to buy furniture, you will be inundated with choice. The number and variety of interior-design shops, especially on the Golden Mile, is staggering. Despite their huge display windows they never seem to have any customers, and, if the talk in Marbella lately is to be believed, they will have even fewer from now on. The property market is in the middle of a downturn, nothing is moving and for-sale signs are everywhere.
For real shopping there are boutiques in the old town of Marbella (though nothing to get excited about) and designer shops of the €4,000-handbag type everywhere. There is a good El Corte Inglés in Puerto Banús and many international chains on the main streets of Marbella and Puerto Banús.
The bargains are at Puerto Banús market, near the bullring, every Saturday from 11am to 2pm. There's an awful lot of tat, but some good stuff, too, particularly leather bags, cotton shirts and fake designer everything. It's a social gathering, and the bars and cafes are jolly and crowded. Make a morning of it.
G
o there
Aer Lingus (
www.aerlingus.com) flies to Malaga from Dublin, Belfast and Cork. Ryanair (
www.ryanair.com) flies to Malaga from Dublin and Shannon.