Marbella, Spain

Marbella is not only a great place to relax and have some fun but it's also a gourmet's paradise, boasting a cosmopolitan array of restaurants.

Tour of the Tapas Bars

Once a year, the residents of Marbella celebrate the town's culinary status with a party they call La Ruta Tasquera. Tapas are the savory snacks served with an alcoholic drink in bars throughout Spain. So that you do not miss out on the fun, the following is a list of some of the best tapas bars that you can try any day of the year. You might start with a cold beer in La Bodeguita Marbellí and it will probably be accompanied by homemade ensaladilla rusa (Russian salad). Wash down a variety of cured hams and sausage with your second beer at La Sacristía or the Tasca Don Matute . Share a tortilla de ajos tiernos (spring onion omelette) over the next beer at El Burlaero . In La Cervecería they will offer you a little kebab with your drink. And at La Querencia the tapas are a meal in themselves. En Ca Curro is famous for smooth, sweet Moscatel wine, served with prawns or fresh fried fish.

By now you'll need a break so take a seat in one of Marbella's squares or parks before hitting what is arguably the best tapas bar of them all, La Venecia de los Olivos , which has three branches around town and serves delicious savory ribs. Head upmarket for a while and order a glass of vino fino (fine wine, or dry sherry) with a sophisticated canape at Gorky . Next is a regional treat: cider and snacks from Asturias in the north of Spain at Sidrería Urogallo . Thought you were finished? Not likely. That was just a warm-up before lunch. And the choice of restaurants for lunch and dinner is as exciting as the tapas bars.

International

The Amanecer Country Tex Mex serves hot enchiladas with cold Mexican beer. If you can't survive without hamburgers, then make sure you eat the best at Old Texas . Delicate dishes from Thailand are available at Sukhothai , while hearty portions of beef are the order of the day at El Gaucho Argentino. How about sushi at Sakura ? Or you can choose from two excellent Chinese restaurants. The Mandarin is considered to be the best on the Costa del Sol. And the Hong Kong is said to prepare the most succulent Peking duck in Marbella.

Little Italy

Italian cooking is well represented here. Two especially fine examples are the Villa Tiberio and the La Fonte delle Streghe . In the Toni Dalli , you can expect to be entertained by a distinguished tenor. The Da Bruno specializes in fresh pasta and the Palacio de la Toscana prepares the best ravioli with spinach that you will ever taste. There are also lots of small pizzerias in Marbella, selling thin and crispy pizzas to take away.

Good Food

Carnivores are well catered for in Marbella, with three restaurants serving the finest quality meat in typical Castilian style. So you can try a lamb stew or a roast sucking-pig in El Rancho , or El Portalón or Asador Puerta del Príncipe . Those who prefer fish should head for Puerto Banús to try the day's catch with a sea view at La Dorada or La Marina. Vegetarians can also expect the highest quality and service at Azafrán y Menta.

Five-star Restaurants

People who take their food seriously have probably already heard about the imaginative dishes at La Hacienda and if you dine at La Meridiana and Taberna del Alabardero , you'll fall in love with the chefs. The Santiago prepares fresh shellfish with reverence and the Víctor has special respect for lobster. All these five-star restaurants can be found in Puerto Banús and San Pedro de Alcántera.

A walk through the Old Town

Marbella has been transformed from a little fishing village into an internationally renowned tourist resort, but if you walk round the old part of town you can still detect traces of its turbulent past. The narrow winding streets are a legacy of Muslim rule, while the conquering Christians built the tree-lined squares. There is an overall grid pattern to the street plan, so no need to worry about getting lost.

Start off at the ruined walls of what was once a Moorish fortress—a defensive structure that was eventually breached by the Christians during their reconquest of Spain—and head into Plaza de San Bernabe (named after the patron saint of Marbella). Take Calle Viento and walk down it as far as Calle Alonso de Bazán where you will find the old hospital that has been converted into the Contemporary Spanish Print Gallery .

Retrace your steps or turn up Calle Trinidad until you reach the impressive church called Iglesia de la Encarnación , in the Plaza de la Iglesia, a square lined with pretty fruit trees that offer welcome shade on a hot day. From here, follow Calle Molinillos, the street with all the souvenir shops, up to > Plaza de los Naranjos where the Town Hall stands. This is an ideal location to take a break. Sit down at an outdoor cafe and enjoy a cool, refreshing drink. If it happens to be time for lunch, you might want to try Fonte delle Streghe for first class Italian cooking.

After lunch, find Calle Nueva, one of the streets that heads out of the square, and there on the corner is K-2, if you fancy doing some shopping. Keep going down Calle Nueva until you hit Plaza de Juan Paloma, and from there you can reach Avenida Ramón y Cajal which is just a continuation of Avenida Ricardo Soriano . Cross the Avenida Ramón y Cajal into Parque de la Alameda, a haven of green that reverberates with countless love stories. Keep going south towards the sea along Avenida del Mar—which is lined by half a dozen sculptures by the incomparable genius, Dalí—and you come to the Paseo Marítimo (promenade). Time for an ice-cream? From the Milla de Oro you can gaze out upon the tranquil Mediterranean Sea.

Puerto Banús

This famous marina has been around since 1970. It was officially opened, to great fanfare, by Prince Ranier of Monaco and Grace Kelly at a glittering party. Ever since then, Puerto Banús has played host to an array of international celebrities and their attendant paparazzi and gossip columnists during high summer. The best way to approach the harbour area is to set off on foot from the gigantic bronze sculpture on Avenida de las Naciones Unidas, crossing over to Avenida de la Rivera and following it along to the main entrance.

Once through the main gate you can take advantage of the excellent shopping facilities that include a range of the most famous names in fashion design, such as Gianfranco Ferre , Emporio Armani and Pomellato , along with dozens of other individual outlets selling things like swim-wear (at prices to suit the average holiday-maker as well as the rich and famous), works of art and hand-crafted goods.

Or you could just simply take a seat at an outdoor cafe, such as the Sinatra , order a drink and watch the sumptuous display of yachts and motor cruisers that gather here from all over the world.

The marina is divided into quays and mooring bays to accommodate all these luxurious pleasure craft. The main quay is called the Muelle de la Ribera, and on the street running parallel to it, you'll find all the shops. As you are on holiday, why not treat yourself to a stylish new watch from the Swatch Boutique, or a leather jacket from Facciaro ?

Don't forget to find the other quay, Muelle Benabolá, and visit the little chapel—that houses an altar dedicated to the Virgen del Carmen—and the monument to commemorate Don Juan de Borbón, from which, on a clear day, you can see as far as Gibraltar.

Whilst making your way along the Muelle de la Ribera, stopping in at all the most interesting shops, you can't fail to notice an assortment of the sleekest sports cars that money can buy—Ferraris, Maserattis, Mitsubishis. By now, all that shopping will have made you hungry. There are more than 30 different restaurants to chose from in Puerto Banús. Tonight, why not try an exotic Indian delicacy at the Mumtaz ?