Which Marina on the costa del sol would you recommend?

silver-fox

silver-fox

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Having completed the formalities of buying a Moody 425 on the Costa I now have to find somwhere to keep it for a couple of months or so (Feb to Mar/Apr) whilst we get organised and do a bit of a refit. Anyone got any recommendation for somewhere cheap and cheerful with a reasonable yard/chandlers. I have heard that Estepona and Sote Grande are not too bad at the moment. All advice greatfully received as we have to be off the current mooring by the end of Jan /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif.
 
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Having completed the formalities of buying a Moody 425 on the Costa I now have to find somwhere to keep it for a couple of months or so (Feb to Mar/Apr) whilst we get organised and do a bit of a refit. Anyone got any recommendation for somewhere cheap and cheerful with a reasonable yard/chandlers. I have heard that Estepona and Sote Grande are not too bad at the moment. All advice greatfully received as we have to be off the current mooring by the end of Jan /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif.

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Congratulations

Stayed at Estapona on our Moody 38 for a couple of weeks last Feb. Good experience. Two good chandlers, plenty of fabricators and also you get free use of their medical insurance. Our 18 month old boy was very ill and they sent the helicopter paramedics at no charge within an hour of contacting the staff. Marina fees low as far as I can remember.

Good access to Gibraltar if need be too.
 
I am based in Estepona and although not the worse marina in the world, I would not recommend it. If by by choice or need this becomes your berth then monitor your bills , your water meter readings and electricity charges. Shower/toilet block is a shambles. Shore power connections dodgy . Many more issues , it would be a good idea to come and have a chat with a few of us.
 
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I am based in Estepona and although not the worse marina in the world, I would not recommend it. If by by choice or need this becomes your berth then monitor your bills , your water meter readings and electricity charges. Shower/toilet block is a shambles. Shore power connections dodgy . Many more issues , it would be a good idea to come and have a chat with a few of us.

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oh no

Sorry to hear Estapona has gone down hill, I was planning to use it again next winter and it was certainly one of the more attractive and well served along the coast. You could try Sotegrande which is quite upmarket but apart from the holiday complex does not have much in the way of shops, there is also Duquesa but I don't remember too much about chandlery.

If not, much further up the coast is Almerimar, big international liveaboard community, cheap long term berthing, wifi and even a second hand yacht bits shop.

Marina web page is here
 
We're in Gib at the moment, which is fine but obviously not the CdS. Before that we were in Bajadilla (Marbella) for 18 months and it's definitely the best place on the coast. Relatively cheap, safe and secure, smallish, quiet and with clean modern facilities. Sounds too good to be true? Yes, the problem is getting a berth. It can be done, but takes a certain amount of luck and persistence. Not great from a chandlery point of view, but the coastal bus runs close by.

Best place for chandlery - either Gib or Fuengirola (there are three, one of which is English run). Fuengirola is a touch rough and ready (like the town) but we like it. Both Duquesa and Estepona can be noisy in the summer, but winter months should be ok. Can't recall much in the way of chandlery at Duquesa. Sotogrande has space, but is of course fairly pricey and a long way from anywhere if you don't have a car. Also no chandlers that I can think of, but good lift out facilities.

Even Benalmadena, which is horrible during the summer, ought to be ok during the winter.

PM me if you wish.
 
Hello steve-My boat is at almerimar ,winter lay-over on passage to Greece.Its well protected,good lift out fac,s and chandlers. steve.
 
If you can handle the trip to lagos, it's a great marina, and the boatyard has a decent chandlery, although it's a bit of a walk. Town is great, everywhere open, easy access from UK.

Havent posted before cause I thought you might prefer somewhere nearby... but then I thought "what the hell" <g>
 
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We're in Gib at the moment, which is fine but obviously not the CdS. Before that we were in Bajadilla (Marbella) for 18 months and it's definitely the best place on the coast. Relatively cheap, safe and secure, smallish, quiet and with clean modern facilities. Sounds too good to be true? Yes, the problem is getting a berth. It can be done, but takes a certain amount of luck and persistence. Not great from a chandlery point of view, but the coastal bus runs close by.

Best place for chandlery - either Gib or Fuengirola (there are three, one of which is English run). Fuengirola is a touch rough and ready (like the town) but we like it. Both Duquesa and Estepona can be noisy in the summer, but winter months should be ok. Can't recall much in the way of chandlery at Duquesa. Sotogrande has space, but is of course fairly pricey and a long way from anywhere if you don't have a car. Also no chandlers that I can think of, but good lift out facilities.

Even Benalmadena, which is horrible during the summer, ought to be ok during the winter.

PM me if you wish.

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Hi Grehan

I think we met you last year along the coast. We also stopped at Bajadilla, what a hidden gem, but getting a berth was an art form. We were given two days MAX, and that was only because my wife was pregnant and we were using the hospital.

Managed to stay 3 weeks /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, but I did see them regularly turning people away even as sunset approached.

