The weather in Sweden in the beginning of May was absolutely terrifying, so we’ve decided to leave this place for a short (but still long enough to explore) trip somewhere warm in Europe. Jonathan, my boyfriend, hates long flights, and so South Europe in spring is the best we can get to warm weather.

Said and done: we looked on temperatures in Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain. In Cyprus we’ve been last spring (How didn’t I write about it?), Greece and Italy looked cold, so Marbella was the only option! Not the wisest one, though! What a surprise we was going to have…70% of our trip was followed by clouds and rain.

Enough with the whining, here comes my guide to the best in Marbella – after exploring it well in and out!

Where to beach

Purobeach Marbella (Estepona)

If you want to go safe, go Puro. Purobeach is a Swedish concept beach club in many places around the world, including Marbella. It’s exotic, ZEN, beautiful, I adore their comfortable sunbeds and umbrellas, it’s classy and it’s fun! It’s not cheap indeed, but it’s price-worthy when you only have a few days of sun to enjoy a glass off rose at the beach. The service is impeccable, the pool is big and fancy, and the restaurant in which you can eat lunch, is very cool! All food was amazing and fresh, and the views over the sea are fabulous! There is music, but not that loud as in the weekends, chill or fun. Watch that space when in Marbella!

La Cabane (Hotel Los Monteros)

The beach club of the hotel we’ve stayed in. Breathtaking view over the sea and very relaxing environment. If you’re searching for quiet, cleanness and nice drinks, here’s the place for you! La Cabane is only open Friday to Monday.

Ocean Club (Puerto Banus)

There are many beach clubs in Marbella, but this one…is special! It’s the type where champagne falls and the party is going on till the sunset! Ocean Club is open weekends, and the weekend we were, the RAIN was falling out the sky, so we couldn’t go. But my friends tell me it’s the best beach club to party in Marbella. If you’ve been there, write me your impressions!

What to see

Ronda Town

It’s definitely the best adventure we’ve had in Marbella. Ronda is located on top of the mountain and the way there is awesome! Go up with car or cycling – if you’re healthy enough 🙂 – enjoy the road, it takes on hour, you’ll be able to drive the serpentines and enjoy the breathtaking views, including nature and REALLY luxury residences. Once you’re in the town, find the new bridge (Puento Nuevo) which is the heart of the town, connecting the old medieval town with the new modern days one. Go see the bull fights arena, the oldest and largest in Spain, where even in today’s times are taking place bull fight shows. Exciting? Or not? I wasn’t so excited thinking on the poor animals, but it’s a Spanish tradition and as I understood, it’s not as “cruel as the old times”.

Marbella Old Town

As in almost every city, there is a charming old town in Marbella that expresses the sweetness and tradition of the town. Take a day walk through the cute labirinth, eat some nice tapas and enjoy the live music that surrounds the place.

Puerto Banus

The port is beautiful, not as beautiful as Cannes, Saint Tropez or Mykonos port, but still nice. And worth of your visit. Here you’ll find restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs facing the marina and fabulous shops on the daytime.

Where to eat

Villa Tiberio

Perfect spot for a delicious dinner, elegant atmosphere, live piano music and amazing service! We’ve got the recommendation from my boyfriend’s cousin, a real authority in delicious food – chef and owner at Stockholm’s best Lebanese restaurants chain: Tabbouli Restaurang

La Pappardelle

If you’re in the mood for some good pizza, go here. You can find it while walking down the Puerto Banus on the sea side.

La Piada

This is not the typical place I search for, we ended up there by chance and hunger, but once we entered and received our food we were stunned! They serve delicious Piada which is some kind of pizza, apparently. Very original food, in a touristic area – check their Tripadvisor and you’ll see how loved they are.

La Moraga Bistro

Delicious contemporary tapas cuisine and really fun atmosphere. We chose to sit and eat and the bar facing the open kitchen so we had a cooking show in front of us basically. Watch the video:

Where to stay

I would like to say you should stay in the center of Marbella, but not this time. You should definitely book a place outside, in resorts that offer all kinds of facilities.

Hotel Los Monteros Spa & Golf Resort

Here is where we stayed and spent a wonderful time! This place is a great vacation choice if you need a little bit of everything, quietness, great environment, relax, golf, beach and good food. And not to mention the cleanness and beauty of the facility and the rooms! More about Hotel Los Monteros and amazing pictures: A fresh look inside Hotel Los Monteros Spa & Resort

Per stay, it was a great time we had in Marbella, too bad for the rainy weather we had most of our stay, but the hotel and the restaurants compensated for it.

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Be generous,

L