Property for sale in Marbella

Buying a house in Marbella means choosing along a long stretch of coast, not within a single town. From San Pedro in the west to Cabopino in the east lie centres and urbanisations that each have their own market, with the Sierra Blanca and La Concha as a wall behind them. The centre itself is flat and right on the sea; most villa districts sit higher, against the mountain. An address with Marbella in it can be a quarter of an hour’s drive from the centre on the east side. So you choose a stretch of coast first, and a home second.

In the west lies Guadalmina, cut in two by the coast road: above it, generous villa plots among the trees; below it, golf right down to the beach. Behind it the golf valley of Nueva Andalucía begins, with Puerto Banús on the seaward side and La Campana as a more densely built, everyday residential area. The Golden Mile between Banús and the centre splits into a beach side and a hill side with Nagüeles and Sierra Blanca. East of the centre come Los Monteros, Santa Clara, Elviria and Cabopino: greener, quieter and more spread out, with urbanisations on both sides of the coast road.

The centre and San Pedro mainly offer apartments, partly in older blocks with shops and services round the corner. In the golf valley and on the hills of the Golden Mile, villas and complexes with communal gardens dominate, and building continues on the mountain side of the Golden Mile. In the east, villa estates from the early years of this coast alternate with low-rise complexes with sea views. With an older villa, have the roof, pipework and pool surveyed, and check that later extensions have been registered. Projects under construction now are on the new-build page for Marbella.

Marbella suits people who want high-quality services, international schools within reach and a municipality that runs all year. It chafes for anyone who wants to live without a car: there is no train, and the free A-7 coast road clogs up in summer. Homes against the mountain on the east side are in fire-prone terrain; during a major forest fire, Elviria and La Mairena were among the areas evacuated. In heavy rain, streets in San Pedro and the centre have flooded. And if you buy close to Puerto Banús, the nightlife comes with it.

Málaga airport is about three quarters of an hour away via the AP-7 toll road; on the A-7 in summer you can easily spend over an hour. The nearest train leaves from Fuengirola. The large public hospital is on the east side, near Santa Clara, and there are also a few private hospitals. British and international schools are spread across Nueva Andalucía, San Pedro, Sierra Blanca and the east. Mind the municipal boundary: anything west of the Guadalmina river, such as Atalaya and El Paraíso, belongs to Estepona. For life district by district, see Living in Marbella.