We sail from Puerto Marina, Benalmádena: 40 minutes by car from Marbella on the AP-7.
See boats at Puerto Marina9+
years sailing
13
boats of our own
3
harbours on the Costa del Sol
40 min
by car from Marbella
Solboat is not based in Marbella: our nearest harbour is Puerto Marina in Benalmádena, about 40 minutes away by car on the AP-7. Six boats sail from there, with and without a licence, from €80 per hour and with insurance included. Open every day from 9:00 to 21:00.
We say it upfront because it's what causes the most confusion: there are 40 minutes of road between Marbella and us, and by sea it's 19 nautical miles to Marbella's harbour and 22 to Puerto Banús. Those are real distances worth knowing before you book, not a footnote.
If what you want is a day on a boat and the departure point doesn't matter much, Puerto Marina works in your favour: a bigger fleet, more time slots and prices below what you'll find in Banús. If what you specifically want is to see Marbella from the water, it can be done — but it takes the right boat and half a day. We spell it out below.
Our fleet is our own and it sits where we have bases: Puerto Marina (Benalmádena), Puerto de la Duquesa (Manilva) and Estepona Marina. We hold no berths in Marbella or Puerto Banús, and we'd rather say so than sell you a departure from a harbour we're not in. What we do have is the biggest base on the Costa del Sol, 40 minutes from Marbella on the AP-7, with parking at the harbour itself, six boats to choose from and rates you won't find in Banús. For plenty of people in Marbella the maths works out; for anyone who just wants to step aboard ten minutes from home, the honest answer is to look in their own marina.
Four licence-free boats, the Rocinante for licence holders and the Tyrion catamaran with a skipper. Take your pick.
In Spain you can operate boats up to 6 metres long with an engine of up to 15 HP without any nautical licence, in daylight and within 2 miles of the coast. At Puerto Marina there are four: the Octo 47 CC (4.7 m, 6 seats) and the Andrómeda (5.2 m, 6 seats), the easiest to handle if you've never sailed, and the Nova and Kronos (5.5 m, 8 seats) for a group. From €80 per hour or €150 for 2 hours, with insurance and safety equipment included, a €200-300 deposit and fuel paid separately based on what you use. We walk you through the controls at the berth before you leave.
The Rocinante carries a 115 HP Selva and 7 seats, and it's the only boat in the fleet that makes a run towards Marbella realistic. Being over 15 HP it requires a PER or equivalent, which we ask for when you collect the boat. From €120 per hour, with a €300 deposit. And if you'd rather not be at the helm, the Tyrion catamaran always sails with a professional skipper, up to 10 people, from €330 for 2 hours and with fuel included: it's the one for celebrations, though its speed keeps it within Benalmádena bay.
Here are the real distances from Puerto Marina, measured in a straight line by sea. We give them because it's the question we get most, and because a licence-free boat cruises at around 7 knots: the maths works itself out, and it's better done before you book than halfway through the trip.
This is the realistic target if you want to get near the Marbella area. Cabopino is the only small fishing-and-leisure harbour left on this stretch of coast, and behind it lie the Artola dunes, a protected natural monument and one of the few undeveloped beaches around. It's a little under half an hour each way on the Rocinante; on a licence-free boat it's about 2 hours, so it only makes sense on longer rentals.
Seeing the Golden Mile, the Marbella lighthouse and the yachts of Banús from the water, with La Concha and Sierra Blanca rising behind the town, is a proper day out. But it's some 45-55 minutes each way on the Rocinante, so realistically that's half a day once you count the return and the stops. On a licence-free boat it doesn't work: over two and a half hours each way. We plan it with you at the berth depending on the time and the sea state.
On a short booking what pays off is staying close: Benalmádena bay, Torremuelle and Carvajal, or west towards Fuengirola with Sohail castle above the river mouth. Less of a Marbella postcard, but real swimming time instead of spending the whole slot under way. It's what we suggest to most people coming over from Marbella for a few hours on the water.
What the stretch between Benalmádena and Marbella gives you, depending on how long you book.
The bay is regular bottlenose dolphin territory and running into them minutes after leaving is not unusual, especially first thing in the morning. No guarantees, but the odds are good most of the year.
The way this coast faces puts the sun straight ahead of you late in the day, with the Mijas hills cut against the west. Late slots are the ones people repeat, and you don't need to go far: it looks just as good from the bay.
Birthdays, hen and stag dos and get-togethers on the Tyrion catamaran: up to 10 people, professional skipper included and a sound system on board. You bring the drinks and catering, or we'll tell you where to order them.
Between Torremuelle, Carvajal and the Mijas stretch there are small coves you can only reach from the water. Drop anchor, jump in and you'll have the place largely to yourself, especially midweek.
Beyond renting by the hour, our Benalmádena base runs private experiences built for small groups: a sunset for two with cava and chocolates, a celebration cruise, a half-day escape or a private dolphin-watching trip.
If you're in Marbella weighing up the 40-minute drive, this is what you get when you arrive.
Puerto Marina is our big base: four licence-free boats, the Rocinante for licence holders and the catamaran with a skipper. More options and more free slots than at the smaller harbours.
Insurance and safety equipment included in the price. Fuel is paid separately based on actual consumption, except on the skippered catamaran, which includes it. No hidden costs.
Parking at the harbour itself, straight aboard from the berth and out at sea within minutes. Nothing like the logistics of a packed marina in high season.
We're at Puerto Marina Benalmádena, berths 685, 686 and 687. Here's the exact location and how to get here from Marbella.
Solboat Alquiler de barcos Benalmádena
Calle la Fragata, Amarre 685, 686 y 687
29630 Benalmádena, Málaga
On the AP-7 (toll) it's about 40 minutes from central Marbella and around 35 from Puerto Banús; on the free A-7, busier in summer, allow 50 to 60. Take the Benalmádena Costa exit, then follow the signs for Puerto Marina.
Puerto Marina has its own car park next to the berths and there is paid street parking along the seafront. In July and August it's worth arriving with time to spare: the marina is a restaurant hub too and it fills up.
What people looking for a boat from Marbella ask us.
Pick a boat, pick a date and we'll be waiting at berths 685, 686 and 687, Puerto Marina, 40 minutes from Marbella.
See boats at Puerto Marina
