With 15 courses on the doorstep of Marbella alone – in a region that has been aptly dubbed “Golf Valley” – you will find a course to suit every taste.
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[post_content] => On your next holiday in Marbella, why not get to know the area, and sample some wonderful local wines and traditional dishes through a wine tour?
Wine is an important part of the history of Andalucia, believed to be brought to the area by the Phoenicians, around 1100 BC. The area around Marbella, particularly Manilva and Ronda have become famous for wines, and Spanish wines in general are growing in popularity for their quality and excellent value for money.
You’ll find great wines in restaurants in Marbella and some fabulous wine shops in Marbella as well to stock up and sample many Spanish and international wines.
In this article we’re uncovering the options for wine tours in and around Marbella. Read on to find out more….
Why do a wine tour in Marbella?
Marbella Old Town is a stunning warren of narrow streets lined with whitewashed houses, pretty squares and historic buildings. You’ll find fabulous shops, bars and restaurants tucked away at every turn and it’s a lot of fun to explore.
But it can get a little confusing, and it’s easy to go around in circles and miss the best bits. It is also hard to know where the best wine and food can be found and also know what to order, if you’re just visiting.
A wine tour of Marbella Old Town solves both problems by touring the best bits of this historic area, with an experienced and knowledgeable guide. They will make sure you see the most important sites and the most picturesque corners and answer your questions about the history and culture of the area. They have also chosen the best places to go and take the guesswork out of everything by ordering the best food and wine and taking care of everything for you.
From our point of view, this is a great way to sight-see – with stops for food and wine along the way!!
We also have some great vacation rentals in Marbella Old Town if you want to get to know it even better.
What's included with wine tours in Marbella Old Town?
Most wine tours around Marbella Old Town last for three hours. They include a sightseeing tour of Marbella, with a private guide, to introduce you to the history and culture and take you around the most beautiful spots. They will take you for a wine tasting, and to some great tapas bars, where they will pair Spanish wines with delicious local dishes. Many of the tours also include a tasting of olive oils, which is a wonderful experience.
There are group tours which you can join, or private tours that you can organize. The best option for you depends on the size of your group and the level of your knowledge or particular preferences or allergies. If you don’t know too much about Spanish wines yet, and are flexible with what you try and where you go, then join in with a group. If you are quite particular about your wines, or have a large group and prefer to keep the experience just for you, then private is better, but obviously it is a more expensive option, especially if you’re a small group.
We’d recommend that you ask at the tourist office closest to your vacation rental in Marbella for their recommendations on the wine tours that are currently running in Marbella. You can also see the selection of wine tasting tours in and around Marbella on TripAdvisor, so you can see what suits you best and read the reviews. Viator also has a good selection.
Many of the tours focus more on the tapas, then accompanying these dishes with wines, rather than doing pure wine tasting experiences. But we’d definitely recommend these too.
If you’re looking for experiences more focused on the wines, here are two things we’d recommend.
The company Wine & Senses is offering an exciting way to learn about the world of wine in Marbella. They offer a sensory tasting experience with activities and games and 5 different wines to try.
One of the best wine shops in Marbella is Casa Pablo, which we’d definitely recommend for any wine lovers. This great shop also offers monthly wine tasting events and you can also book private wine tastings at Casa Pablo too. Most wine shops will arrange tastings for you, as will some wine bars with extensive wine lists, so don’t be afraid to ask!
Best companies for wine tours Marbella
Get Your Guide offers a selection of Marbella wine tours including tapas, wonderful wines and a tour of different parts of the town. This is a great way to find a wine tour in Marbella that suits you and your group. There’s an option to walk around Marbella and visit the food market to discover the food and wine of this region. There are also wine, olive oil and tapas tours to try, which includes wine tasting in Marbella Old Town. You can find all the information including routes and itinerary on their website.
Rootz wine tours has a range of tours with pick-ups from Marbella exploring the different wine regions within easy reach of Marbella, where you can see beautiful scenery, explore inland Costa del Sol, learn about Spanish wine and wine production and of course enjoy sampling some great wines with an experienced guide.
The tradition of wine in Marbella
Although the most famous Spanish wines on a global level come from the area of Rioja, the Malaga region is also home to a strong wine making tradition. Wine was being made in this area long before the Romans arrived and they continued the practice and improved the quality of the wines, before the Moors arrived and took it to the next level.
Malaga’s most famous wines are sweet, dessert wines, made from muscatel and Pedro Ximenez grapes, using the hot sun to enhance the sweetness of the grapes and make them taste delicious. But it’s not only sweet wines being produced here. We also have dry, aged wines called Fino, which are very popular during Feria time, and best served very cold.
You’ll find excellent red wines being made in Ronda, sweet wines in Manilva and Axarquia, and if you’re happy to travel a little further, you can visit the home of sherry – Jerez, under 2 hours away.
Wine tours, tastings and experiences near to Marbella
If you want to visit the bodegas and see how local wines are made, you will need to leave Marbella center, but you won’t need to travel far. In around an hour, you can be in the beautiful town of Ronda, which is growing in popularity worldwide as a highly respected wine producing region. There are lots of great vineyards, producing wonderful wines and welcoming guests to take wine tours and tastings. Check out our article with tips to help you enjoy the amazing wines and vineyards of Ronda.
On the Western Costa del Sol, a half an hour drive from Marbella is Manilva, a famous producer of sweet wines. There is a wine museum where you can learn about the history and the art of wine making and then go to the vineyard itself and enjoy a wine tasting, overlooking these ancient vines and the sea beyond. Highly recommended if you like dessert wines.