Winter may be easier, nice staff but the do want to keep it a secret. I believe it is a municipal marina.
 
we considered two 425's down there, so my guess is you are bought one either in Aguadulce or Puerto Banuis. we opted for a 44 currently in Almerimar, which seems pretty good based on two weekend visits only.

Met several very pleasant liveaboards, reasonable supermarket and chandlery and a few restaurants. Good squeezyjet flights from Stanstead and Gatwick to ALmeria.

will be interested to know where you choose, as we will be moving along the coast in April/May all being well.
 
I echo what Richard says about Lagos. Just beginning to recover from the Christmas Party sponsored by the marina last night. Try finding that degree of hospitality in Spain!

Anyway, in practical terms I would say that Estepona or Almerimar are two viable economic options. Estepona, being closer to a town, is more sociable in Spanish terms. It is, however more expensive, shabby - even the Algerian toilet cleaner refused to go into the gents one day so I dread to think what horrors she discovered in there! They are also liable to start pressurising you to move on. The yard and chandlery is Brit run - Colin is, or was, your man. I did a fair amount of work there in 2002 and they were excellent. You need to book in advance.

Almerigrad is cheap - if you ignore the rip off power and water charges - has a good yard and chandlers. It is, however, miles from anywhere so has a ghetto feel to it after a while. Do check, and this is very important, that you can do your own work and that you can live aboard whilst on the hard. Many marinas claim this would be in breach of their insurance.

Finally, having checked, booked, paid, nodded, smiled etc. do not be surprised if they deny your existence when you finally arrive and you have to start all over again.

Good luck.
 
Bajadilla is a Junta de Andalucia (regional government) marina. Our experience is that these are all (there must be a dozen or so - maybe more?) worth considering, being well run (for Spain) clean etc etc. The downside is a certain amount of "computer says no" bureaucracy. Yes, we spent 18 months watching marineros wave people away - even when it was obvious that there were spaces available and we knew they weren't just temporary vacancies. Lot of shaking heads and "can't believe it" from us long-termers.
Buena fortuna!

PS Is Almerimar as cheap as its reputation suggests - is this not a little outdated now? I had thought their prices had gone up in the last couple of years, to roughly comparable levels to other (sensibly priced) marinas along the coast.
 
Thanks for that Jim. I am not surprised as, as I said, I was there in 2002. I will cross them off my Christmas Card list!
 
You are right, we went for the 425 in PB. We were going to look at a 44 in Almerimar in early December but someone (you?)beat us to it. In the end we drove about 2000 miles and flew a lot more before choosing our boat.

The plan now is to do some essential maintenance before moving on board hence the requirement for a marina berth/yard for a month or two. SWMBO and I are new to this liveaboard status and are bracing ourselves for a steep learning curve.
 
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The plan now is to do some essential maintenance before moving on board hence the requirement for a marina berth/yard for a month or two. SWMBO and I are new to this liveaboard status and are bracing ourselves for a steep learning curve.

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I bought Rogue as my first boat in march, (as you may be aware), having sailed OP's for 30 years or so.

Having done hardly a jot of DIY for 25 years +, I have experienced the same steep learning curve.... it's bloody steep... but with the help of everyone here, (and on moa), I think I can say that nothing has beaten me yet, (although a few trickier jobs are waiting for longer days and slightly warmer weather).

As for living aboard... you cant beat it.. I dont like coming home, (which I have done today), and will probably wish my life away till mid january.

Cheers

Richard
 
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As for living aboard... you cant beat it.. I dont like coming home, (which I have done today), and will probably wish my life away till mid january.

Cheers

Richard

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Couldn't have put it better myself /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Except came home in August (to have second baby /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)and wishing life away until April.

Working at the boatshow will help get me through Jan, but
I miss my real life /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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You are right, we went for the 425 in PB. We were going to look at a 44 in Almerimar in early December but someone (you?)beat us to it. In the end we drove about 2000 miles and flew a lot more before choosing our boat.

The plan now is to do some essential maintenance before moving on board hence the requirement for a marina berth/yard for a month or two. SWMBO and I are new to this liveaboard status and are bracing ourselves for a steep learning curve.

[/ QUOTE ]Steve, pardon me for smiling wryly at this. The weekend we first went to Almerimar , we had also intended to look at both 425's. However, by the time we had looked at Lechwe then the 425 in Aguadulce, we didnt feel inclinded to drive to Puerto Banus and back in a day.

The broker had told us that about your boat's very good condition from little use, but we had already decided we wanted Lechwe.

Its just odd how things work out in this small world, made smaller by this forum. It could quite easily been the other way around.

My tip would be to join the Moody Owners Association ( www.moodyowners.org.uk ) Its only £20 per year, and if nothing else you can access the technical pages on the website. There is stacks of info from other peoples experience, which you may find useful in doing whatever you have to do. You will see some familiar names there too, Faulkner for example /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
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