- Cabopino is Marbella's last stop before Mijas: a leisure marina of 169 berths, 14.2 km east of the old town, with the municipal boundary about a kilometre further east
- West of the port, the protected Artola dunes cover 19.22 hectares and lead to the old Torre Ladrones watchtower, more than 14 metres tall
- Evenings are short and quiet: dinner on the quay or at the beach restaurants, and almost nothing after midnight
- Stays are apartments and villas in the pines, with the four-star Vime La Reserva de Marbella 1.8 km from the beach
- Cabopino is inside Marbella, so the standard €300 an hour applies; addresses across the Mijas line count as outside Marbella, with a two-hour minimum
Cabopino is the part of Marbella that people find by accident: a turn off the A-7 past Elviria, a road through pines, and a small harbour with a few restaurants and a beach backed by dunes. Clients who stay here have usually chosen it on purpose, for the quiet, and as a Marbella escort agency we arrange a steady number of long, unhurried bookings at this end of town. Cabopino is Marbella's easternmost corner: a 169-berth leisure marina 14.2 km from the old town, with the protected Artola dunes to the west, beach restaurants either side and almost no nightlife, which makes it a place for overnights and quiet days rather than a night out.
For how booking works in general, start with our Marbella escorts guide.
Where Is Cabopino, and What Is Actually There?
Cabopino sits in Artola, at the eastern end of Marbella's municipality, 14.2 km by road from the old town and 24 km from Puerto Banús. It is a small leisure marina with restaurants on the quay, a beach either side, the Artola dunes to the west and residential urbanisations in the pines behind.
Marbella's Last Stop Before Mijas
The port, the beach restaurants and the urbanisations behind them, such as Marbesa and Hacienda Las Chapas, are all in Marbella. About a kilometre east the municipality ends: the Macdonald Leila Playa resort, 1.7 km by road from the port, is already in Mijas, in the Sitio de Calahonda. That line decides two things for a visitor, Marbella's taxi tariff and our booking zone. From the port, Elviria is 4.3 km away, Fuengirola 16 km and Málaga airport 43 km, about 45 minutes in light traffic, so Cabopino is the closest part of Marbella to the airport.
A Small Leisure Marina, Not a Superyacht Port
The Andalusian ports agency lists Puerto de Cabopino as a leisure port with 169 berths, run under concession by Marina de Cabopino, S.A. at kilometre 202 of the old N-340. Berths take boats of roughly 6 to 15 metres, so the harbour is small yachts, sailing boats and day boats rather than the big motor yachts of Puerto Banús, whose marina has 915 berths for boats up to 50 metres. That scale is the appeal. The quay is short enough to walk in five minutes, the restaurants face the boats, and the loudest sound late at night is usually rigging.
The Dunes and the Beach, Briefly
West of the port, the Artola dunes are a protected Natural Monument of 19.22 hectares, crossed by boardwalks to the Torre Ladrones watchtower. The beach in front is one of the least built-up in Marbella, and part of it is a long-established naturist section. Our two dunes guides cover the walk in detail.
The Artola Dunes and Torre Ladrones
The protected area covers 192,715 m² of fixed and moving dunes, held by plants adapted to sun, wind and drought: marram grass, sea holly, sea daffodils and juniper. At the far end stands the old Torre Ladrones watchtower, a square tower more than 14 metres tall with three rooms and a roof terrace inside, named after the ladroneras, the projecting machicolations that once defended it. It is part of the chain of watchtowers along this coast and a protected heritage monument; sources disagree on its age, so we do not give one. Stay on the boardwalks; our guide to the Artola dunes explains why.
The Beach Either Side of the Port
The beach runs west along the dunes and east towards Calahonda, with dunes rather than apartment blocks behind its western half, and the naturist section is signposted. The best hour is the one before sunset, which in Marbella falls at about 21:38 in mid-July, 20:29 in mid-September, 19:45 in mid-October and 18:12 in mid-November. Bring water and shade at midday, because the boardwalks have none. A dune walk at sunset and dinner on the quay is the classic Cabopino evening, and our sunset guide covers the timing.