The region's fabulous restaurants often do great tasting menus, with wine pairings, to showcase local wines too.
Spanish wines are a really wonderful part of any holiday to Marbella and we’d definitely encourage you to embrace them!
Browse our Marbella holiday rentals and choose your perfect property for your next trip.
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[post_content] => Foodies are in luck during a holiday to Marbella. The traditional dishes that you can find on every corner are absolutely delicious and packed full of history and culture. A great way to try loads of different dishes during your holiday is to visit the tapas bars and have a selection of small plates to share in each place or visit the best restaurants in Marbella. Cruising around tapas bars on a hot summer’s evening is a pleasure and if you ask the waiter for their best dishes, you can get a real culinary education.
Marbella is part of the Málaga province and so Marbella’s dishes come from the rich history of Málaga and Andalucia, as well as being part of the wider Spanish cuisine that has become so famous around the world. The Costa del Sol was made up of fishing villages, and you can still head out to sea and catch a wide variety of fish off our shores. So, there’s no wonder that fish and seafood dominate the list of traditional dishes, but we have some inland dishes on this list as well for a taste of the mountains just behind the coastline.
Let’s dive in and take you on a tour of Málaga’s ten most traditional and best loved dishes.
1. Espeto de sardinas
Sardines are plentiful along the Costa del Sol and the most traditional way to cook them is over fire, on a skewer, with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt. You’ll see most beach restaurants o chiringuitos with old fishing boats, filled with sand and a fire burning away on top. The fish and seafood skewers are stuck in the sand and the talented “espeteros” turn the fish, angle it and move it around, to get the perfect char and smokiness, and ensure the flesh is succulent and cooked through. Enjoy these sardines fresh from the fire, with a squeeze of lemon.
2. Fried fish
You’ll find “Fritura Malagueña” on most menus, especially in the coastal parts of the Malaga province. Essentially, this is just a selection of small fish and squid, whatever the fisherman would have caught that day, covered in seasoned flour and deep fried, until crispy and delicious. These are the smaller and less prized seafood, such as squid, red mullet and anchovies, but it can consist of anything that was plentiful in the daily catch. Enjoy with a salad, some aioli and a generous squeeze of lemon.
3. Concha fina
These large clams are served oyster style, raw, and in open shells over ice and are delicious. They are sweet, salty and really fresh, served simply with a few grinds of black pepper and some lemon juice and slurped down with gusto! The texture is much less challenging than an oyster and they are smaller, but packed with flavor. You can often buy these in seafood restaurant or tapas bars individually, so you can give them a try, even if you’re not a raw seafood lover.
4. Málaga potato salad
There are two names for this dish that you might see on menus, “Ensalada Malagueña” or “Ensalada Cateta”. It’s a really interesting combination of boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs, salt cod (bacalao), orange, onion, olive oil and salt. There are many different recipes, so you may find it with peppers, tomatoes and cucumber and even have the salt cod replaced with tuna. Whatever the combination, it’s a very interesting, and filling salad and while combining potatoes, eggs, orange and fish may sound weird, we’d definitely suggest giving it a try.
5. Eggplant with honey
Here’s another seemingly strange combination that tastes amazing - Berenjenas con miel (eggplants or aubergine with molasses). The “miel” is translated as “honey” but it’s actually “miel de caña” which is a kind of black treacle made from sugar cane. The eggplant is cut into rounds, or chip shapes, covered with seasoned flour and fried until golden and crispy. Salt is then added and it is drizzled in a good amount of black, sweet molasses and eaten hot. This is a delicious bar snack or side and perfect for vegetarians.
6. Porra antequerana
We’re moving away from the coast and into the mountains for this next dish, which comes from the pretty town of Antequera, around an hour inland from Málaga city. This cold soup is very similar to salmorejo, featuring tomatoes, bread and olive oil as the stars. The main difference between salmorejo and porra being that porra has red and green pepper added and is heavier on the bread, for a slightly thicker texture. Whichever of these soups you choose, expect it to be topped with diced ham and eggs and be a very satisfying and rich soup, perfect for lunch on a hot summer day.
7. Ajoblanco
Ajoblanco is another chilled soup, but this time there are no tomatoes to be seen. It’s also based on stale bread, but also has almonds, garlic and vinegar, blended to a smooth consistency, chilled and served with grapes on top.
8. Plato de los Montes de Málaga
Literally translating as the plate of the Mountains of Malaga, this is a hearty dish that you’ll find inland in any of the small “ventas” or cafes along the roadside. Be hungry when you order this, as the portions are always generous! It usually consists of chips, egg, and one or two kinds of sausage (often chorizo and black pudding, but this varies) and a fried green pepper.
9. Campero Malagueño
This is a typical Malaga style sandwich, served on a large white bread roll called a Mollete, which is traditional to Antequera. It can be filled with absolutely anything, but we love it with chicken.
10. Crazy cakes
We’re finishing our top 10 with something sweet. “Tortas Locas” or Crazy Cakes are sweet pastries which are essentially a sandwich of two puff pastry discs, filled with a chilled custard/ crème patissiere and then topped or covered with an egg yolk cream, a sweet glaze and a glacé cherry on top. Find this in a bakery and enjoy with a strong coffee.
This is just the tip of the culinary iceberg in the Málaga province. You’ll eat well here, especially if you dare to eat with the locals and try new things. If you need a bit of guidance, there are some great food tours where knowledgeable guides will share their favorite dishes, and show you around.
