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Marbella
A fast growing city at the heart of the Costa del Sol, Marbella saw its population rise from 98,000 in 2000 to 116,000 by 2004. Among the many resorts dotted along this stretch of southern Spanish coastline, Marbella is definitely the classy resort, though nowhere near as exclusive as it once was - and that's arguably no bad thing. Up until the 1960s, this was merely a lovely stretch of sandy beach, sheltered from the wind by the hills of the Sierra Blanca, which rose swiftly into the Andalucian hinterland. All that changed with the arrival of the jet (or should that be yacht) set, ever looking for an 'undiscovered' and unspoiled idyll.
As with many such resorts, over popularity and over exposure rather spoiled things, and by the 1970s Marbella had a rather unfortunate reputation as the heart of the 'Costa del Crime' (with London villains finding the lax extradition laws with Spain particularly appealing). The image is, as ever, only part of the story, and Marbella is still a lovely spot, and far less garish than some of the Costa del Sol resorts. Today, it's a destination for affluent tourists from Britain, Ireland and Germany especially. It has some superb golf courses: Sean Connery used to live here and play every day until he fell out with the local newspapers.
And for all that is was little more than a village until the 1960s (in 1940, Marbella had just 900 residents) it's a very old town. Archaeological digs have found human habitation from Paleolithic and Neolithic times. There are Phoenician and Carthaginian remains and in Roman times Marbella was called Salduba. The name derives from the Arab 'Marbil-la', from the Islamic era of southern Spain, with the town only being reconquered by the Spaniards in 1485. Sights in Marbella include the Arabian Wall, the Bonsai Museum, the Iglesia de la Encarnacion (sited in the old town, this is the oldest church in the city), the Museo del Grabado Espanol Contemporáneo and the Salvador Dali sculpture 'Horse with Rider'.
But Marbella is mostly about sun, sea, sand and relaxation, with the main beaches being Playa de la Bajadilla and Playa de Fontanilla. Check out the old town (casco antiguo) for traditional restaurants and bars, and there are some very good clothes shops here too. The old town clusters around the central square of Plaza de los Naranjos (very pretty).
