Puerto Banus
Puerto Banus is located to the west of Marbella, before you reach the small town of San Pedro de Alcantara. A relatively new town on the scene, it was actually developed in the seventies in a beautiful setting within the town of Marbella, by the local developer Jose Banús. The area affords a beautiful setting, with an impressive mountain backdrop and ocean views.
Puerto Banus has fast become a mix of jet set playground, combined with hen and stag party hang out. Here you can while away hours sipping a cocktail in the port watching the super rich on their luxury yachts and the Ferraris and Lamborghinis drive by.
Around town
Although small, Puerto Banus offers an amazing wealth of facilities and attractions; including beautiful beaches on either side of the port, a myriad of restaurants and bars, water sports, golf, a casino, cinema and a amazing selection of upmarket and expensive fashion boutiques; there is also an El Corte Ingles department store here, the largest department store chain in Spain.
If you really want to get a birds eye view of the port and its magnificent setting, then you can take a boat trip around the local coastline, which you can catch central promenade area.
Beaches
The beach adjacent to Puerto Banus holds a European blue flag. The port is flanked on either side by beaches, looking out towards the sea, to the left you have a less crowded beach, with a walkway to the promenade, which will take you all the way down to the Marbella. Here there are a couple of Chiringuitos (beach restaurants) and a children’s play area. To the right is main beach, where during the summer, beach parties are held with bars, music and dancing on the beach, day and night.
Market
Every Saturday Puerto Banus and its urban area of Nueva Andalucia, hold an extensive market, probably the largest and most popular along this stretch of coastline. Here you can buy everything from handbags, to carpets, to clothes, music and furniture. Beware in the height of season it gets extremely busy and is very difficult to park close to the market itself.
Nightlife
Puerto Banus is definitely the place to come to if you are looking for a varied and busy nightlife scene. The town is packed with alfresco bars, piano clubs and discos, which all keep going until dawn. It’s important to mention that many of the boutique shops stay open during the summer months until midnight and do not then open until midday.
Eating out
What can we say? What isn’t there to eat in Puerto Banus? The town was developed for entertainment and there are more restaurants and bars than anything else here. The port is lined with upmarket Spanish seafood restaurants, American hamburger joints, and Italian eateries, plus there are a couple of good Indian restaurants too.
Step back away from the port and into the plaza area and there is an excellent tapas restaurant, as well as Burger King and Macdonalds if you need a quick fix, in between window shopping!
Climate
Puerto Banus enjoys a sub-tropical Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and warm winters. Cooling breezes from the sea make the summer heat manageable, temperatures are an average of 32 ºC in summer.
