Eating & drinking:
Along the beach within easy walking distance are 4 excellent restaurants. Next to Antonio Banderas' house is one of the best all rounders serving excellent Spanish and French cooking. Their Chateaubriand is exceptional. The Capabana beach resort (part of the 5 star Los Monteros hotel) serves legendary buffet lunches inside and out. The closest, La Mangelata serves superb seafood almost all day and evening and is very reasonably priced. Don't miss their dry or wet paellas. The world famous Silks by the sea is further along the beach.
Further a field the range and quality of restaurants betters most European cities. We have enjoyed Spanish traditional, including tapas bars, French, Thai, Chinese, mixed oriental, Indian and fondue to name a few within a few minutes drive. Eating in Spain is relatively inexpensive.
In Marbella there are restaurants on the beaches, promenades and dotted around the beautiful old town and Orange Square. Dozens of restaurants' details are in the house.
Retail therapy:
La Canada (3 or 4 minutes by car) is one of the largest retail shopping malls in Europe and has most of the famous name clothes and other shops, a huge supermarket/department store as well as a cinema, a bowling alley, fitness centre and huge electrical store.
The old town of Marbella (the same time away) is a mixture of Mayfair and good quality Spanish shops selling Spanish goods especially shoes, clothing and jewelery at very reasonable prices. For the more adventurous you can pick up real bargains from N Africa and Spain in the street markets up and down the immediate coast on different days.
Puerto Banus 10 minutes away by car is of course is the jet setters' paradise and even dedicated shopaholics could not fail to be satisfied there; also an English speaking cinema and fabulous restaurants overlooking the yacht marina.
Up in the nearby and unmissable white villages of Andalucia the focus is on craft goods especially leather clothing including belts & jack
Activities sights and trips:
The range of sporting activities is amazing. There are 20 or so top class golf courses nearby, 3 within walking distance; a very good pitch and putt built into the hills at Elveria. All types of watersports off the beach-try your hand at para-surfing outside La Mangelata. Watch horse racing at Mijas championship, football vs Madrid at Malaga, or drive 1.5 hours further on to Sierra Nevada and be on the slopes snow skiing. Horse riding, quad biking, go karting, shooting, tennis, football training for the children, or just have a swim in one of the heated pools.
Outings include crossing the 8 miles from nearby Tarifa to Tangiers Morrocco, the Picasso museum in Malaga, Dolphin watch, mountain National parks football training, taking a ski-lift to the top of nearby mountains behind the beach, pop & classical concerts.
Don't miss the world heritage sites: Alhambra Palace, Seville, Gibraltar Cadiz and Trafalgar. Belo a former Roman settlement is exceptionally complete and well preseved.
Golf:
Within 30 minutes drive there are about 40 golf courses including the world famous Valderrama and Sotogrande. In the house there are three complete guides to the superb golf courses in this area.
The closest is Santa Clara only a few golf drives away. It opened in 2001 after meticulous preparation. It is noted for its long par threes and comfortable sized greens. A mostly flat course there is a steep climb on the 8th leading to the 9th – from where there are spectacular views of the Mediterranean.
Also within 5 minutes drive are Marbella Golf and Country Club a typical Robert Trent Jones designed course with many bunkers and large greens approached from sweeping fairways. Little valleys ravines and gullies trap the unwary on the first few holes. There is a magnificent sea view from the 12th hole. The Club also has a golf school, gym, sauna and jacuzzi.
The Rio Rialle course has been in existence for 50 years and also has a driving range, putting green and cub house.
Monte Paraiso is a fairly new 9 hole par 3 course with spectacular Mediterranean views it is immaculately maintained with wide greens and there is plenty of variety.
Green Life Golf a 9 hole regular par 3 is one of the hidden treasures amongst the Costa Del Sol golf courses. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Elvira Hills, it's 1402 metres long and boasts beautifully manicured fairways and greens lined with olive and cork trees. The variable terrain makes a complicated test for all.
Other Activities:
skiing at Sierra Nevada (2hrs)
marks the location of the property in Marbella area
