Hi,

Are there any nice beaches in Malaga? What is there to do there? I've tried to look for accomodation but there doesn't seem to be any 'beach' area, unless I've been looking in the wrong places. I've alloted 2 days/2 nights for that area and then I'm off to Seville. Is it worth it to stay in Malaga or is there a nicer beach near by where we can go chill for two days? I've heard that Marbella is nice but I'm hoping someone here has been to that area and can suggest something.

THANK YOU!

Both are VERY popular destinations for Europeans' summer holidays - so expcet pissed Brits in a bar called Churchill's; fat naked Germans and Dutchmen hoarding their own food.

Both have extensive beaches - but the Germans will have nicked all the sun loungers.

We did a similar trip several years ago and went to Marbella. We were a bit disappointed by the beaches there. I recall only concrete "jetties", a crowded boardwalk, and a pretty urban beach environment -- not a place, in my experience, to "chill for two days". Puerto Banus, just down the road, was nice but very expensive.

We went to Marbella from Seville and wished that we had skipped the Marbella area altogether and had instead done Seville and Granada.

The City of Malaga does have beaches but the usual resort areas are outside of the city. There are beaches in Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Mijas Costa etc... Marbella is a fashionable resort and has attracted tourists for years. I do not go along with this aversion to the Costa del Sol on the grounds that European tourists also go there. After all it is a tourist area. Also, it depends upon what time of year you go there. In July and August you can expect hordes of tourists;other months, less. I have always found it to be a fun area.

I agree w/ Raydot.

I guess my question is this: where are you from and what kind of beaches are you hoping for or expecting?

If you are expecting soft white sand and clear clear warm water this is not it. But it is beautiful in a different way.

Thank you everyone for your help!

Amsdon: It's not necessarily white sandy beaches that I'm looking for, I just didn't want to show up in Malaga thinking it had a 'beach' and be left to find only a marina or port. I've lived in Mexico and Italy so I've seen many beautiful beaches but I just want somewhere to relax while I'm in Spain (I live in Toronto so any beach is a good beach!). I'd rather not go to a huge tourist area but being there the first two days of September, I don't think I have a choice.

So, do you recommend going to one of the other beaches near by? It's just that we'll be in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Granada beforehand and I think we're going to need a couple of days to unwind after seeing so many things, so I just want somewhere to chill.

There is a sandy beach in Málaga. It's in Guadalmar which is east of the city in the direction of Torremolinos. Guadalmar is said to be the last unspoilt beach of Málaga.
There are at least two hotels: the Tryp Guadalmar (http://www.solmelia.com/) and the Picasso (http://www.hotel-picasso.net/).

We spent a week in the Marbella area, at a beach a little to the east of town I think - we were at a time share there near a big Marriott. We were there at the end of Sept. I thought it was pleasant - the beach there was broad and actually sandy, alot like Daytona beach. Being at the end of Sept. it was not overwhelmed with other toursits, I met some British families, not drunks. We did notice as we drove closer to Malaga it seemed to get overdeveloped (IMO) and there were alot of signs for "bangers and mash". There were several nice beachfront restaurants in our area - try the shrimp (gambas) in garlicky olive oil or the fish baked in a salt crust - both were delicious and items I can't usually find here in the US.

We spent one night and one day in Marbella in April 2007 before we went to Seville. We were doing a lot of sight-seeing and walking in our other destinations (e.g. Barcelona) and just wanted one day to sit, relax and not do much. That's exactly what we got in Marbella!

I'm not sure about September, but in April there were no crowds anywhere, really. As others have said, the beach is not white, pristine sand. It did actually hurt my bare feet a bit to walk on it. Thankfully I spent most of the time in a sun chair.

The streets were really crowded and difficult to navigate, but we found some charming shops when walking in areas across the busy street from the main beachwalk.

We stayed at the Fuerte Miramar and were very pleased!

Marbella is somewhat more pleasnat - but you don;t want to be in the town (except maybe drive in to eat dinner). If you go west of the town there are some very nice hotels, with pretty beaches, as well as usually apts for rent at Puerto Banus.

Malaga is where many of the locals live. Marbella is a tourist rip-off described as an upmarket resort. From Malaga you can get a local train a few stops along the coast to a place with a beach.

Out of season you can have brilliant weather and deserted beaches.

There is beach in all the Malaga city edge to the sea, except the harbour, obviously. With showers, beach restaurants, etc. I recommend it better than Marbella, as there are much more things to do besides the beach in Malaga.

Guadalmar beach is very far from thee city center.

We loved our stay in Malaga and don't recall hearing or meeting British or German folks at all when there!

Mentioning this to the young lady at reception she explained that not so many tourists come into Malaga as most leave directly from the city's airport to the resorts.

We thought it was a classy city, wide long avenues, a very nice long beach, great shops and genuinely friendly people.

Joe