A carpet of white sand looking out over
infinite azure waters framed by the swaying fronds of palm trees… Okay, that’s
more likely to be somewhere in the Caribbean of Pacific, and no, Marbella is
not exactly renowned for its pearlesque beaches, but that doesn’t mean to say
that we don’t have some fine stretches of coastline right here in our doorstep.
Best know, of course, are the beaches of
Puerto Banús, San Pedro Alcántara, Estepona and the glamorous stretch along the
Golden Mile, yet there are many hidden corners all along the coast just waiting
to be discovered. Some take a little effort to find, hidden behind apartment
complexes or on little-used exits off the coastal road, but you will be
rewarded with a lovely stretch of sand away from the madding crowds.
Puerto
Banus beach
Of beach life is more of a social affair,
then stepping straight off the beachside promenade and onto the hot sand is the
thing to do. Just make sure there’s a chiringuito beach bar nearby and you’re
in heaven. Even within such a setting there is the choice of the laid-back Spainish
atmosphere of Estepona beach, the trendy flavour of Banús or the more
businesslike approach at San Pedro beach, where joggers and serious sunbathers
predominate.
Even in downtown Marbella you’ve never more
than a few streets away from the beach. In fact, the Paseo Marítimo, Marbella’s
long seaside promenade, is like a grand boulevard dedicated to pedestrians.
Here you can lounge by day, party by night or seek relaxation on the water’s
edge, blissfully unaware that in the town behind you others might be toiling
away at their desks.
Paseo
Marítimo Sunset Beach Club
Newcomers will invariably be drawn to
these, the most visible and easily accessible stretches of our coast, but
residents and regular visitors alike may just want to shake things up a bit by
heading outwards and finding their own favourite little spot on the Costa. Here
are a few that offer a good variety of different experiences.
Cabopino
In itself quite famous, it is one of those
beaches you need to know how to find. Just exit the coastal CN340 at the
Cabopino turn off, follow the roundabout in the direction of the Puerto
Cabopino marina and then turn right onto a sand track that soon re-emerges as
an asphalt drive leading directly to a car park on the edge of the dunes.
Cabopino
beach
Left of you is the beach side of Cabopino
Port, straight ahead the sea and to your right an extension of beach flanked by
dunes and pine trees. Come here early and you’ll see people walking their dogs
and strolling along the beach, but leave it a little late and you might start
blushing, for this is a quasi-official nudist beach popular with lovers of the
all-over tan.
A lot of beachgoers therefore opt for the
sunbeds on the Cabopino side, where a skimpy bikini or Speedos is the minimum
requirement. With the waiter service from a nearby Chiringuito at your
disposal, you can gaze across the Mediterranean as you drink in the sun. Kids
are free to charge around and burn up some of that energy, and if all that
beach work gets you puckish there’s a good choice of restaurants and cafés at
the pretty little marina just round the corner.
Chiringuito
at Cabopino beach
From this point on the coast you can see
the sweep of the shoreline, with Marbella in the distance, though not quite as
well as from the ancient watchtower that more or less demarcates the nudist and
semi-clad sections of beach. Built at a time when Barbary Corsairs pillaged the
Southern Mediterranean’s shores, it forms part of a network of towers that extends
all along the coast. High up on top, guardsmen would light fires to warn local
inhabitants to ‘head for the hills’ when they saw the dreaded sails appear on
the horizon.
