Hey all,
I am a new member, from Boston Ma. USA.

I am traveling to Marbella for the first 2 weeks of June, I just wanted some info on good resturants, bars and clubs. Also, is it warm enough to lay out in the sun and enjoy the beaches? Myslef and my girlfriend are both 25 yrs old, is this the type of place that we would like. We are into sun bathing, relaxing, drinking and meeting new people.. Also what are some good day trips for us, we are really excited about this trip..
Thx for any help my friends...

Tadd

Water may be a bit cold in early June but weather will be sunny & warm. You'll meet many American and U,K, tourists on the Costa del Sol. There'll be no lack of partying company.

If you play golf, there are some nice courses nearby, like Valderrama (San Roque) where the Ryder Cup was played in year 2000.

Ronda is a nice daytrip destination.

Hi Tadd! Marbella in June is a great time to come here. It's highly probable that you will have long hot sunny days on the beach (water's not TOO bad, Eddie, I would term it invigorating ) recovering from the night life which starts late and goes on and on...

I don't go into many clubs, but there are plenty to go into, although they can be pricey. Puerto Banus is a cab ride away and there are plenty of bars, restaurants and clubs to enjoy, but pay for your drinks as you go, rather than run up a tab, as you may have a shock when you settle up at the end of the night!

Having said that, my wife and I sometimes spend a cheap night along the following lines.... We get a bus into Marbella from where we live in Estepona - if anyone is caught for driving over the limit the fines are very steep now - and we usually eat at different tapas bars, having a tapa with a drink as we go. There are some good ones in the area around Frank's Corner, where a lot of good bars are to be found too.

Last weekend we did this, then walked to an Irish pub in Old Town Marbella called Maverick's and had a nice couple of hours with good (very un-Irish!) music and a busy atmosphere. Despite the names, by the way, the vast majority of clients at these places are Spaniards. There is a bus which runs all through the night at more or less hourly intervals (that's Spain!) and goes from Marbella to Puerto Banus. Last week we stayed on till San Pedro instead and a cab home, but if we go into the Port, it's around two in the morning and the place is busy then. There are bars with live music, salsa bars which, as you enter are packed with people and whether you want to dance or not you just get carried along with the crowd! I can't ever remember making it to the bar there to buy a drink - I don't know how they make money!

As Eddie says, Ronda is well worth the price of a bus ticket. As you are here for a couple of weeks, why don't you think about going to Sevilla for a night? You can do it as a day trip at a push, but if you set off early, you could drive to Ronda in an hour, have breakfast there and a stroll around the town and from there it's about an hour and a half to Sevilla. Book in to a cheap hostal and see the sights (a bit hot, but take plenty of refreshment in the tapas bars around Santa Cruz ) and have a good night in that city. Time to explore again in the morning, before a leisurely drive back.

I would also suggest a day in Malaga capital too. It's a city that doesn't get as much publicity as the big three in Andalucia, but it's changing and there are some really nice parts to it around the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro areas.

You're waiting to come to Marbella and I can't wait to get back to your town! I love Boston! By the way, if you ever meet somebody humming Spanish songs, drinking a glass of Rioja and asking at every cafe in the Prudential Center if they have paella today, then say hello to Puna, one of the regulars on the board and Boston's biggest Spain fan. She'll tell you a bit more about our coast, I'm sure.

Thanks for the kind words Anchovy - the only thing you forgot were the tears streaming down my face as I pleaded for a decent cafe con leche and a good rioja - let alone some yummy tapas! Are you sure I can't hide out in that garage for an indefinate time?

Tadd 45 - feel free to email me and I'll be glad to share any and all info I can on the area.

No problem, Puna...... you've just got to help me get rid of this bloke called Wolf, who's thrown my mother out on to the streets with all her furniture, just so he can move in with his cases of Bud, the Wurlitzer, popcorn machine etc. And as for that scruffy, patched up reclining chair in front of the TV and the dog named Eddie....

Anchovy,

Hey! I resemble that remark! Or is it.... I resent that remark? Oh well!

I'm sorry about Mum. But she said the tent I set up for her in the back yard will do until fall. By then she figures you'll add an addition out back, for her to stay in.

I am getting tired of her cooking though. So is Eddie. Everything she makes looks like dog food, comes out of a can, and has a picture of Lassie on it. Sheeeessssshhhhhhh! Why would anyone put a picture of a dog on a can of stew. Beats the life out of me!

Which reminds me.... I wanted to talk about my allowance. I could use a few more Euros to make ends meet. I want to upgrade my beer purchases to a better brand - I promise I'll take out the garbage every day if you double it!

Wolf (Who's the perfect house guest, until he starts scratching behind his ear with a rear leg.)

Oh I just remembered Tadd, behind the Alamaeda gardens there is a square leading down to the beach. In this square (more an oblong, actually) there are a dozen Dali scultures and water features. Just before the steps leading to the Paseo Maritimo there is a tapas bar on the right hand side whose name escapes me, but is highly recommended for their wonderful selection of food.

Sitting there with a bottle of crisp Barbadillo white wine recently, I made a mental note to remember the name for this very prurpose, but... I've forgotten it. E-mail me nearer your time of departure for more details and places to go if you like?

Now, where were we....? Oh yes, the allowance. You'll do the garbage? You cause most of it, with all those tins of baked beans everywhere, Wolf! Mind you, I suppose we save a lot on Butano gas now we have most of it naturally produced....

I want to thank you all so much for all the info, I am waiting patiently to make my arrivial... Puna, what part of Boston are you from, I live in Braintree...Just south of bean town..

Todd - in the North End - a couple of blocks from the "1 if by land - 2 if by sea" church. The ideal good place for a transplanted Hawaiian who hasn't a clue how to drive in the snow!

AnchovyFront - we could all support REI or LLBean and buy lots of tents! Whatever happened to the land 'upcountry' as in Driving Over Lemons that we were all going to help you buy - for eternal and perpetual living rights - or is that squaters rights? Hurry up and find that spot before we are all priced out 'a the market - or too old to enjoy it!

Anchovy Front writes: Who ever heard of a dog named Eddie? Should I take that personally? As for Marbella: It's a pit of 'Brits,' and of so-called Irish Pubs where they can't even pull a proper pint of Guinness. I personally prefer Spanish resorts. :p

As for Boston, I like a restaurant/bar near the Train station and the Charles River called Three Cheers. The Clam Chowder there is a meal in itself.