Golfers Guide To Marbella, Costa del Sol

Orange Square Marbella

Table of Contents

If you are planning a golf trip to Spain, Marbella is the perfect destination. With over a dozen top-class golf courses, the Marbella area is a great choice for those looking to play some of the best courses in Europe, while soaking up the sun and sampling the many delights this particular part of the Costa del Sol has to offer.

Sandwiched between Estepona to the East and Fuengirola to the West, Marbella or “Marbs” as it is sometimes known, is synonymous with chic and trendy. The town has been a firm favourite with holidaymakers since the ’70s and is well known as a playground for the rich and famous due to its large array of glamorous boutique shops and sophisticated bars and restaurants.

Although Marbella has a very cosmopolitan vibe, it’s still managed to retain its Andalucian charm and history. This is evident when visiting different parts of the town including the famous Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Square). Here you can experience the ‘old’ Marbella while enjoying tapas bars, cafes and outdoor restaurants along with small boutique shops.

Neighbouring Puerto Banus (below) is another favourite for the mega-rich. With its port full of super-yachts and swanky designer shops, it really is the place to be if you want to see how the ‘other half’ lives.

Puerto Banus

Image Credit: Golf 4U

If you are planning on a golfing trip to the area, Marbella has plenty to keep you occupied while you are not hacking your way around the 15 or so golf courses in the area.

Below we give you an overview of the area and what it has to offer.

Marbella Weather

One of the main things that draw tourists to Marbella along with other parts of the Costa del Sol is its fantastic year-round climate. With around 300 days of sunshine each year, you get to enjoy the regions many glorious beaches and some of the finest golf courses in Europe, almost year-round.

However, it’s best to avoid playing golf during the months of July and August as temperatures can easily reach over 40C.

The best months to play golf in Marbella and the Costa del Sol are April, May, June, September, and October as these are the months when the temperatures are a lot cooler and when there is significantly less rainfall.

Marbella Beaches

Marbella boasts around 25 kilometres of golden sandy beaches stretching from Cabopino in the East to San Pedro de Alcantara in the West. In total there are over 20 beaches for you to discover, many of them Blue Flag rated.

Take a stroll from the centre of Marbella and you will hit the town’s lovely Playa Fontanilla beach with its bustling promenade. Here you will find plenty of bars, restaurants, and beach cafes for refreshments along with lots of sports facilities to keep you entertained.

Marbella Beach

Image Credit: Diliff [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Some of the best beaches can be found just outside of the main town. Head 13 km East to Cabopino where you will find a port with bars and restaurants and the Playa de Cabopino, which is usually not as busy as some of the bigger beaches. Cabopino also has a couple of good value Chiringuito beach restaurants for a snack or cool drink.

If you leave Marbella and head West, you will come across the town of Elviria, which is very popular and offers lots of amenities including bars, restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies and banks.

Elviria beach which is home to the famous Nikki Beach Resort and joins El Rosario beach, which is another excellent choice.

Check out this top 10 list from Spain Holiday for some of the best beaches in the Marbella area.

Nightlife, Restaurants and Bars

If money is no object, you will find a myriad of high-class restaurants in which to dine. With a number of Michelin Star restaurants in the area, Marbella has everything you need when it comes to eating out.

If you’re on a budget, there are plenty of more cost-effective options available including tapas restaurants, restaurants selling cheap ‘menu del dia’ for around 10 euros and of course those selling a variation of international dishes and even burger bars.

For those who enjoy their fast-food, you will be happy to know that there are no less than eight Burger King and McDonald’s restaurants in the area.

If you are beachside, then there will be plenty of opportunities to sample some of Marbella’s fantastic Chiringuito restaurants where you can enjoy some lovely seafood while watching the waves lap the shore.

Pop over to the My Guide Marbella website for a list of Marbella’s best restaurants.

Marbella is full of great nightlife, and you will never be far from a trendy bar or nightclub to enjoy. Marbella and Puerto Banus are THE places to be if clubbing is your thing and are frequented by the mega-rich along with famous celebrities.

The Tibu Banús is located in the main Puerto Banus square and is one of the hottest nightclubs in the area.