We’d love to hear if you’ve tried any of these dishes on your holiday, or if there are any that we’ve missed. Bon appétit, or as they say here – ¡Buen Provecho!
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[post_content] => Padel tennis is one of the most popular sports in Spain. It’s an exciting cross between squash and tennis, played doubles-style in a glass-sided court. It’s a fast-paced game, and pretty easy to pick up, plus it’s very sociable. Joining a padel club in Marbella is a great way to keep fit and meet new people. Today we’re giving you a low-down of the best padel clubs in Marbella, as well as its history and evolution.
Enjoy Padel in Marbella
Although Padel was originally invented in Mexico, Marbella remains the birthplace of the modern style of Padel we know today. Not surprisingly there are loads of fantastic clubs to play in and they are great communities to be a part of. Where better to play padel than where it was developed and became one of the fastest growing sports in the world?
In this article, we will share our favorite padel clubs in Marbella, where you can enjoy this wonderful, fast-paced sport. However, this really is just the tip of the iceberg!
The Royal Padel Club Marbella
Real Club Pádel Marbella is a fantastic place to play padel in Marbella, work out at the gym and hang out with family and friends. With six panoramic glass paddle tennis courts, with WPT approved grass, and latest technology LED lighting. They also boast a dedicated Padel school where you can learn one of the most popular growing sports in Spain and improve your skills with some of the best coaches and trainers. And that’s not all…. This is a sports center with indoor and outdoor gym facilities, a kindergarten, boxing and martial arts classes for kids, a restaurant, salon, barber shop and restaurant. Highly recommended for all the family.
Manolo Santana Racquets Club Tennis, Padel & Fitness
Founded in 1997 by the famous tennis player, Manolo Santana, this legendary Racquets Club is steeped in the history of the sport and remains one of the Marbella’s most renowned tennis clubs. Manolo Santana Racquets Club also has four Padel courts and a gym and fitness center. They offer private lessons, there’s a padel tennis school, you can hire a court for matches, or join their mix-in sessions where you can play and make new friends too. Is there a better place to enjoy Padel than one of Marbella’s historic clubs? Sadly, Manolo is no longer with us, but his legacy remains strong in this fantastic club.
Puente Romano Tennis Club
Puente Romano is one of Marbella’s most glamorous hotels, famous for its wonderful restaurants and bars. But you may not know that it also offers one of the most important tennis and padel clubs in Europe. The Puente Romano Tennis Club includes 10 tennis courts, a gym, sauna and Turkish bath and a restaurant. It also has four padel courts and boasts an academy where kids and adults can learn to play Padel. All their coaches are licensed and highly experienced and they have coaches to suit all levels and types of players. This club has held many prestigious tournaments, including the World Padel Tour, ATP, WTA, Fed Cup and Davis Cup tournaments. You can play there too and enjoy the luxurious facilities.
Royal Tennis Club Marbella
The Royal Tennis Club Marbella offers expert training and the opportunity to play on two premium visitor’s Padel courts with excellent lighting, so even if you want to play at night or after work, you can enjoy a match at the club. You can also enroll in group and private training sessions with experienced coaches for either adults or children to develop your padel skills. There are also tennis courts, a gym, swimming pool, table tennis tables and you can even play billiards – something for everyone!
Nueva Alcantara Club
This is a fantastic padel club very close to Marbella, in San Pedro de Alcantara. It offers 16 courts, a fine dining restaurant, two snack bars, luxury changing rooms, a hair salon and more. They recently held the Andalucia Championship and offer lessons for kids and adults, plus padel tennis camps during school holidays. We’d definitely say the Nueva Alcántara Club is worth a short trip out of Marbella for!
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to pick up your racquet and discover one of Spain’s most popular and accessible sports at one of these top picks to begin your padel journey.
Find people to play padel with in Marbella
On holiday in Marbella and want to play padel, but don’t have anyone to play with? No problem! Most of the padel clubs in Marbella run regular mix-in events. These events are usually open to all and allow anyone to come along and play with others, plus share a few drinks after the matches.
Manolo Santana Club arranges several mix-ins a week, with something for all abilities. There’s a beginners mix-in on Wednesday at 11am, for higher levels there are events in the evenings on Thursdays and Fridays with food afterwards and there’s one for all abilities with a BBQ on Sundays at 12. Manolo Santana Club has Mix-In Paddle Tennis Matches.
The Royal Tennis Club also holds mix-ins every Sunday, with two hours of tennis with a coach and a free drink, for 15€.
We’d recommend that once you’ve settled in to your holiday rental in Marbella, you pop down to your nearest padel club and ask about their mix-in options as soon as you arrive. It’s a great way to meet people and get active during your holiday.
Learn padel in Marbella
As you’ve seen in our list of padel clubs in Marbella, they all offer private lessons and also padel tennis schools for kids and adults which run throughout the year. So if you’re within easy reach of a padel club, you can get lessons during your visit.
There's also Beyond Padel Academy, based at the Villa Padierna Raquet Club. Experienced and passionate coaches David Cano and Guillermo Vizcay promise to supercharge your padel skills, no matter your level.
There are also private padel teachers that can come to the padel courts in your development, or villa, to give you and the family private lessons, without having to travel.
Padel championships in Marbella and beyond
The International Padel Federation organizes World Padel Championships around the world. There are tournaments in Italy, Hungary and Qatar scheduled this year and you can check out their tournament calendar to find out what’s going on near to you!
