Playground of the rich
Puerto Banus is well worth a visit. In general it would not be really my cup of tea, as there is a touch of superficiality in partswell more than a touch , but we carved out a great day out and enjoyed ourselves and our three boys had a great time too. There is no shortage of sights, sounds and smells as you traverse the Quayside where some of the world's richest anchor down their yachts and the mere mortals look on from the shoreline Yep, that would be us! which is peppered with the finest of designer shops selling Rolex watches and Gucci to the wealthy populace.
If you can look beyond the superficial though, Puerto Banus boasts an amazing beach, a world class Quay and some amazing hidden gem restaurants up into some of the back streets, as is usually the case. It is also nice to sit along the quayside though where cars drive right past alongside you, especially when your eldest boy is a car enthusiast. I've no idea where he got it out of mind you, as I've little interest myself. Sure I like a sportscar or beautiful vintage motor, but my son will tell you the make and model of near any car from fifty paces and he's nine years old!
Luxury Cars
Did I mention the cars? Yep, I thought so... As I say, our eldest is obsessed and most especially lovea the expensive sports cars, with Ferrari, Lamborgini, Porche and McClaren high on his list of favorites. Well he saw every one of these and more today in Puerto Banus. He lost count of the Porches, saw five Lambos, a couple of Ferraris, some Bentleys, a Rolls Royce and a McClaren too. Just a normal day out in Peurto Banus. Needless to say he was thrilled to bits. Funilly enough, he started shrugging of the Porches as they are a dime a dozen and he has seen a few hundred since we arrived.
To his untrained eye, it looks like the playground for the rich, but realistically most of the drivers are posers who have rented the car for a couple of hours and spend those hours driving up and down the tight roads of Puerto Banus trying to turn people's heads. It works as heads do turn, but I can think of better things to spend €1000 on. The tell tale sign can be seen just above the number plate where it says Cohen and sons which is a car rental company in Puerto Banus. Most folks you see with these are posers who can't really afford an expensive car, but want to pretend that they can for an hour or two.
Now don't get me wrong, I'd like a spin in a Lambo or Ferrari as much as the next fellow or lady, but I'd much prefer to rent one in Germany where there is no speed limit on certain roads and I could give the engine and tyres a proper run out or spin one around the Nurenburg ring.
But back to Puerto Banus and the motors, our eldest lovws cars and our youngest loves Super heroes, so you can imagine the excitement when Mr. Wayne rolled up in this yoke..
Best Day Ever
They were absolutely chuffed, if you could just see their little faceens, but I am conservative in that regard and don't like sharing their faces until they are old enough to decide for themselves what they do and don't want to share.
Yachts
I've been here three times at this stage and what is most impressive to me are some of the Yachts. That is where the serious wealth is, not the shapers and posers spinning around in rented out Supercars. The yachts here are from all over the world and many of them are worth more than most of us will earn in our lifetime. I calculated how much they cost and it came to €A SHIT TONNE!
You won't see these folks as they frequent exclusive hotels and restaurants where the regular Joe Soap on the street won't go or want to go if they saw the menu prices!
Here are some of the Yachts that were docked at Puerto Banus when we were strolling around earlier on.
Designer Clothes
Where the rich congregate and hang out, designer shops are never too far away and Puerto Banus is no different with Dolce and Gabana, Gucci and Rolex all vying for the attention of the passing people. Perhaps I don't have expensive taste but often the clothes from these shops are not my cup of tea and even if the price tag read €20 rather than €2000 I wouldn't be paying it, as it's just not my style.
Hugo Boss, Tommy Hillfiger and Lacoste - absolutely.
Gucci and Dolce & Cabana and anything to do with the Kardasians- No thanks!!
Scenic by the sea
Puerto Banus is certainly a trendy and fashionable location with lots of natural beauty and charm. We have only ever visited it during the day when it is kid friendly, but I have heard it can be a bit seedy at night, though I can't comment first hand as we only visited during the day for obvious reasons as we are a young family.
Here are some more photos of the area.
A bite to eat
We found a really nice spot for lunch that had stunning sea views and really good quality food and excellent service. The kids had pizzas and my wife and I had Pasta dishes and a cheeky beer. The pre meal appetisers of bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar went down a treat as usual and we ordered some Olives as well which are always nice in Spain.
The staff were really great here and made our kids feel very welcome and special which was a lovely touch. We might find ourselves back here again before our holiday is over next week.
Loads of Umbrellas
I'm not sure why? But why not? Around 100 purple umbrellas hanging from the sky. They looked really cool I must say and the colours and shapes that they made on the ground as the sun passed through them was even cooler. It looked to be a part of some local art effort, which I always like to see in places that we visit. The arts are so important to a well balanced and functioning society and I am spoilt really having grown up in Galway which is immersed in the Arts from one end of the year to the next.
Here are a few photos of the vibrant purple umbrellas I mentioned ☂️🌂💜
These photos are all my own captured on my Samsung Smartphone