Really as beautiful as it looks on the internet?? If so, how many nights would you suggest staying there?

Fletch,<BR>I am not trying to be negative but Costa del Sol is not beautiful. Spain is an incredible country with so many wonderful places but Costa del Sol is overrun with tourist places, ugly highrises and terrible beaches. <BR>The food is not authentic and I would never return (been there twice).<BR>My favorites in Spain are Barcelona, Seville and Grenada.<BR>For beaches, you are better off going to the Southern coast of Greece or Greek islands.

Agree with Chris. Costa del Sol is the ugliest thing on the Meditarranean. It's about as beautiful as Atlantic City.

I LOVE Marbella, Tormelinos and the area. If I won the lottery, that's where I'm headed! I was stationed in Rota Spain for 5 years so I'm not talking out of my butt.

I agree with Berry Berry about Porto Banus. I did like that area and if Fletch is set on going Porto Banus is the best of the region.<BR>Sorry you didn't like my answer but I stick to it. Why waste your time when the only half decent area in the region is Portos Banus? <BR>

We stayed in the hills of Estepona for two weeks last summer and enjoyed every minute of it. There are a lot of high rises along a stretch of the highway, but there are a lot of special places, too. We went to several beaches all along the coast, including Marbella, Puerto Banus, Estepona (Med Sea) and even Tarifa (Atlantic Ocean) and all were great. There are a lot of interesting places to visit - Marbella's Casco Antiguo (old town) - we swam in a Roman sulfur spa, well hidden in the hills outside of Casares where noone but us spoke English and Gibraltar was 45 minutes away. We had a great time and would love to go back.

I agree with BerryBerry. I've been all over the Mediterranean and there are some beautiful places in Spain in the Costa Del Sol, especially around the Marbella area. There are also some towns that I didn't find so nice, such as Fuenigirola, but there were also towns on the Mediterrannean in France and Italy that weren't so wonderful either (such as Marseille in France and Vertimigla in Italy). But there are some beautiful places on the Costa Del Sol.<BR><BR>Having said that, I would add that if you only have a limited time in Spain and want to get a more authentic feel for the country, Seville and Barcelona are even better places to visit.<BR><BR>But if you want a more leisurely (and yes, it does get touristy, but so do the sights in all the big cities) time where you can also make day trips to some of the worthwhile sights such as Alhambra and Nerja caves, as well as the white villages, the Costa Del Sol can be a good base.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.<BR>

We have stayed in Marbella for the past 3 years, and have enjoyed it immensly. The white villages are also delightful. Mallorca is also beautiful, and much less crowded.

here is my question about marbella (since there are such conflicting opinions and i need to figure this out) - is marbella anything like nice, france???? (a group of us is going to seville for one week, and are planning our itinerary for the 2nd week - it is between marbella and cadiz)

Marbella is like Miami

The old city of Marbella is charming. The new city is so-so. The area along the beach is beautiful, especially Avenida del Mar.<BR><BR>I've never been to Cadiz, so can't compare.<BR><BR>It felt smaller than Nice to me. There's a terrific outdoor market on Mondays.

Fletch,<BR>I agree with BerryBerry. I went to Spain on my honeymoon in 2000. We were nervous about Costa del Sol due to reports that it's run down and too touristy. We stayed in Marbella at the Los Monteros hotel, part of Le Meridien chain. It was a luxury hotel and at an unbelievable price--I think $150/night. All the homes in the area were clearly owned by very wealthy people--very well-kept with beautiful blooms--gorgeous! <BR>We visited Puerto Banus, with all its yachts and pretty shops and hung out there for nightlife. <BR>But if you're visiting Spain, please don't miss Seville! It was the highlight of our trip. Truly magical!<BR>Have a great time!

Fletch,<BR>I agree with BerryBerry. I went to Spain on my honeymoon in 2000. We were nervous about Costa del Sol due to reports that it's run down and too touristy. We stayed in Marbella at the Los Monteros hotel, part of Le Meridien chain. It was a luxury hotel and at an unbelievable price--I think $150/night. All the homes in the area were clearly owned by very wealthy people--very well-kept with beautiful blooms--gorgeous! <BR>We visited Puerto Banus, with all its yachts and pretty shops and hung out there for nightlife. <BR>But if you're visiting Spain, please don't miss Seville! It was the highlight of our trip. Truly magical!<BR>Have a great time!<BR>Oh, and we stayed in Marbella for three days. That was perfect.

I can only conclude that people who think the Costa del Sol is attractive have really limited travel under their belts. It's really gross, overrun with tourists, dirty, and not at all authentic. There is much to do and see in the rest of Spain and on other parts of the Mediterranean. Travel a bit and make comparisons. The Costa del Sol truly is the Miami of Europe. Yuck.

"yuck" also known as "carol" & "eddie", since you bash Spain every chance you get, we all disregard your prejudices and just blow you off. Spain is a beautiful country with wonderful people. And, Marbella was quite lovely. We all know you have never even been to Spain.

People from all over the world travel to Miami Beach because it is very hip & exotic. The same goes for Marbella which is a haven for wealthy Europeans and Americans that love to party, and are used to the finer things in life.

Didn't care for it at all.

Marbella is definitely not Miami. It's gorgeous, as is Puerto Banus. <BR><BR>Cadiz, on the other hand, was disappointing. It is an industrial town and a place for cruise ships to dock for excursions to Seville.

Dated, but very funny.<BR><BR>To be read out loud without taking a breath<BR><BR>http://bau2.uibk.ac.at/sg/python/Scr...eTourComplaint

I think some of you dummies believe that hectic Miami and beautiful South Miami Beach are one and the same. Well, they are not! South Beach is a paradise for models, celebrities, the beautiful & wealthy. That is why you ugly, poor fools don't know what your talking about. You're out of your league. Marbella attracts the same crowd. I'm sure most of you haven't been to either of these chic places.