Property for sale in Marbella East

Living in Marbella East

This is residential Marbella. Rather than a single town, the east is a sequence of urbanisations between the mountains and the sea, linked by the A-7: golf and beach developments dating from the 1960s around Río Real and Los Monteros, the large, spread-out community of Elviria, and the dunes and marina at Cabopino at the far end.

Marbella town is about 10 to 20 minutes away by car depending on where you are, and Fuengirola about 15 to 30 minutes the other way. Elviria has its own shopping centre with restaurants, banks and supermarkets, so day-to-day life does not depend on driving into town.

Communities and homes

Río Real grew up around its golf course, laid out by Javier Arana in 1965 as part of the Los Monteros developments, about 3 km east of Marbella. Homes sit around the course in the Golf Río Real urbanisation.

Los Monteros lies along a beach of more than 2 km that includes the smaller beaches of La Adelfa, Realejo and Río Real. The Reserva Los Monteros and Bahía de Marbella urbanisations sit beside the Hospital Costa del Sol.

Elviria, about 6 km from the old town of Marbella, is a large community of many separate complexes, and many of its homes are within walking distance of the beach. Behind it, the Elviria hills (La Mairena and El Soto de Marbella) look out over the sea to Gibraltar and the African coast. Part of these hills lies in the neighbouring municipality of Ojén.

At the eastern end, Cabopino has a marina with moorings for motor boats and yachts, and the Marbesa urbanisation sits beside it. Las Chapas also includes Ciudad Residencial Tiempo Libre, one of the many urbanisations along the road.

Across the area the housing mixes detached villas, townhouses and apartment complexes, from beachside developments to houses on the hills with sea views.

Schools

The English International College is in El Rosario, close to Elviria (about 3 minutes by car) and Los Monteros (about 8). It follows the British curriculum for ages 3 to 18, using the EYFS and the National Curriculum in primary.

Deutsche Schule Málaga, the German school, sits on a hill above Elviria, on Calle Velázquez in Ojén. It teaches from early childhood through to the German Oberstufe and the Spanish Bachillerato.

Further west, Swans International School's secondary campus in Sierra Blanca (ESO, IGCSE and IB) and Aloha College in Nueva Andalucía (English National Curriculum, then the IB Diploma or International A-levels) are about 13 minutes from Los Monteros and about 20 from Cabopino.

Golf, beaches and the outdoors

Two of the area's beaches hold Blue Flags for 2026: Cabopino and Los Monteros (Adelfas). Between them are quieter stretches such as El Alicate, Costa Bella and El Ancón, and Calahonda beach is the easternmost in Marbella, next to Mijas.

Beside Cabopino marina, the Dunas de Artola are a protected natural monument of about 19 hectares, a system of mobile and fossil dunes. The Torre de los Ladrones, an old defensive tower listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural, stands within them.

Golf is close at hand. Río Real (18 holes, par 72) was one of the coast's pioneering courses. Santa María Golf & Country Club in Elviria (18 holes, par 70) welcomes green-fee players, and Cabopino Golf is out towards Artola. Greenlife, a nine-hole course in Elviria Hills, opened in 2007. Marbella Golf & Country Club, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design of 1994, is being redeveloped as a Waldorf Astoria resort due to open in 2029, with the course redesigned by Robert Trent Jones Jr., so check its status before counting on it.

Eating out, shopping and everyday life

Elviria's shopping centre is the everyday hub, with international restaurants, banks and supermarkets. Cabopino marina is a good place for a walk and a drink or a meal by the boats.

For bigger shopping, La Cañada, on the Ojén road beside the A-7, is about 8 to 15 minutes by car. It is the biggest shopping centre on the Costa del Sol, with over 150 shops, supermarkets and a cinema. Marbella's old town and its Mercado Central are about 10 to 20 minutes away.

Healthcare

The Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol, the area's main public hospital, is in Marbella East itself, on the A-7 at km 187 in the Bahía de Marbella urbanisation, about 5 minutes from Los Monteros and 12 from Cabopino.

For private care, Hospital Quirónsalud Marbella on Avenida Severo Ochoa is about 8 to 15 minutes away, and Hospital Ochoa is also in Marbella. Once resident, register with the Andalusian public system through your local health centre, and check what your private policy covers.

Getting around

The A-7 runs through the whole area and the AP-7 toll motorway runs parallel inland, from Málaga to Guadiaro. Málaga airport is about 35 minutes by car from Cabopino and about 45 from Río Real. Gibraltar airport is about 65 to 70 minutes, plus the time to cross the border. Marbella's old town is about 10 to 20 minutes and Puerto Banús about 15 to 20.

Marbella has no railway. The nearest station is Fuengirola, about 15 minutes from Cabopino and 25 from Los Monteros, on the Cercanías C-1 line to Málaga airport and Málaga city.

Worth knowing before you buy

Check the municipality. The hills above Elviria are partly in Ojén, and the Mijas boundary lies just beyond Cabopino. Planning, local taxes and licences follow the town hall, not the postal address.

Homes close to the A-7 can have road noise. Visit at different times of day and listen from the terrace and bedrooms.

Marbella approved a new general town plan (PGOM) in September 2026, replacing the framework that dated back to 1986. The more detailed area plan is still being processed. The new plan gives a clearer framework to around 18,000 homes affected by past planning problems, but that does not make every property legal, so your lawyer should check the planning and licence history of the specific house.

If the home is in an urbanisation or complex with a community of owners, ask for the statutes, current fees, recent accounts and minutes. If you plan holiday lets, the property must be registered with the Registro de Turismo de Andalucía, and since 3 April 2025 a new tourist let in a building with a community of owners needs the community's express approval.