The decision to buy a holiday home in Marbella, City of Malaga or elsewhere at the Costa del Sol is a no-brainer for most people who have fallen in love with Andalucía’s nightlife. So what exactly makes it so very tempting to buy a Marbella holiday home for young disco mice and nightclubbing matrons?
Casinos at the Costa del Sol
Spaniards love to gamble – it only takes one look at the state of the housing market since 2008 to realise just how true this generalisation is at heart.
Many bars will have a tragaperras or slot machine tucked away in a corner. During the season, every office and shop seems to be running a syndicate for betting on the Quiniela, the football pool. From the state lottery to the upmarket casinos in Marbella, Benalmádena-Costa and Puerto de Santa Maria near Cádiz, hardly a day goes by where fortunes aren’t being made or lost through gambling.
Entry to casinos requires formal attire and an ID card or passport for identification. These elegant night-time venues offer French and American roulette, black jack and other traditional casino games. In addition, all provide fine dining and classy nightclubs and discos where gamblers can take a break from their winning or losing streaks.
Casino Bahia de Cádiz is located at Ctra Madrid-Cádiz km 650, Puerto de Santa Maria in Cádiz, one of two casinos in this city. The other one, Casino de San Roque is located along Ctra N340, km 127, San Roque, Cádiz.
In Marbella, the Casino Nueve Andalucía is part of the Hotel Andalucía Plaza in Puerto Banus, a huge complex with restaurants, shops, bars and cinema/theatre. Casino de Torrequebrada can be found along Ctra de Cádiz, km 220 in Benalmádena-Costa, a short drive from Marbella.
Nightclubbing in Malaga Province
Whether you have bought a holiday apartment in Marbella, Fuengirola or Malaga, you’ll soon discover that Spanish cities don’t really come to live until after sunset. There are more people strolling through Malaga and Marbella city centres at midnight than there are during the day.
Malaga is a great place to come for Jazz fans and all those who love live music perfomances. There are several venues where live performances take place throughout the week, such as Onda Pasadena Jazz in Calle Goméz Pallete or the lively Siempre Asi in Calle Convalecientes 5, where flamenco, rumba and sensuous Latino Jazz are wowing the crowds until the early morning hours. If you love dancing, head to the Liceo in Calle Beatas 21, a converted mansion with plenty of room to swing one’s hips.
Line your stomach with plenty of food beforehand at classy tapas bar Gorki in Calle Strachan 6, where you can sit at one of the bar’s pavement tables and watch the fashionable world go by while eating.
Marbella’s lively clubbing scene includes what is arguably the most famous nightclub of the entire Costa del Sol: Olivia Valere in Caretera de Istán. If you can afford the eye-watering entrance fee, you’re in for a night of rubbing shoulders with local wannabes and international celebrities.
Why not hang out at House of Silk in Puerto Deportivo where the trendy crowd meets for a laid-back cocktail session before going clubbing? The venue is famous for its marvellous sea views. If you like Irish song and strong beer, head to Brian’s Irish Bar in Plaza de los Olivos, where they hold a suitably bawdy Ladies Night on Wednesdays.
Just across from the Marbella Club, the restaurant El Portalón at N340 km 178 offers a taste of Castile in both ambience and flavours, which works wonders as a pre-clubbing ice-breaker, if you take a new “friend”.
If you’re on a budget, stop by at La Taberna del Pintxo in Avenida Miquel Cano 7, a cheap and cheerful tapas bar with a huge range of hot and cold tapas that is located just a couple of blocks from the beach.
For evening entertainment it’s hard to beat the drag shows at Bunny’s Nightclub and Cabaret in the neighbouring resort of Benalmádena. Situated at Edificio Iris in Avenida Gamonal, the naughty cabaret-style show is among the best of Europe’s drag shows.
The resort is also home to what is reputedly Europe’s largest disco. Fun Beach in Avenida Palma de Mallorca 7 boasts no fewer than eight enormous rooms where revellers can enjoy the time of their life, before staggering to the nearest taxi rank for the return ride to their Marbella holiday home.