We are planning to visit Marbella in the spring of 2020. We would like recommendations for good restaurants and bars, especially those providing live music. We are seniors and are active in the day but tend to stay in at night.
Should we stay in Old Town or Puerto Banus and is there convenient public transportation from both places.
Thanks in advance,
Liz
I would prefer to stay in the Old Town. Puerto Banus is a playground for the rich and the wannabee rich however I find it a bit dated and cliched. It doesn't appear to have moved on from the early 90's and it's all a bit naff. The Old Town is far more interesting and authentic however, as with everything, it's all subjective.
I drive in Spain, I've never used public transportation there so I cannot advise you on that. I also don't have any recommendations on bars as we've always had our children with us when we've been.
There are plenty of restaurants dotted around the Old Town, some good, some not so good but whenever I'm in the area I will always head to Benahavis for a meal. It has been called the Gourmet Capital of the Costa Del Sol and it is a well deserved reputation however whilst I know that buses run to and from the town I cannot offer much in the way of advice regarding convenience.
I'm not a night owl and have never been to Marbella, so I may be way off base here, but Spain runs on a later clock than we are used to. Dinner typically starts around 10 PM (tapas available earlier). If you tend to stay in at night, I'm not sure you're going to find a lot of live-music options at an hour that works for you. Generally, I'd expect live music to begin after the dinner hour.
As I said, I'm speculating. Others can correct me if I have it wrong.
We were uncertain re: Old Town or the newer part when we planned our trip a few years ago. But, we chose Old Town, and then we were so pleased once we arrived (saw the difference). We found the Old Town section more charming, easier to stroll, and it met our needs perfectly. I cannot recall where we had dinner (early), but it was a very small casual place, but with excellent food and service.
We did walk down to the new section of Marbella to see all the fancy yachts and high-end shops, but after strolling for a few hours, we were comfortable to return to the Old Town section, which we found much quieter and intimate in feeling. We are also not night owls.
We were there in early March, so not yet beach weather, but pleasant, light-jacket weather.
Thank you everybody for your responses it's been extremely helpful. Does anybody know whether we should be renting a car or whether the public transportation (either the train or bus) is convenient and reliable?
Thanks in advance.
Liz
Deciding to rent a car or not depends on what your intentions are. If you want to do the usual exploring of the white villages, Gibraltar, Nerja, Malaga, Granada etc then a car is far easier and more convenient however parking and driving in the Old Town can be difficult. You can certainly get around by bus and by tours however this would take more time and less convenient.
One more question we usually use VRBO or HomeAway to rent an apartment because we're usually gone for a month, anybody have any ideas about renting an apartment in Old Town Marbella, we need two bedrooms.
I've just checked Homeaway and there are plenty of rentals available in Marbella and all along the Costa Del Sol. It's an area chock full of holiday homes so you shouldn't have any problems finding somewhere to rent.
