Weekend Break In The Sun

For a quick and easy break in the sun, nowhere is as accessible and fits this description as Marbella, Cost del Sol, Spain. Only a two hour flight from the UK (and if you check in on-line you do not even need to hang around the airport for two hours) it is quicker than a train from Manchester to London!

May is not a busy time for Spain, especially the beginning, so flights are really reasonable at this time of year, making it also very affordable.

Marbella is about 40 minutes or so drive from Malaga Airport and you can get a bus from outside the terminal, hire a car (a very easy drive) or pre book a transfer. The bus is the cheapest, however pre-booking a transfer is the easiest and quickest way of getting to your hotel and that is what I chose!

There are so many hotels and apartments to choose from in Marbella, to suit all tastes and budgets. I stayed at the Gran Melia Don Pepe Hotel which is situated along the "Golden Mile" and in walking distance of everything Marbella has to offer. A great location and a fantastic hotel, it is a beautiful 5* property with spacious rooms, nice balconies overlooking the pool and sea. The standard rooms are very comfortable with all of the amenities you would expect from a 5* hotel. The Don Pepe has a beautiful outdoor pool area, however the downside of going at this time of year is that the swimming pool was so cold it was impossible to swim in the outdoor pool, however there is an indoor pool which is heated.

The grounds of the Don Pepe are very pretty and it was so lovely to lay on the very comfortable sunbeds in the grounds or around the pool in the warm Spanish sun and be served a cool cocktail from the very attentive hotel staff! The hotel has 3 restaurants which are very nice however are quite pricey. Marbella has an abundance of bars and restaurants and although slightly out of their season most are open so you are spoilt for choice of where to go.

The Don Pepe has a children’s club which operates only during their peak season so there are no children’s activities as such at this time of year. However for the very little ones who are too young to go to the clubs, the weather is a great at this time of year - not too hot, the hotels, beaches and restaurants are not busy and there are some small play parks along the golden mile to keep the little ones happy.

Marbella is a very well known and popular holiday destination and can get very busy throughout July and August so May was a lovely time to get a feel for the town. The weather is warm although a little chilly in the evening and for anyone looking for a nice simple weekend getaway to relax I would recommend Marbella anytime.