The oldest part of Marbella is a real find. It’s a labyrinth of pedestrian streets that are laid with red tiles and crazy paving. The buildings are all whitewashed and topped with terracotta roofs, and many date back to the renaissance. Some are wrapped in bougainvillea; in fact the whole area is bright with flowers. The houses area all arranged on corridor-like streets that emerge on little squares like Plaza de los Naranjos, where the square’s restaurants place their seating in a small formal garden bordered by orange trees. The old quarter is also kept spotlessly clean, to the point where the tiles shine in the sun.

There are 20 beaches along the front of Marbella, most with sand that has a darkish tint, and all are served with facilities like chiringuitos (beach bars). Lifeguards are on duty at nearly all of them from Holy Week right the way through to the end of September. One of the picks is El Faro, on the west side of the port. At 200 metres it’s not the largest, but has been awarded the Blue Flag in 2016 and has an arc of sand washed by knee-high waters, great for the little guys to splash around to their heart’s content.

This handsome walkway leads down from the Alameda Park to Playa de la Venus next to Marbella’s marina. It’s a broad pedestrian avenue with palm trees, meticulously-trimmed hedges and several pieces of great public art. The bronze sculptures were designed by the 20th-century surrealist Salvador Dalí, so you could easily pass a few minutes studying them, perhaps from one of the beaches along the way. Shops and bars line the walkway, and if you’re visiting Marbella by car then there’s a handy car park underneath this esplanade, with convenient access to Marbella’s old-town and beaches.

A few kilometres east of old Marbella is the flashiest part of the resort. If Marbella draws comparisons with the French Riviera, it’s down to the boutiques, super yachts and luxury sports cars that meet your gaze everywhere you look in Puerto Banús. The area merits some of your time just to see the ostentatious displays of wealth, but you should check out the large Rhinoceros sculpture, also by Salvador Dalí, which weighs 3.6 tonnes. While away a few hours on the sandy beach or dress up for one of the posh restaurants here in evenings – if you can book a table.