Puerto José Banús, more commonly known as Puerto Banús is a marina to the west of Marbella. It was built in 1970 by José Banus a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex for the jet-set and the super rich. The lavish opening of the complex in May 1970 was attended by, amongst others, the Aga Khan, Roman Polanski, Hugh Hefner and Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.
The focal point of Puerto Banus is the marina. It has berths for 915 boats, including those of the King of Saudi Arabia and several of the world's wealthiest individuals. Behind the harbour lie streets filled with bars, boutiques and nightclubs.
Needless to say the many leading designer brand shops & restaurants reflect the wealth of the boat owners etc. Janet particularly like a Louis Vuitton handbag in a shop window at 700 Euro. However if you move back a few streets the prices are more reasonable & this is where we had our Menu del Dia.
The last time Barry was here was with Hitachi entertaing some customers for a new product launch. Well that was the reason given...
On Monday it is Andalusia Day so our site is now full as the Spanish enjoy the current lovely weather over the long weekend.
Yesterdays BBQ!!
Today we went to Benalmadena Puerto Marina which is about 30 minutes away from our site & rates amongst the best in the world. It is also one of the Costa del Sol's busiest centres by day and night. Nice temperature @ 20C for most of the day. The Marina also has a very nice beach area with many bars & restaurants. We always enjoy visiting here.
For those who get bored of pictures of boats - look away now!!!!
After a simple lunch of grilled languostines with a cous cous saled & obligatory bottle of wine, being your typical 'modern man' I washed up whilst Janet & George did their bit, so to speak. I rest my case!!
After two days of cloudy & wet weather the sun is out again, so another BBQ lunch, which Janet is now sleeping off (after the compulsory bottle of wine) on her recliner in the sun. I have to do the washing up as usual!!
Just across the A7 main road from the site is Puerto Cabopino, with it's long beaches & sand dunes. Great for walking George in the early morning just as the sun is coming up!! Then back for breakfast.
One of the jewels of the Costa del Sol is the beautiful little village of Mijas, which nestles comfortably in the mountainside at 428 meters above sea level. We have been here twice before but it is always worth a visit when in the area. Although it is a tourist ‘hot spot’ & it is best to get here early if you want a parking space, it has somehow managed to retain much of its traditional Andalucian way of life & appearance with all it’s whitewashed buildings. We spent about three hours here (& had also some tapas & a beer!)
