Three hundred days of sun
Marbella & Sotogrande
Golf, polo, a Moorish old town, the Sierra Blanca behind and Africa on the horizon. The winter coast of Europe, and one of the few places a villa makes sense in February.
Costa del Sol, Spain
Marbella is the only coast on this list that works all year. In February the Golden Mile has sun on the terraces, the courses are green and the restaurants are open, and a villa in the Sierra Blanca or La Zagaleta is as comfortable as it is in June. The summer is hot and full, and Sotogrande, an hour west, is where the quieter money goes.
The old town of Marbella is a real Andalusian pueblo with orange trees in the square. Puerto Banús is the opposite and we do not pretend otherwise; it is where the boats and the shops are, and it is ten minutes from anywhere.
Sotogrande is an estate rather than a town: polo fields, two of the best courses in Europe, a marina, and houses with the room that Marbella has run out of. It is the place we send families for a season.
Best months
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air °C | 13 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 17 | 14 |
| Sea °C | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 16 |
Worth knowing
What we arrange
Marbella, day by day
The experiences the desk actually books here, tagged by what they are for. The itinerary builder turns them into a plan.
Golf at Valderrama
Tee time at Europe’s most demanding course, a caddie who knows it, lunch in the clubhouse.
activePolo afternoon at Sotogrande
A box at the Santa María club in August, the players introduced, dinner at the marina after.
cultureBeach club on the Golden Mile
A bed at one of the clubs between the old town and Banús, lunch, the car waiting at five.
seaRonda by car
The gorge and the bullring with a guide, lunch above the cliff, the mountain road back.
cultureDinner in the old town
A table in the Plaza de los Naranjos or one of the serious kitchens above it, seated at nine thirty.
diningHiking La Concha
The mountain behind Marbella at dawn with a guide, the whole coast and Africa from the top.
activeA day in Tangier
Across the strait by private boat or a 15-minute flight, the medina with a guide, lunch, back for dinner.
cultureSpa day in the Sierra
A mountain spa with hammam and pools, a treatment, lunch on the terrace.
wellnessHorse riding for the family
Two hours through the cork forest behind Sotogrande, ponies for the small ones, lunch at the club.
familyA night at the summer clubs
The table, the driver, the way in, and the terrace when the music gets too much.
nightlifeThe calendar
By the numbers
From the collection
Houses in Marbella
Marbella
A week in Marbella, planned to the hour.
A first answer within the hour, a full proposal within 48 hours.
The Sunday note
One short letter a week, on a Sunday
What has just come onto the market, which coast is in season, one tool worth trying. No offers, no forwarding, unsubscribe in one click.