Marbella - up-market Benidorm, or down-market Cannes?

These were the questions that exercised us as we made our way down from the bus stop towards Marbella's renowned beach. If you simply judged the place from the wall of 1970's medium rise apartment blocks and hotels that line the promenade, then comparison with Benidorm seems apt. But the bars are tad less cheesy, and the mobility scooters don't outnumber pedestrians quite to the same degree as in its Costa Blanca working class cousin.

One day people will flock to admire these 1970s blocks in the same way they regard Miami Beach's Art Decor.

OK, just because you can, doesn't mean you should...but usually the temptation is too much....

The old lighthouse, or a barber's shop with ideas above its station.

The main pedestrianised street from the beach is lined with Dali statues... 

Leading to a shady square with tiled seats.

If you then cross into the old town on the hill, then parallels with Cannes don't seem so daft. Its old streets have been restored to 'picture post card perfection' as our Lonely Planet guidebook observes.

In truth, neither comparison with Benidorm or Cannes hits the mark. The place is not tawdry like the former, nor self-consciously glitzy like the latter. It has its own charm, a kind of youthful vibrancy, stylish, but not to the point of lifelessness.

The tapas we had at Cafe Bar Ancha were superb, especially the fried aubergine with honey and the cold red pepper salad.

Great food, charming waitress,  nice house white (only 12 euros - for both of us!)

The shop down the road sold some very silly tee shirts - Gill's favourite caption "to err is human, to aar is pirate."  Very silly!

We finished our day in Marbella with a visit to the Plaza de los Naranjas - and a cortado in the central bar.

The Costa del Sol is not at all what I expected. The Lonely Planet guide observes that the Cabo de Gata's unspoiled coastline resembles the Costa del Sol before the 'bulldozers'.  But this area could never have resembled the bare arid landscape to the north of Almeria. With its umbrella pines and green hills, the Costa del Sol is reminiscent of the Riviera, or the Bay of Naples. Consequently, because the tourist developments nestle in the woods, the coast does not look entirely over-developed. It is a rather lovely place to see out the final days of February under blue skies and temperatures in the mid twenties.