The Spanish clearly love their shopping, and they demand quality and up to the minute fashion. You won't find many UK multiples so you have an authentic local and European feel to many of the town shops.

• Inland from Marbella is the La Canada shopping centre - home to numerous clothes shops, department stores, cafes and restaurants. Centre is off the A7/N340/E15 Marbella by-pass. Take the exit for "Ojen" and "Parque Commercial".

• Between Puerto Banus and the N340 is a large El Corte Inglese department store and food supermarket. (Parking is good but busy). Banus also hosts a market on a Saturday morning with stalls in the Bull Ring (up the hill away from the sea).

• Carefour in Estepona is a hypermarket for food and housewares

• There are various smaller shops in Estepona, San Pedro, Banus, Marbella.