If you’re on holiday in Marbella in July, you should head to Malaga for one of the best padel tournaments of the year, the Málaga Premier Padel tournament. Taking place from the 6th to the 14th of July, it will feature some of the best players in the world competing to improve their FIP ranking and for glory! Tickets are €16 for the main matches and just 7.50€ for the qualifiers.
You’ll also find regular tournaments and matches at all of the padel clubs in Marbella, so pop in and ask whether there’s anything happening during your stay.
History of Padel
Padel tennis originated in Mexico and was started by Enrique Corcuera in 1969, when he decided to adapt his personal squash court in Acapulco, creating a new sport called Platform Tennis which involves two players on a smaller court, for a fast-paced, dynamic game.
One of Enrique’s Spanish friends, Alfonso Hohenlohe-Langenburg (the founder of the Marbella Club Hotel) fell in love with the sport and decided to bring it back to his home country, establishing the first two Padel courts in Spain at the Marbella Tennis Club in 1974. He adapted Enrique’s original concept to create a more competitive sport, and over the following 25 years, began to spread this new sport across the country, until over 500 Padel clubs had opened across the Spanish territory in the early 2000s.
The evolution of Padel in Spain… and in the world
Spain has continued to be enamored with the sport, and it is one of the country’s fastest-growing sports activities. By 2005, there were over 1000 Padel Clubs across the country, and the largest Padel Associations decided to establish an international championship that launched the Padel Pro Tour, a championship that lasted until 2012.
The World Padel Series was founded in 2013 to firmly establish padel on the map, and professional worldwide championships replaced the Padel Pro Tour to join elite players around the world, to create an unstoppable momentum. Nowadays, the World Padel Series hosts around 15 to 20 tournaments a year and a Master Series at the end of the season, and the sport is starting to take off in other countries as well.
In 2022, according to padel.fyi there were more than 25 million active padel players in 110 countries and 40,000 padel courts globally. It is continuing to grow in popularity because it’s easy to learn, fun to play and really social.
Join the fun on your next holiday in Marbella
If you’d like to make padel part of your next holiday to Marbella, contact us today. Give us your requirements and your dates and we’ll come up with a shortlist of holiday rental properties in Marbella, which are close to a padel club, or have padel courts within the community. Some of our villas even boast their very own padel tennis courts for you and the family to enjoy! It’s a great thing to incorporate into your holiday plans!
When you book your holiday rental in Marbella, feel free to reach out to us for recommendations of the nearest clubs to where you’re staying. Many developments also have padel courts which are free to use for guests, so let us know if that’s a priority for you, and we can share a shortlist of holiday rentals in Marbella with padel courts for you.
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The golf market is a multi-billion-pound industry, attracting wannabe John Rahms’ to destinations across the globe all-year round, and with so many courses and resorts available, competition for custom is fierce.
And here at Vacation Marbella we believe we can offer as good as, if not better than anyone else in Europe with so much quality choice in every area – whether that’s the incredible luxury accommodation options we provide, array of guest services, host of excursions, or the 60-plus golf courses in the region.
We are very fortunate to be where we are in Andalucia as the area boasts everything visitors could wish for and more – sun, sea, golden beaches, fantastic restaurants, fabulous nightlife, stunning scenery, picturesque villages and thrilling excursions – and that’s before we even think about hitting the lush, green fairways.
So, we will take you through some of our favourites. And with 15 courses on the doorstep of Marbella alone – in a region that has been aptly dubbed “Golf Valley” – you will find a course to suit every taste and every ability.
VACATION MARBELLA’S GOLF PICKS
Los Naranjos
Situated just 10.5km from Marbella and 5km from Puerto Banus, this friendly course is one of the favourites among visitors from all nations and was often used by film star and golf fanatic Sean Connery.
While it certainly is not the hardest course in the area, it is still very challenging with some memorable holes, particularly on the front nine.
It is a typical Robert Trent Jones Sr design with forgiving fairways and strategically placed bunkers and water hazards that will catch out careless or wayward shots. Renowned for being in excellent condition, the course is set among fragrant orange trees and boasts undulating greens that use Penn A4 grass.
Opened in 1977, Los Naranjos has hosted several major competitions, including the Spanish Open. Its reputation was also enhanced by winning the Costa Del Sol Course of the Year in 2005 and 2008.
Another huge plus for Los Naranjos is its stunning club house that offers incredible views of the course and serves some excellent cuisine in a laid-back friendly environment.
Rio Real
Rio Real has been a favourite with golfers to the Marbella region thanks to many key factors. Located just five minutes outside the centre of Marbella town, the impressive course takes its name from the Rio Real River, which runs alongside it.
This impressive parkland layout was designed by the legendary Javier Arana, one of the most respected Spanish designers of all time, and boasts varied yet breath-taking views, including glimpses of the shimmering Mediterranean Sea.
With elevated holes, the course is extremely challenging yet hugely enjoyable and the Royal Spanish Golf Federation considers it to be a prestigious course and one of the best in Spain – both in terms of its course and scenery.
Rio Real benefits from being in a wonderful setting, and as well as being close to the sea, it also benefits from panoramic views of the Sierra Blanca mountain range as well as a host of varied species of trees such as Pine, Palm, Casuarinas, Olive and Cypress.
There are many unforgettable holes here, but one that stands out is the par-four eighth that slopes down towards the sea, while also boasting amazing views of the mountain range. There is also the daunting 13th par-five over water that contains a slight dogleg left that is certain to test even the most accomplished golfer.
Marbella Golf and Country Club
Marbella Golf and Country Club is another course designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior in 1989 and is situated just outside the bright lights of Marbella.