Where to Eat: The Quay and the Beach Restaurants
Eating is the evening here. Andy's Beach Club & Cocktail Bar sits at the port, Cocoa Beach on Playa de Cabopino serves grilled food and drinks from 11:00 every day, and about ten restaurants and bars on and around the quay cover seafood, tapas and Italian. Kitchens close early outside high summer.
On the Quay
OpenStreetMap shows about ten restaurants and bars within a short walk of the quay: seafood, tapas, Italian, a grill and a beach bar. Nothing here is a scene, and dress is relaxed. Book a table for 20:30 or 21:00 in summer, when the quay fills with residents of the urbanisations behind it, and expect the terraces to empty soon after midnight. For a first evening with a companion we suggest a quay table after the dune walk, because the setting does the work and the walk home is short if you are staying nearby.
On the Sand: Andy's Beach and Cocoa Beach
Andy's Beach Club & Cocktail Bar, at Puerto de Cabopino, takes table reservations online. Cocoa Beach, east along Playa de Cabopino, opens every day from 11:00 and publishes its kitchen hours by month: 12:00 to 21:00 from May to September, to 20:00 in April and October, to 19:00 in March and November, and to 18:00 from December to February, closing an hour after the kitchen. That makes it a lunch and sunset place rather than a late one. For a starred dinner, Marbella's old town is 14.2 km west; book it as a dinner date with the car arranged both ways.
What Happens in Cabopino After Dark?
Not much, and that is the point. After dinner there are a couple of bars on the quay, the sound of the boats and a dark beach. The nearest clubs are in Puerto Banús, 24 km west, about €38 by taxi at night, so most clients who stay here keep the late hours at home.
An Evening Shaped by the Sun
The rhythm that works is simple. Walk the dunes in the hour before sunset, sit down on the quay as the light goes, and be back at the apartment or villa by 23:30. In July and August the port is busier, with families and residents out late, but even then it is a village evening rather than a night out. Clients who want both usually stay in Cabopino and go into Marbella once: dinner in the old town, a late drink, and the drive back east after midnight.
Taxis, and Getting Back From Town
Cabopino is inside Marbella, so Marbella's 2026 tariff applies: €3.79 plus €1.12 a kilometre by day and €4.64 plus €1.41 at night and at weekends. On our calculation, a ride to the old town costs about €20 by day and €25 at night, and to Puerto Banús about €31 and €38, before waiting time. Book the return when you plan the night, and give the driver the urbanisation name and a pin. Our guide to Marbella without a car compares drivers and hire cars.
Where to Stay for a Quiet Few Days
Cabopino is apartment and villa country, with the four-star Vime La Reserva de Marbella 1.8 km from the beach and self-catering resorts just across the Mijas line. Choose a place with its own entrance and a terrace, close enough to walk to the quay; the quiet is the reason to be here.
Hotels and Resorts Nearby
Sercotel Vime La Reserva de Marbella is the nearest conventional hotel: four stars, 1.8 km from Cabopino beach and 2.1 km from the dunes, with 25 m² doubles and one- and two-bedroom apartments with terraces; check-in is from 16:00 and pets are not accepted. Macdonald Leila Playa offers self-catering apartments on the beach at Calahonda, just inside Mijas. Camping Cabopino, with 60 bungalows and 250 pitches under the pines next to the port, is a family site, and not where we would plan a visit.
Apartments and Villas in the Pines
Most of the accommodation is in the urbanisations behind the port, where streets wind through the pines and house numbers mean little to a satnav. For a companion visit, a ground-floor apartment with a garden or a villa with its own gate is better than a block with a shared lobby and a porter. Send us the urbanisation, a dropped pin on the door and any gate code with the booking. Our villa rentals guide lists what to check before you pay.
How Bookings Work at This End of Marbella
Cabopino is inside Marbella, so the standard rates apply: €300 an hour, dinner dates from €900 and overnights €3,000 to €4,000, with her taxi paid by you. Allow a little more notice than in the centre, since companions drive out from Marbella. Addresses across the Mijas line, a kilometre east, count as outside Marbella and carry a two-hour minimum.
