Malaga & Marbella

[cantgetaname]

The cruise stops at Malaga at 8am, and departs 6pm.   The Marbella & Puerto Banus excursion is 4 1/2 hrs.   If I take the excursion will it allow me a couple hours to look around Malaga?   I've not taken any excursions on a cruise before,  just wandered around the port area so I'm not sure how it works.  Is the excursion the only thing I'll do that day?    Just torn because I would love to see both places.    Thanks.

[VMax1700]

I am probably out of step here, but I would be inclined to give Marbella and Puerto Banus a miss.  It is not Spain.  It is not even Andalucía. It is overbuilt, overdeveloped, over priced and over rated.  

That being said, if you want to go, you will probably find that the tour leaves at 9.30/10.00 am, so 4½ hours later means arrival back to the port around 2.30pm.  Plenty of time before you need to be aboard, but Málaga is the real Andalucía and still has siesta, so most stores will close at 1pm and not reopen until 5pm at the earliest.  Shopping centres (Centro Comercial) will be open 10am to 10pm.  Museums will be open.  

There is an excellent HO-HO bus in Málaga.  Visit the Cathedral, visit the Picasso Museum, visit the Carmen Thyssen Museum, visit Gibralfaro Castle and Alcazaba.  Wander the narrow streets of the city.

So much more memorable than Marbella and Puerto Banus.

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

I am probably out of step here, but I would be inclined to give Marbella and Puerto Banus a miss.  It is not Spain.  It is not even Andalucía. It is overbuilt, overdeveloped, over priced and over rated.  

That being said, if you want to go, you will probably find that the tour leaves at 9.30/10.00 am, so 4½ hours later means arrival back to the port around 2.30pm.  Plenty of time before you need to be aboard, but Málaga is the real Andalucía and still has siesta, so most stores will close at 1pm and not reopen until 5pm at the earliest.  Shopping centres (Centro Comercial) will be open 10am to 10pm.  Museums will be open.  

There is an excellent HO-HO bus in Málaga.  Visit the Cathedral, visit the Picasso Museum, visit the Carmen Thyssen Museum, visit Gibralfaro Castle and Alcazaba.  Wander the narrow streets of the city.

So much more memorable than Marbella and Puerto Banus.

 

 

Not out-of-step with me, Max 🙂

Marbella was very much the "in" place back in the 1960's, have visited a few times since & now it's just another character-less modern Costa resort.

Pleasant enough, but not "Spain".

And I remember the early days of Puerto Banus - the harbour full of sail-nowhere gin palaces attempting, - but miserbly failing - to match Monte Carlo, and the quay lined with much-of-a-muchness bars & restaurants. Even tho it's only 1/4 off the main autopista that I've frequently driven I've never been tempted to return.

 

Malaga is a very Spanish city - I don't rate it highly, but I've been chided so many times on Cruise Critic that I'll admit to beng in the minority.

 

Consider an excursion, if offered, to the hill village of Mijas Pueblo. If no excursion offered, it's about 20 miles / 40 minutes from your ship. Sorry I don't know how much a taxi would cost - but it'd be half the cost if you found sharers thro your cruise's RollCall.

In the '60s this was the place for holiday-makers to go to see "the real Spain".

It's now very much a tourist place - lots of little local shops, carriage rides, glorious elevated views along the coast, but behind the shops & bars it's still a classic Spanish "white village". Beautifully maintained white terraced houses set along immaculate narrow little streets, with just a few little bars & cafes where you can relax and take in "Spain", along with locals and the few like-minded tourists who stray from the touristy centre. A little active bullring too in that part of the village,  last time  I was there I could browse it without hindrance or entry fee. 

Unless you paid it a quick visit it probably wouldn't be worth asking your taxi driver to wait - instead get a taxi back to the ship from the rank in the village.

NB Mijas Pueblo. Lots of developments that have sprung up know the value of the name "Mijas", so there are places like Mijas Costa, Mijas la Nueva, etc which are some distance from Mijas Pueblo

 

Or if you really want to push the boat out, rent a car for a scenic drive thro the hills and villages to Ronda - magnificent Andalusian town with the old Muslim half (gory torture museum etc) divided from the more-modern centre with its brilliant bullring / museum, by a 322 ft deep ravine crossed by a 16th Century bridge.

Make it a round-trip by descending to the coast (with glorious views on the way down), then take the fast autovia (some of it toll-road) back to Marbella.

Drive time about 4hrs 45, so leaving the rental agency at about 9am should give you a couple of hours in Ronda,and another hour for odd coffee-stops & photo-stops, and still be back on board for tea before 5pm

Something like this ................ 

https://goo.gl/maps/f9znHQ85vZyYCyBDA 

 

JB 🙂

Edited March 11, 2022 by John Bull

[bennybear]

Sounds like great advice,  although I fondly recall a visit to Puerto Banu in the mid seventies when the king and royal family were there on a yacht the twin of the Christina,  and David Niven had a Chinese Junk moored there.   

[JimmyTheSaint]

I agree with everything VMax1700 has said about Marbella and Puerto Banus.

 

That whole stretch of the Costa del Sol should be used on university Town & Country Planning courses across the world as an example of how to ruin a coastal area. Concrete jungle with no redeeming features.

 

Have a look and see which other excursions are available, preferably heading inland to the Pueblos Blancos or The Alhambra in Granada.

[marazul]

I agree with all of the above.  Heading West from Malaga all you see are ugly apartment blocks.  The beach walk in Marbella is backed by apartment buildings and overpriced restaurants.  The charm is long gone.  

 

The main excursion out of Malaga is Granada.  The Alhambra never changes and it is wonderful.  So is the old quarter of Granada.

 

If you are not interested in Granada, then stay in Malaga or for a still charming sea town head East to Nerja.  Also, near Nerja are some amazing caves with what is said to be the largest stalactite ever found.