The facilities here are truly first-class with a stylish restaurant, three tennis courts, modern pro shop and golf academy.
And as the name suggests, it is more than just a golf club as there is also a Wellness Centre offering yoga, pilates and a range of treatments.
Like the vast majority of the courses in this region the views are wonderful with the surrounding hills, olive groves and shimmering sea, while occupying one of the largest remaining green areas on the Costa del Sol.
This tricky, undulating course makes the most of its natural terrain within the Andalusian hillside that is scattered with olive trees, but stray off the fairways then the rough is a golfer’s nightmare.
Accuracy is the name of the game on the front nine as wayward shots will only find the aforementioned rough. There are some really breath-taking holes here, and seven to 15 are widely regarded to be the best.
Los Flamingos
Los Flamingos has long been popular with visitors to the Costa del Sol thanks largely to the fact this resort offers top-class golf with a choice of three equally stunning, yet totally different courses, as well as a cracking club house and sun-kissed terrace.
The lush green fairways predictably deliver amazing views of the Mediterranean and each course delivers a challenging and varied test of golf. The original course here is, not surprisingly, named Los Flamingos, designed by the renowned architect Antonio Garrido.
By no means the longest course, this par-71 is relatively modest at 5,714 metres off the back tees, but has wide variety and meticulous landscaping. The greens are generous in size, but the fairways, sewn with both Bermuda and Ray grass, are very tight on the front nine, while the Arroyo de Taraje stream, which passes through and ends in a lake, acts as a natural border
The second course, the 73-par Alferini, set in a lush green peaceful valley away from noise and distractions, is monstrous in length, and playing 6,641 metres off the back tees, errant shots are punished.
Set in a valley, the course has been described as technical with long fairways, fast greens and walking it can be tough due to the steady climbs. Strategic bunkers make the sizeable greens pretty daunting, but good driving is essential due to its length.
Last but by no means least is Tramores, an Antonio Garcia Garrido-designed course that is the shortest of the trio, a par-63 measuring just 3,468 metres off the white tees. It is nestled between two valleys, and like its sisters, boasts cracking views of the surrounding terrain and the Med.
Tramores is the latest edition to Los Flamingos and includes the Villa Padierna Michael Campbell Golf Academy – the only one in Europe and is the perfect choice for those who wish to enjoy a relatively quick round.
La Quinta
This wonderful course was designed by Spanish Ryder Cup stars Manuel Pinero and Antonio Garrido, the former pro who won nine titles on the European Tour – the most prestigious of which was the 1977 British PGA Championship.
Known for its lightning quick greens, La Quinta golf complex has 27 holes divided into three nine-hole loops that are carefully integrated into the natural landscape in an area known as Benahvis golf valley. Like many of its peers, it boasts some stunning views in every direction.
San Pedro Course A is the more open of the three loops thanks to its wide fairways, while Ronda Course B is quite the opposite – tight and tricky albeit the shortest of the trio.
The Guadaiza is the C loop and the longest and host of the Benahavis Senior Masters, which has been held at La Quinta Golf and Country Club since 2009. It is a real test with plenty of doglegged holes.
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[post_content] => On your next holiday in Marbella, why not get to know the area, and sample some wonderful local wines and traditional dishes through a wine tour?
Wine is an important part of the history of Andalucia, believed to be brought to the area by the Phoenicians, around 1100 BC. The area around Marbella, particularly Manilva and Ronda have become famous for wines, and Spanish wines in general are growing in popularity for their quality and excellent value for money.
You’ll find great wines in restaurants in Marbella and some fabulous wine shops in Marbella as well to stock up and sample many Spanish and international wines.
In this article we’re uncovering the options for wine tours in and around Marbella. Read on to find out more….
Why do a wine tour in Marbella?
Marbella Old Town is a stunning warren of narrow streets lined with whitewashed houses, pretty squares and historic buildings. You’ll find fabulous shops, bars and restaurants tucked away at every turn and it’s a lot of fun to explore.
But it can get a little confusing, and it’s easy to go around in circles and miss the best bits. It is also hard to know where the best wine and food can be found and also know what to order, if you’re just visiting.
A wine tour of Marbella Old Town solves both problems by touring the best bits of this historic area, with an experienced and knowledgeable guide. They will make sure you see the most important sites and the most picturesque corners and answer your questions about the history and culture of the area. They have also chosen the best places to go and take the guesswork out of everything by ordering the best food and wine and taking care of everything for you.
From our point of view, this is a great way to sight-see – with stops for food and wine along the way!!
We also have some great vacation rentals in Marbella Old Town if you want to get to know it even better.
What's included with wine tours in Marbella Old Town?
Most wine tours around Marbella Old Town last for three hours. They include a sightseeing tour of Marbella, with a private guide, to introduce you to the history and culture and take you around the most beautiful spots. They will take you for a wine tasting, and to some great tapas bars, where they will pair Spanish wines with delicious local dishes. Many of the tours also include a tasting of olive oils, which is a wonderful experience.
There are group tours which you can join, or private tours that you can organize. The best option for you depends on the size of your group and the level of your knowledge or particular preferences or allergies. If you don’t know too much about Spanish wines yet, and are flexible with what you try and where you go, then join in with a group. If you are quite particular about your wines, or have a large group and prefer to keep the experience just for you, then private is better, but obviously it is a more expensive option, especially if you’re a small group.
We’d recommend that you ask at the tourist office closest to your vacation rental in Marbella for their recommendations on the wine tours that are currently running in Marbella. You can also see the selection of wine tasting tours in and around Marbella on TripAdvisor, so you can see what suits you best and read the reviews. Viator also has a good selection.
