Costa del sol Spain

[Blackmamba]

Hi boat friends,



We would like to bring our 50-foot boat near Marbella but are unsure if there are any beautiful coves where we can anchor and swim with the family. We would also like to take the boat over to Tangier to occasionally spend some vacation time there. Are there any boaters here who are familiar with the Costa del Sol and could give us some tips?"

Thank you

 

[Seastoke]

All depends on budget.

 

[Blackmamba]

All depends on budget.

Budget for what ?

 

[Martxer]

Costa del sol coast is lacking coves for anchoring

 

[Blackmamba]

Okay so it is nothing for boating people. Sotogrande have a really nice marina

 

[Martxer]

Okay so it is nothing for boating people. Sotogrande have a really nice marina

Just to clarify , I have not been boating on the Costa del sol but am familiar with the coastline having owned a property down there for a number of years.
Turning left out of Soto you have a man made breakwater just outside the marina and then another breakwater at La Duquesa but no sheltered coves. On the plus side you can fill up on the cheap in Gibraltar.

 

[Blackmamba]

interesting we planning to move there and buying a property between Sotogrande and Marbella, do you have any advices for me?

 

[Martxer]

Pick an area you want to live and focus on property in that area. There will be a lot for sale between Soto and marbella

 

[PlanB]

I kept my boat (P435) in Duquesa for 12 years - very happy. Great staff and boat care. Good hard/workshop/chandlery.
There aren't beautiful coves in the small and deserted sense, but there are one or two places east and west which are good to anchor for lunch and a swim.
Although it's been a while since I left, Soto had a bad rep for looking after boats in bad weather/swell (and it did get very swelly).
Feel free to ask specific questions

 

[Blackmamba]

Thanks Duquesa is new for me i will check it out but if they are no nice anchor spots iam not sure with costa del sol.
They have also wealth tax that’s crazy

 

[PlanB]

Thanks Duquesa is new for me i will check it out but if they are no nice anchor spots iam not sure with costa del sol.
They have also wealth tax that’s crazy

Unless it has changed, wealth tax applies to the whole of Spain.

 

[Martxer]

24 Jan 2023 — Andalucía wealth tax abolished. If you are resident in Spain, your worldwide assets are added up and assessed for wealth tax each year.

 

[capnsensible]

Hiya. I've spent a lot of time on the Costa Del Sol operating sail and motor boats.

The area is relatively flat along the shoreline with hills a mile or two inland. Apart from a couple of spots by Sotogrande and Estepona, there aren't really any coves as such as you find up north of Barcelona, near Gerona where the cliffs form the shoreline with pleasant anchorages.

There are loadsa places however along the Costa Del Sol that aren't marked as anchorages on charts but it's perfectly possible to anchor everywhere in around 5 metres. Local leisure boats know the best spots. Watch for them but be careful of pot markers.

But then there's the weather. In the Straits it's almost all year round from the east or the west. Through the Straits the wind tends to turn and follow the coast to some extent. Easterlies especially in summer can be light, warm and misty. Much stronger through the winter and gives the hazard of a lee shore. Westerlies give much clearer skies and sun.

The downwind end of the Straits is always windier. In the shelter of the land up to a mile or two offshore the sea can be fairly flat and good for anchoring.

Crossing to Tangier is always going to be sporty. At Tarifa, the narrowest point, the wind is nearly always strong whichever direction its blowing and the sea can be bumpy. I've taken motorboats through the Straits a few times so it's doable but either exhilarating or uncomfortable depending on your mind set!

As previously mentioned, a pit stop in Gib gets you cheap fuel. Then, unless the forecast is very favourable, a run across the Strats to Spanish Ceuta or down to Marina Smir in Morocco is great rather than the bash along to Tangier.

There are some very nice marinas that do tend to be fairly full. So that gives the good clue about keeping boats there. My personal favourite is La Duquesa.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Blackmamba]

Hiya. I've spent a lot of time on the Costa Del Sol operating sail and motor boats.

The area is relatively flat along the shoreline with hills a mile or two inland. Apart from a couple of spots by Sotogrande and Estepona, there aren't really any coves as such as you find up north of Barcelona, near Gerona where the cliffs form the shoreline with pleasant anchorages.

There are loadsa places however along the Costa Del Sol that aren't marked as anchorages on charts but it's perfectly possible to anchor everywhere in around 5 metres. Local leisure boats know the best spots. Watch for them but be careful of pot markers.

But then there's the weather. In the Straits it's almost all year round from the east or the west. Through the Straits the wind tends to turn and follow the coast to some extent. Easterlies especially in summer can be light, warm and misty. Much stronger through the winter and gives the hazard of a lee shore. Westerlies give much clearer skies and sun.

The downwind end of the Straits is always windier. In the shelter of the land up to a mile or two offshore the sea can be fairly flat and good for anchoring.

Crossing to Tangier is always going to be sporty. At Tarifa, the narrowest point, the wind is nearly always strong whichever direction its blowing and the sea can be bumpy. I've taken motorboats through the Straits a few times so it's doable but either exhilarating or uncomfortable depending on your mind set!

As previously mentioned, a pit stop in Gib gets you cheap fuel. Then, unless the forecast is very favourable, a run across the Strats to Spanish Ceuta or down to Marina Smir in Morocco is great rather than the bash along to Tangier.

There are some very nice marinas that do tend to be fairly full. So that gives the good clue about keeping boats there. My personal favourite is La Duquesa.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Wow thank you that gives me a much better idea for boating there. Boating is very important for and it seem like costa del sol is not the right spot me that’s sad

 

[petem]

interesting we planning to move there and buying a property between Sotogrande and Marbella, do you have any advices for me?

Move to the northern Costa Blanca instead!

Marinas...

Alicante
Campello
Villajoyosa
Altea
Marina Greenwich
Calpe
Moraira
Javea
Denia

Lots of good anchorages and just 70 miles to the Balearics.

 

[Blackmamba]

Move to the northern Costa Blanca instead!

Marinas...

Alicante
Campello
Villajoyosa
Altea
Marina Greenwich
Calpe
Moraira
Javea
Denia

Lots of good anchorages and just 70 miles to the Balearics.

Thanks for your input i like Moraira really nice there. My biggest concern now is the spanish wealth tax my kids will got to school in Spain so i have to pay wealth tax in Spain 3.5 % annual that’s crazy

 

[Blackmamba]

Hi guys i have new. i got an offer from Duquesea and from Puerto Banús the annual berth price is almost the same what would you do ??

 

[Martxer]

Hi guys i have new. i got an offer from Duquesea and from Puerto Banús the annual berth price is almost the same what would you do ??

Duquesa would be my choice of the 2. Duquesa as a destination is more relaxed and family orientated in the summer. I like to visit puerto banus for a few hours and then I like to leave

 

[capnsensible]

Hi guys i have new. i got an offer from Duquesea and from Puerto Banús the annual berth price is almost the same what would you do ??

La Duquesa is a nice little harbour with some nice bars and restaurants. Sandy beaches both sides. Rarely rowdy or late night noisy. Been in there many, many times. Like it a lot.

Banus is bonkers. All night discos, loud music, drugs, ladies of negotiable affection, vomit in the second line street after discos chuck out. I spent several weeks there teaching some theory courses for a local RYA school. Rocking up at 0830 to open up the classroom kinda takes the edge off the 'posh' Banus.

 

[PlanB]

Another vote for Duquesa. I lived aboard there for 12 years. Banus is a zoo, and the security not that good. It's also quite big and not very Spanish.