| Marbella is a pretty special place. It is 'smart' like few | | | | The surprising thing is that amongst the wealth, style, |
| other places. The impeccably dressed Spanish | | | | sunshine and fabulous beaches it is very possible to |
| policemen ride not just motorbikes but serious | | | | buy property in Marbellaat all, let alone have a large |
| Harley-Davidson machines, whilst their colleagues sit | | | | choice of properties for rent or sale. Not surprisingly |
| perfectly on their beautiful Andalusian horses. | | | | prices vary enormously, depending upon what you |
| It's not just the police who have style here. | | | | want. You can still buy a Spanish townhouse in 'Old |
| Everyone and everything in Marbella caters for the | | | | Town' to live amongst the cobbled streets and |
| very rich and famous, as well as we ordinary mortals. | | | | passageways, full of cafes and local restaurants, with |
| Houses, shops and streets are kept in beautiful | | | | a very short stroll to the beach, or find apartments |
| condition and the jewellery shops contain exquisite | | | | to suite all tastes overlooking the Mediterranean. |
| pieces seen usually only in the very top jewellers in | | | | Further along the coast in either direction are villas |
| major capital cities worldwide. | | | | and properties for the rich or the not-so-rich, most |
| One major reason, often forgotten, for Marbella's | | | | with pools and some with extraordinary architecture. |
| popularity is its geographical location enjoying its own | | | | Inland the property prices are a lot cheaper the |
| 'microclimate'. This means that it actually has a | | | | further you go, mainly due to the different climate |
| different climate from places only a few miles away. | | | | and the proximity to the Marbella microclimate, which |
| Despite being on the East coast of southern Spain, | | | | only reaches a couple of kilometres inland before the |
| Marbella actually faces South. This means that the | | | | elevation of the mountains takes over. |
| midday sun shines directly onto the beaches, whilst | | | | Serious construction is underway all along the Costa |
| allowing the fabulous Mediterranean sunrises and | | | | del Sol (sunshine coast) both on the Mediterranean |
| sunsets to be visible. The land rises from the beaches | | | | coast itself but also inland from the A7, which is the |
| towards the mountains just behind the town, | | | | only major road serving the whole Costa, running |
| preventing any cold inland winds, and meaning that | | | | from Malaga in the north to Gibraltar in the south. |
| many Marbella propertieshave wonderful views. | | | | Effectively this cuts off the coastal area (including |
| Marbella receives less rainfall than surrounding towns | | | | Marbella) from the inland regions, the mountains |
| and villages, depending upon location, and can be 5 | | | | following the coast 5 or so kilometres inland from the |
| to7 degrees warmer in winter. You can stand in the | | | | sea. However, as you can imagine this is a very busy |
| rain in winter in Malaga, only 20 odd miles away and | | | | road, and despite continual widening has to take very |
| see sunshine over Marbella…….but not | | | | large amounts of traffic. |
| the rest of the coast. | | | | |