Many of the tours focus more on the tapas, then accompanying these dishes with wines, rather than doing pure wine tasting experiences. But we’d definitely recommend these too.
If you’re looking for experiences more focused on the wines, here are two things we’d recommend.
The company Wine & Senses is offering an exciting way to learn about the world of wine in Marbella. They offer a sensory tasting experience with activities and games and 5 different wines to try.
One of the best wine shops in Marbella is Casa Pablo, which we’d definitely recommend for any wine lovers. This great shop also offers monthly wine tasting events and you can also book private wine tastings at Casa Pablo too. Most wine shops will arrange tastings for you, as will some wine bars with extensive wine lists, so don’t be afraid to ask!
Best companies for wine tours Marbella
Get Your Guide offers a selection of Marbella wine tours including tapas, wonderful wines and a tour of different parts of the town. This is a great way to find a wine tour in Marbella that suits you and your group. There’s an option to walk around Marbella and visit the food market to discover the food and wine of this region. There are also wine, olive oil and tapas tours to try, which includes wine tasting in Marbella Old Town. You can find all the information including routes and itinerary on their website.
Rootz wine tours has a range of tours with pick-ups from Marbella exploring the different wine regions within easy reach of Marbella, where you can see beautiful scenery, explore inland Costa del Sol, learn about Spanish wine and wine production and of course enjoy sampling some great wines with an experienced guide.
The tradition of wine in Marbella
Although the most famous Spanish wines on a global level come from the area of Rioja, the Malaga region is also home to a strong wine making tradition. Wine was being made in this area long before the Romans arrived and they continued the practice and improved the quality of the wines, before the Moors arrived and took it to the next level.
Malaga’s most famous wines are sweet, dessert wines, made from muscatel and Pedro Ximenez grapes, using the hot sun to enhance the sweetness of the grapes and make them taste delicious. But it’s not only sweet wines being produced here. We also have dry, aged wines called Fino, which are very popular during Feria time, and best served very cold.
You’ll find excellent red wines being made in Ronda, sweet wines in Manilva and Axarquia, and if you’re happy to travel a little further, you can visit the home of sherry – Jerez, under 2 hours away.
Wine tours, tastings and experiences near to Marbella
If you want to visit the bodegas and see how local wines are made, you will need to leave Marbella center, but you won’t need to travel far. In around an hour, you can be in the beautiful town of Ronda, which is growing in popularity worldwide as a highly respected wine producing region. There are lots of great vineyards, producing wonderful wines and welcoming guests to take wine tours and tastings. Check out our article with tips to help you enjoy the amazing wines and vineyards of Ronda.
On the Western Costa del Sol, a half an hour drive from Marbella is Manilva, a famous producer of sweet wines. There is a wine museum where you can learn about the history and the art of wine making and then go to the vineyard itself and enjoy a wine tasting, overlooking these ancient vines and the sea beyond. Highly recommended if you like dessert wines.
The region's fabulous restaurants often do great tasting menus, with wine pairings, to showcase local wines too.
Spanish wines are a really wonderful part of any holiday to Marbella and we’d definitely encourage you to embrace them!
Browse our Marbella holiday rentals and choose your perfect property for your next trip.
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[post_content] => Foodies are in luck during a holiday to Marbella. The traditional dishes that you can find on every corner are absolutely delicious and packed full of history and culture. A great way to try loads of different dishes during your holiday is to visit the tapas bars and have a selection of small plates to share in each place or visit the best restaurants in Marbella. Cruising around tapas bars on a hot summer’s evening is a pleasure and if you ask the waiter for their best dishes, you can get a real culinary education.
Marbella is part of the Málaga province and so Marbella’s dishes come from the rich history of Málaga and Andalucia, as well as being part of the wider Spanish cuisine that has become so famous around the world. The Costa del Sol was made up of fishing villages, and you can still head out to sea and catch a wide variety of fish off our shores. So, there’s no wonder that fish and seafood dominate the list of traditional dishes, but we have some inland dishes on this list as well for a taste of the mountains just behind the coastline.
Let’s dive in and take you on a tour of Málaga’s ten most traditional and best loved dishes.
1. Espeto de sardinas
Sardines are plentiful along the Costa del Sol and the most traditional way to cook them is over fire, on a skewer, with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt. You’ll see most beach restaurants o chiringuitos with old fishing boats, filled with sand and a fire burning away on top. The fish and seafood skewers are stuck in the sand and the talented “espeteros” turn the fish, angle it and move it around, to get the perfect char and smokiness, and ensure the flesh is succulent and cooked through. Enjoy these sardines fresh from the fire, with a squeeze of lemon.
2. Fried fish
You’ll find “Fritura Malagueña” on most menus, especially in the coastal parts of the Malaga province. Essentially, this is just a selection of small fish and squid, whatever the fisherman would have caught that day, covered in seasoned flour and deep fried, until crispy and delicious. These are the smaller and less prized seafood, such as squid, red mullet and anchovies, but it can consist of anything that was plentiful in the daily catch. Enjoy with a salad, some aioli and a generous squeeze of lemon.
3. Concha fina
These large clams are served oyster style, raw, and in open shells over ice and are delicious. They are sweet, salty and really fresh, served simply with a few grinds of black pepper and some lemon juice and slurped down with gusto! The texture is much less challenging than an oyster and they are smaller, but packed with flavor. You can often buy these in seafood restaurant or tapas bars individually, so you can give them a try, even if you’re not a raw seafood lover.
