Just wanted to post a genuine warning to visitors to the Costa Del Sol .... We landed at Malaga airport and picked up our hire car at lunchtime. There were 7 of us children and adults we had our hire car broken into in the very busy car park at Carrefour supermarket at Estepona at 2 in the afternoon, window smashed five bags stolen within 20 mins. Not one person stopped to offer help or apparently saw anything! Security staff and police acted with complete indifference as this is according to them a common occurrence and not really worth bothering with!
During our visit to the British Consulate, to obtain emergency passports, we met another family who had lost every bag from a locked boot at a similar supermarket a couple of miles away same time of day and a young man who had been a victim of a villa scam where he and his friends had lost everything following an organised robbery.
Obviously the economic downturn in Spain has made people more desperate but this type of blatant street crime has got out out of control.
The car hire companies must make visitors more aware that they are being so aggressively targeted, simple dashboard stickers would be a start! Easy jet and other flight operators also owe their customers an enhanced security announcement prior to landing to alert them to the heightened risk.
We are seasoned travellers and have been visiting Spain for many years - but we will not be returning.

It is a beautiful and lovely place.
Narrow streets and the houses are all very well preserved.
It is very peaceful to walk by the streets and observe the town.

There are many small shops for hand made souvenirs etc.
Te restaurants and cafes are also quite numerous.

Visit there around mid-day or afternoon and walk by the streets and enjoy the small squares and beautiful houses. Sit down to a street cafe and chill out with a local Spanish beer.

Can be easily walked from the waterfront promenade.
Also good to get away from touristic crowds.

Enjoyed walking this part of town on an afternoon. Some quit interesting shops are there. We had lunch on one day on one of the plazas and the other day we had fresh juice. Very pleasant attraction. I enjoyed it much more than the jewish quarter in Cordoba. I would go there again.

My first visit was 27 years ago for my honeymoon. Remembered sitting in the Plaza de Naranjas watching litte girls compete in flamenco outfits in the town square. Much has changed since then. Although the Plaza is still very lovely, it is packed full of tables from all the surrounding restaurants. Gone are the cute little girls; in fact gone are the locals as well! In there place are tons of English speaking tourists. Marbella Old town is still very lovely and worth a visit, but not if you want to be in anything but an expat environment.

Parking is very tight as in most of the old towns through out Spain, so take a bus or taxi.