Rates, the Mijas Line and Notice
The price does not change at weekends or in July, August and over New Year; availability does, so ask a day ahead for a named companion on a summer weekend. For a same-day visit, message us: she usually arrives 25 to 30 minutes after confirmation in Marbella, plus the taxi time out to Cabopino. Changing your mind costs nothing until 2 hours before an hourly booking, 24 hours before a dinner date and 48 hours before an overnight, as our cancellation guide sets out. If your apartment turns out to be in Calahonda, it is a Mijas booking, with a two-hour minimum.
Formats That Fit Cabopino
The place rewards time. An overnight of ten to twelve hours covers the sunset walk, dinner on the quay and breakfast on the terrace, and for two or three days we quote the stay as one booking. A daytime booking works too: lunch at Cocoa Beach, the beach, back before the kitchen closes. Hourly visits are possible but waste the setting. Every escort in Marbella on our books covers Cabopino, and that page shows who is free this week.
Cabopino, Elviria or the Centre?
Choose Cabopino for quiet and the beach, Elviria for more hotels and restaurants a few minutes west, and the centre or the Golden Mile for nightlife. The table compares the bases we are asked about most, by distance, evenings, booking zone and the format we would suggest.
The East Marbella Options Compared
Distances are by road to Marbella's old town.
| Base | To the old town | Evenings | Booking zone | What we would book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabopino | 14.2 km | Quay dinners, the beach, early nights | Marbella, standard rate | An overnight or two quiet days |
| Elviria | 11.6 km | Resort restaurants and beach clubs | Marbella, standard rate | A dinner date |
| Calahonda, across the line | 15.9 km | Self-catering resorts, quiet | Mijas, two-hour minimum | An overnight |
| Centre and Golden Mile | Under 5 km | Old town, late bars, starred tables | Marbella, standard rate | Hourly or a dinner date |
Who Cabopino Suits
Cabopino suits a second or third visit to the coast, a few days built around the beach and a companion rather than around clubs, and anyone flying out of Málaga, 43 km away. It does not suit a first weekend that should include Puerto Banús, or a stay built on short bookings. For the resort strip five minutes west, see our Elviria guide; for availability across town, our companions page lists everyone on the books.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cabopino part of Marbella?
Yes. The port, the beach and the urbanisations behind them sit in Artola, at the eastern end of Marbella's municipality. The boundary with Mijas lies about a kilometre east: the Macdonald Leila Playa resort, 1.7 km from the port by road, is already in Mijas, in the Sitio de Calahonda.
How far is Cabopino from Marbella and Puerto Banús?
The port is 14.2 km by road from Marbella's old town and 24 km from Puerto Banús, about 20 and 25 minutes in light traffic. On Marbella's 2026 taxi tariff the ride to the old town costs about €20 by day and €25 at night, and to Puerto Banús about €31 and €38.
Is there nightlife in Cabopino?
Very little. A couple of bars on the quay stay open after dinner, and the beach restaurants close early outside high summer; Cocoa Beach's kitchen shuts at 20:00 in October. The nearest clubs are in Puerto Banús, 24 km west, so most people who stay in Cabopino keep the late hours at home.
What is Torre Ladrones?
The old watchtower at the far end of the Artola dunes, west of Cabopino port: a square tower more than 14 metres tall with three rooms and a roof terrace inside. It takes its name from its ladroneras, projecting machicolations, and is a protected heritage monument, reached on foot along the dune boardwalks.
Does a booking in Cabopino cost extra?
No. Cabopino is inside Marbella, so the standard rates apply: €300 an hour, dinner dates from €900 and overnights €3,000 to €4,000, at weekends too, and you pay her taxi. Addresses across the Mijas line, about a kilometre east in Calahonda, count as outside Marbella and carry a two-hour minimum.
Planning a Few Quiet Days East?
Send us your dates, the apartment, villa or hotel with a dropped pin, because the urbanisations are hard to find at night, and how you want to spend the time. We confirm who is free, her arrival time and the price, with her taxi out to Cabopino paid by you.
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