4. Málaga potato salad
There are two names for this dish that you might see on menus, “Ensalada Malagueña” or “Ensalada Cateta”. It’s a really interesting combination of boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs, salt cod (bacalao), orange, onion, olive oil and salt. There are many different recipes, so you may find it with peppers, tomatoes and cucumber and even have the salt cod replaced with tuna. Whatever the combination, it’s a very interesting, and filling salad and while combining potatoes, eggs, orange and fish may sound weird, we’d definitely suggest giving it a try.
5. Eggplant with honey
Here’s another seemingly strange combination that tastes amazing - Berenjenas con miel (eggplants or aubergine with molasses). The “miel” is translated as “honey” but it’s actually “miel de caña” which is a kind of black treacle made from sugar cane. The eggplant is cut into rounds, or chip shapes, covered with seasoned flour and fried until golden and crispy. Salt is then added and it is drizzled in a good amount of black, sweet molasses and eaten hot. This is a delicious bar snack or side and perfect for vegetarians.
6. Porra antequerana
We’re moving away from the coast and into the mountains for this next dish, which comes from the pretty town of Antequera, around an hour inland from Málaga city. This cold soup is very similar to salmorejo, featuring tomatoes, bread and olive oil as the stars. The main difference between salmorejo and porra being that porra has red and green pepper added and is heavier on the bread, for a slightly thicker texture. Whichever of these soups you choose, expect it to be topped with diced ham and eggs and be a very satisfying and rich soup, perfect for lunch on a hot summer day.
7. Ajoblanco
Ajoblanco is another chilled soup, but this time there are no tomatoes to be seen. It’s also based on stale bread, but also has almonds, garlic and vinegar, blended to a smooth consistency, chilled and served with grapes on top.
8. Plato de los Montes de Málaga
Literally translating as the plate of the Mountains of Malaga, this is a hearty dish that you’ll find inland in any of the small “ventas” or cafes along the roadside. Be hungry when you order this, as the portions are always generous! It usually consists of chips, egg, and one or two kinds of sausage (often chorizo and black pudding, but this varies) and a fried green pepper.
9. Campero Malagueño
This is a typical Malaga style sandwich, served on a large white bread roll called a Mollete, which is traditional to Antequera. It can be filled with absolutely anything, but we love it with chicken.
10. Crazy cakes
We’re finishing our top 10 with something sweet. “Tortas Locas” or Crazy Cakes are sweet pastries which are essentially a sandwich of two puff pastry discs, filled with a chilled custard/ crème patissiere and then topped or covered with an egg yolk cream, a sweet glaze and a glacé cherry on top. Find this in a bakery and enjoy with a strong coffee.
This is just the tip of the culinary iceberg in the Málaga province. You’ll eat well here, especially if you dare to eat with the locals and try new things. If you need a bit of guidance, there are some great food tours where knowledgeable guides will share their favorite dishes, and show you around.
We’d love to hear if you’ve tried any of these dishes on your holiday, or if there are any that we’ve missed. Bon appétit, or as they say here – ¡Buen Provecho!
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[post_content] => Padel tennis is one of the most popular sports in Spain. It’s an exciting cross between squash and tennis, played doubles-style in a glass-sided court. It’s a fast-paced game, and pretty easy to pick up, plus it’s very sociable. Joining a padel club in Marbella is a great way to keep fit and meet new people. Today we’re giving you a low-down of the best padel clubs in Marbella, as well as its history and evolution.
Enjoy Padel in Marbella
Although Padel was originally invented in Mexico, Marbella remains the birthplace of the modern style of Padel we know today. Not surprisingly there are loads of fantastic clubs to play in and they are great communities to be a part of. Where better to play padel than where it was developed and became one of the fastest growing sports in the world?
In this article, we will share our favorite padel clubs in Marbella, where you can enjoy this wonderful, fast-paced sport. However, this really is just the tip of the iceberg!
The Royal Padel Club Marbella
Real Club Pádel Marbella is a fantastic place to play padel in Marbella, work out at the gym and hang out with family and friends. With six panoramic glass paddle tennis courts, with WPT approved grass, and latest technology LED lighting. They also boast a dedicated Padel school where you can learn one of the most popular growing sports in Spain and improve your skills with some of the best coaches and trainers. And that’s not all…. This is a sports center with indoor and outdoor gym facilities, a kindergarten, boxing and martial arts classes for kids, a restaurant, salon, barber shop and restaurant. Highly recommended for all the family.
Manolo Santana Racquets Club Tennis, Padel & Fitness
Founded in 1997 by the famous tennis player, Manolo Santana, this legendary Racquets Club is steeped in the history of the sport and remains one of the Marbella’s most renowned tennis clubs. Manolo Santana Racquets Club also has four Padel courts and a gym and fitness center. They offer private lessons, there’s a padel tennis school, you can hire a court for matches, or join their mix-in sessions where you can play and make new friends too. Is there a better place to enjoy Padel than one of Marbella’s historic clubs? Sadly, Manolo is no longer with us, but his legacy remains strong in this fantastic club.
Puente Romano Tennis Club
Puente Romano is one of Marbella’s most glamorous hotels, famous for its wonderful restaurants and bars. But you may not know that it also offers one of the most important tennis and padel clubs in Europe. The Puente Romano Tennis Club includes 10 tennis courts, a gym, sauna and Turkish bath and a restaurant. It also has four padel courts and boasts an academy where kids and adults can learn to play Padel. All their coaches are licensed and highly experienced and they have coaches to suit all levels and types of players. This club has held many prestigious tournaments, including the World Padel Tour, ATP, WTA, Fed Cup and Davis Cup tournaments. You can play there too and enjoy the luxurious facilities.
