The Golden Mile from the water

From Berth 109 we follow Marbella's most famous shoreline — the Golden Mile towards Puerto Banús — past the landmark hotels, the beach clubs and the villas, with La Concha rising behind all of it. Most people only ever see this coast from the road. Here's what slides past from the water, and where we drop anchor.

The Golden Mile

The palm-lined stretch between Marbella town and Puerto Banús, beneath La Concha. It was born in 1954 when Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe opened the Marbella Club — the coast's first grand hotel — and Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot and Ava Gardner soon followed. Its two icons, the Marbella Club and Puente Romano (named after a real Roman bridge on its grounds), still anchor the shore today. From the water you see them the way they were designed to be seen: low, white and set back in the gardens.

Where we anchor

Every charter ends, time and weather allowing, at anchor off the Marbella Club, with the floating Barco Bar alongside. The water is calm and close to the beach, the platform and paddleboard go out on four-hour and longer charters, and the group can swim across to the bar if they fancy it. It's the stretch of sea most of our photos are taken on.

Puerto Banús

The legendary marina, opened in 1970 and built as a whitewashed Andalusian village. Its launch drew Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco, the Aga Khan and Hugh Hefner, with a young Julio Iglesias singing for the guests. Today its 900-odd berths hold some of the world's largest superyachts, with a Salvador Dalí rhinoceros watching over the quay. On the two-hour Coastal Escape we run along the Golden Mile towards Banús and back; on the longer charters there is time to cruise the front properly.

The beach clubs

Either side of the marina sit Marbella's famous beach clubs — Nikki Beach, one of the most celebrated in Europe, and Ocean Club with its pool parties and Sunday sessions. On the six-hour Day Charter we head down to the Nikki Beach area, where the anchorage is shallower; if the group has booked lunch, Nikki Beach's own tender collects them from the boat. The view back at the coast from the water, drink in hand, is one few people ever get.

Quiet stops

Between the landmarks are the quiet bits: calmer beaches like Playa del Cable make easy, sheltered places to drop anchor, swim and snorkel. We choose the stop that suits the day's wind and your group — sometimes the buzz of Banús, sometimes a quiet patch of blue to yourselves.

Out at sea

Pods of dolphins range along this coast and will sometimes ride right alongside the boat — a moment nobody on board forgets. We're always happy to head out and look for them, but wild sightings are never guaranteed: it's the sea on its own terms, and every day on the water is different. More on the dolphins here →

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