Villa rental in Nueva Andalucía

What staying here is actually like

Nueva Andalucía is where people end up when they have done Marbella a few times. The plots are bigger, the streets are residential rather than commercial, and the valley is quiet after dark in a way the seafront is not. The port is close enough that a taxi home costs almost nothing, which matters more than it sounds when the group splits up at midnight.

The golf is the other reason people choose it. Three courses sit in the valley itself, so a morning round does not start with a drive.

The houses we have here

Two six-bedroom houses, both sleeping twelve, and they suit different weeks. Villa Aurora is the more relaxed of the two, built around the garden and the heated pool. Villa Meridian sits on a plot of over 1,500 square metres looking at the golf course, with 538 square metres built, so there is room for a group to spread out without living on top of each other.

Twelve beds in a quiet valley five minutes from Banús is the combination people ask us for most often in July and August, so these two book early.

Who it suits

Two families travelling together. Golf groups. Anyone who wants the port within reach but not outside the bedroom window.

If walking to the beach matters more than the garden, the Golden Mile is the trade. If you want the biggest plot your money buys anywhere near Marbella, San Pedro is worth a look.

Other areas worth comparing

• Golden MileThe stretch between Marbella old town and Puerto Banús, and the address most people mean when they say they want to be central.
• San Pedro de AlcántaraWest of Banús, flatter and greener, with the biggest plots for the money anywhere near Marbella.
• BenahavísInland and up, where the houses get bigger and the views get longer.