Royal Tennis Club Marbella
The Royal Tennis Club Marbella offers expert training and the opportunity to play on two premium visitor’s Padel courts with excellent lighting, so even if you want to play at night or after work, you can enjoy a match at the club. You can also enroll in group and private training sessions with experienced coaches for either adults or children to develop your padel skills. There are also tennis courts, a gym, swimming pool, table tennis tables and you can even play billiards – something for everyone!
Nueva Alcantara Club
This is a fantastic padel club very close to Marbella, in San Pedro de Alcantara. It offers 16 courts, a fine dining restaurant, two snack bars, luxury changing rooms, a hair salon and more. They recently held the Andalucia Championship and offer lessons for kids and adults, plus padel tennis camps during school holidays. We’d definitely say the Nueva Alcántara Club is worth a short trip out of Marbella for!
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to pick up your racquet and discover one of Spain’s most popular and accessible sports at one of these top picks to begin your padel journey.
Find people to play padel with in Marbella
On holiday in Marbella and want to play padel, but don’t have anyone to play with? No problem! Most of the padel clubs in Marbella run regular mix-in events. These events are usually open to all and allow anyone to come along and play with others, plus share a few drinks after the matches.
Manolo Santana Club arranges several mix-ins a week, with something for all abilities. There’s a beginners mix-in on Wednesday at 11am, for higher levels there are events in the evenings on Thursdays and Fridays with food afterwards and there’s one for all abilities with a BBQ on Sundays at 12. Manolo Santana Club has Mix-In Paddle Tennis Matches.
The Royal Tennis Club also holds mix-ins every Sunday, with two hours of tennis with a coach and a free drink, for 15€.
We’d recommend that once you’ve settled in to your holiday rental in Marbella, you pop down to your nearest padel club and ask about their mix-in options as soon as you arrive. It’s a great way to meet people and get active during your holiday.
Learn padel in Marbella
As you’ve seen in our list of padel clubs in Marbella, they all offer private lessons and also padel tennis schools for kids and adults which run throughout the year. So if you’re within easy reach of a padel club, you can get lessons during your visit.
There's also Beyond Padel Academy, based at the Villa Padierna Raquet Club. Experienced and passionate coaches David Cano and Guillermo Vizcay promise to supercharge your padel skills, no matter your level.
There are also private padel teachers that can come to the padel courts in your development, or villa, to give you and the family private lessons, without having to travel.
Padel championships in Marbella and beyond
The International Padel Federation organizes World Padel Championships around the world. There are tournaments in Italy, Hungary and Qatar scheduled this year and you can check out their tournament calendar to find out what’s going on near to you!
If you’re on holiday in Marbella in July, you should head to Malaga for one of the best padel tournaments of the year, the Málaga Premier Padel tournament. Taking place from the 6th to the 14th of July, it will feature some of the best players in the world competing to improve their FIP ranking and for glory! Tickets are €16 for the main matches and just 7.50€ for the qualifiers.
You’ll also find regular tournaments and matches at all of the padel clubs in Marbella, so pop in and ask whether there’s anything happening during your stay.
History of Padel
Padel tennis originated in Mexico and was started by Enrique Corcuera in 1969, when he decided to adapt his personal squash court in Acapulco, creating a new sport called Platform Tennis which involves two players on a smaller court, for a fast-paced, dynamic game.
One of Enrique’s Spanish friends, Alfonso Hohenlohe-Langenburg (the founder of the Marbella Club Hotel) fell in love with the sport and decided to bring it back to his home country, establishing the first two Padel courts in Spain at the Marbella Tennis Club in 1974. He adapted Enrique’s original concept to create a more competitive sport, and over the following 25 years, began to spread this new sport across the country, until over 500 Padel clubs had opened across the Spanish territory in the early 2000s.
The evolution of Padel in Spain… and in the world
Spain has continued to be enamored with the sport, and it is one of the country’s fastest-growing sports activities. By 2005, there were over 1000 Padel Clubs across the country, and the largest Padel Associations decided to establish an international championship that launched the Padel Pro Tour, a championship that lasted until 2012.
The World Padel Series was founded in 2013 to firmly establish padel on the map, and professional worldwide championships replaced the Padel Pro Tour to join elite players around the world, to create an unstoppable momentum. Nowadays, the World Padel Series hosts around 15 to 20 tournaments a year and a Master Series at the end of the season, and the sport is starting to take off in other countries as well.
In 2022, according to padel.fyi there were more than 25 million active padel players in 110 countries and 40,000 padel courts globally. It is continuing to grow in popularity because it’s easy to learn, fun to play and really social.
Join the fun on your next holiday in Marbella
If you’d like to make padel part of your next holiday to Marbella, contact us today. Give us your requirements and your dates and we’ll come up with a shortlist of holiday rental properties in Marbella, which are close to a padel club, or have padel courts within the community. Some of our villas even boast their very own padel tennis courts for you and the family to enjoy! It’s a great thing to incorporate into your holiday plans!
When you book your holiday rental in Marbella, feel free to reach out to us for recommendations of the nearest clubs to where you’re staying. Many developments also have padel courts which are free to use for guests, so let us know if that’s a priority for you, and we can share a shortlist of holiday rentals in Marbella with padel courts for you.
[post_title] => The best places to play Padel in Marbella
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