Pangea is another of the most popular clubs on the coast and can also be found in Puerto Banus at the far end of the port.

A great club in the centre of Marbella is La Suite and synonymous with the nightclub scene in the area.

Most clubs don’t really get going until around midnight, so don’t get there too early!

Check out the following resources for a full list of Marbella’s best clubs.
https://www.myguidemarbella.com/nightlife
https://www.spain-holiday.com/Marbella/articles/best-clubs-in-marbella

Golf Courses

The Costa del Sol is home to around 60 great golf courses, and it’s no coincidence that in one of our previous blog posts, five of the top eight golf courses in the Malaga region were located in the Marbella area.

The fact is, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a great golf course to play.

Image Credit: Rio Real Golf

The golf courses in Marbella are well established with a number used for PGA Tour qualification and other professional competitions due to the quality of the courses.

The Finca Cortesin course has played host to the Volvo World Matchplay Tournament and was ranked in the top 5 golf courses in Spain.

In total, you will have around 15 top class courses in which to play including Santa Clara, Marbella Golf & Country Club, Los Flamingos, Rio Real, Finca Cortesin and Santa Maria.

You can view our current range of golf holidays in the Costa del Sol or Marbella golf breaks.

Transportation

There are a number of local bus routes serving Marbella with the service run by CTSA-Portillo, which belongs to the Avanzabus Group.

The local bus service is an easy, cost-effective way of travelling around the Marbella area and provides routes between Malaga in the East and Estepona to the West.

Further information on the local bus service can be found at the web address below. You can also use this page to search bus times and get the price of the ticket for your journey.

https://marbella.costasur.com/en/lineas-urbanas.html

As Marbella is quite a large town, you will never have any problem getting a taxi, all of which use a metering system.

Tourist Hotspots

Without a doubt, a visit to Marbella is a must if you visit the Costa del Sol. However, there aren’t too many tourist attractions here.

The main focus in Marbella is the old town (Casco Antiguo) and the famous Orange Square (Plaza de los Naranjos), which many consider to be the heart of the town.

Casco Antiguo is beautiful with the square being the main focal point. Lined with orange trees that give shade to lots of outdoor seating, it’s the perfect place to grab something to eat along with a refreshing drink or two.

Orange Square Marbella

Image Credit: martin_vmorris on Flikr.

Translated, Marbella means ‘beautiful sea’, so it’s no surprise to know that the beaches here are stunning and a popular choice for tourists visiting the Costa del Sol.

Head out of the old town towards the beach and you will reach Playa Fontanilla which has a lovely promenade full of bars, cafes and shops. See the following for further info on Marbella’s best beaches.

The other major attraction in Marbella is neighbouring Puerto Banus. Here you can visit the port, buy some gifts in the designer boutiques, while admiring the expensive yachts and super-cars of the rich and famous.

Take a look at the following article below, which lists 12 of the best things to see and do in Marbella.
https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/marbella-e-and-marb.htm

Marbella Map

Important Phone Numbers

Golf 4U Spain – +34 607 344 231
The British Consulate (Madrid) – +34 915 249 700
National Police (Policía Nacional) – 091 (No area code required)
Local Police (Policía Local) – 092 (No area code required)
Ambulance – 112 (No area code required)
Report a crime (In English) – +34 902 102 112
Marbella Taxis – +34 952 774 488

If you lose your passport, you will need an emergency travel document (ETD) – https://www.gov.uk/travel-urgently-from-abroad-without-uk-passport

Get A Custom Golf Quote

region-costadelsol

Costa Del Sol

The Costa del Sol is the perfect golfing destination and with a flight time of approximately 2 hours 45 minutes, it is in easy reach of the major UK airports.

region-costablanca

Costa Blanca

The Costa Blanca is a great choice for those looking to book a golf break in the sun and only 2 and a half hour away from the major UK airports!

region-algarve

The Algarve

Ideal for groups ranging from four to larger groups of 20 or more and only 2 hours and 50 minutes away from all the major UK airports.

region-lisbon

Lisbon

Golf 4 U Spain provides very competitive golf offers. Our offers include, accommodation, buggies and car hire.

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to give you the best user experience on our site. If you continue to use the site, you are accepting to receive cookies.