The trip starts before you step on board: in the car, in the car park and on the right pontoon. Going to the wrong marina costs half an hour of the trip.
To get to Puerto Banús from Fuengirola it is about 28 kilometres on the A-7, around half an hour by car in normal traffic. For parking, the safest option is the underground car park at the marina, which is paid and fills up in August. To avoid rushing, it is best to leave Fuengirola an hour before boarding time, and a little earlier in August.
Before setting off, confirm the marina, because not all the large boats board at Puerto Banús. That is where the 21.7-metre yacht and the 31.7-metre one, the schooner, the three fishing boats and the sailing boat are moored. The 11.5-metre catamaran is at Marbella marina, next to the old town, about 6 kilometres from Puerto Banús.
In normal traffic, about half an hour for roughly 28 kilometres on the A-7. That half hour is time with the car moving, and on top of it you have to add getting the car out at the hotel or at home, getting into the marina car park and walking to the pontoon. All told, the real door-to-boat journey is quite a bit longer than the sat nav shows.
The sums change with the calendar. In August the marina car park fills up, and finding a space makes arrival slower. For fishing trips, which start at first light, between seven and eight, in winter you have to leave Fuengirola while it is still dark, so it is worth getting everything ready the night before.
The safe option is the underground car park at the marina. It is paid and fills up in August, so in high season it is worth arriving with time to spare or having another way of getting there in mind. What you can do is ask when booking for the exact boarding point, so that you enter the marina on the side closest to the boat.
If the group is travelling in several cars, sharing cuts the cost and the number of spaces you need to find. On a full-day trip the car stays parked for around eight hours, and that is paid too. Another option is to take a taxi and forget about parking, which on a celebration day, with someone who wants to raise a glass, makes sense.
Leaving an hour before boarding gets you there without rushing: half an hour of driving, a while to park and a while longer to find the boat. In August it is worth adding a little more for the car park. The booked time is the time the boat casts off, so the group needs to be on the pontoon a few minutes earlier, with everything ready.
An example with numbers: to board at ten in Puerto Banús, leave Fuengirola at nine; in August, at half past eight. If something goes wrong on the way, the useful thing is to call the office as soon as possible, on +34 669 06 27 56, so the boat knows the group is running late and does not find out on the pontoon.
Puerto Banús holds the large part of the fleet: the 21.7-metre yacht, for 12 passengers, and the 31.7-metre one, for 15; the 24.1-metre schooner, for 36 people; the three fishing boats of 10.9, 12.5 and 13.7 metres, for 8, 10 and 10 people; and the 12.2-metre sailing boat, for 9, which always goes out with its skipper.
When it comes to boats in Marbella, you have to tell two marinas apart. At the town marina, next to the old town, is the 11.5-metre catamaran for 12 people, hired by the hour or for a half day. There are about 6 kilometres between the two marinas, and anyone who has booked that boat and parks in Puerto Banús arrives late even if they left in good time.
In Estepona, further west than Puerto Banús, is the 21.8-metre yacht for 10 people, with a full crew, hired for a half day, a day or several days. From Fuengirola you have to drive past Puerto Banús and carry on along the coast, so the journey is longer. The exact address of the berth is given when you book.
The boats in Málaga are in the opposite direction. That is where the 23.7-metre catamaran for up to 100 passengers is moored; it only goes out as a private event, with catering arranged separately, and is booked weeks ahead. Málaga is about 30 kilometres from Fuengirola, so for a group staying in Fuengirola the distance is similar to that of Puerto Banús.
With a specific meeting point, not with ‘see you at the marina’. With two marinas in Marbella six kilometres apart, the useful thing is to send the whole group the name of the marina, the boarding point confirmed when booking and a meeting time half an hour before departure, somewhere easy to find.
It is best for one person to have the office number and do the talking if anything changes. On the schooner and on the large boats with a full crew there is service on board as well as the skipper, and on those over 24 metres there is also a second deckhand. Arriving together means the safety briefing can be given once for everyone.
On board, little and soft: a soft bag, swimwear already on, a towel, a cap, sun cream and light-soled shoes that do not mark the deck. Whatever is not needed on board stays in the boot. On a trip of several days on the 31.7-metre yacht, which sleeps 8 in four cabins at night, a soft bag is even more welcome.
On crewed boats, catering, fuel for long routes and berths in other marinas are extra, with a written quote, so it is worth having that settled before the day. For fishing, the gear is on board if you do not bring your own, but the recreational sea fishing licence is personal: it is issued by the Junta de Andalucía, obtained online, and you have to bring it with you.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
About half an hour for roughly 28 kilometres on the A-7, in normal traffic. On top of that, allow time to park and walk to the pontoon.
In the underground car park at the marina, which is paid. It fills up in August, so it is worth arriving with time to spare or going by taxi.
No. They are two marinas about 6 kilometres apart. The 12-person catamaran boards at Marbella marina, next to the old town; the yachts, the schooner, the fishing boats and the sailing boat board at Puerto Banús.
No. The Alquiler Náutico office is at the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, unit 367. Puerto Banús is where you board.
Leave us your number and we will call you. In July and August it is worth booking ahead.
Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, local 367. You can drop in and see the boats before you book.
At no charge. Going out to see what happens is never worth it.
Life jackets for everyone on board, included in the price.
