Day trip to Marbella

<p>Marbella has a reputation that tends to divide people before they have even visited, all yachts and footballers and overpriced cocktails. There is some truth to that version of Marbella, particularly around Puerto Banús, but the town itself is considerably more interesting and more accessible than the headlines suggest.</p> <p>The old town is the best part. The Plaza de los Naranjos, the Orange Tree Square, is one of the most charming town squares in Andalusia: white-washed buildings, orange trees, outdoor tables, a 16th-century town hall. You could spend two hours just wandering the Casco Antiguo without spending a penny and leave feeling like it was time well spent. It is compact enough to cover on foot but complex enough to keep surprising you with hidden courtyards and tiny tapas bars.</p> <p>The Paseo Marítimo promenade runs along the waterfront for several kilometres and connects the main beach to the Puerto Deportivo marina. The beaches along here are Blue Flag standard and significantly cleaner than most of the Costa del Sol. Sun lounger hire is expensive in season, but you can always just lay a towel down.</p> <p>Puerto Banús is worth seeing at least once, even if you are not there to spend money. The marina is full of genuinely absurd superyachts, the designer strip is comically over-the-top, and the people-watching is excellent. It is about four kilometres west of central Marbella, a bus runs between them regularly.</p> <p>From Gibraltar it is just under an hour on the A-7 coast road. The drive itself is one of the nicest on the Costa del Sol. Avanza buses run between La Linea and Marbella via Algeciras and Estepona; the journey takes around 1.5 to 2 hours.</p>