Marbella Stag Do

A Marbella stag do is for the group that wants sunshine with a bit of polish. It’s the Costa del Sol’s glamorous end, with superyachts in the marina, smart beach clubs and an Old Town full of whitewashed lanes and orange trees. For one weekend your stag gets to feel like a Premier League footballer. Then he sees the bar bill in the port and remembers he isn’t one.

What I like is the range. You can have a proper dressed-up night, a lazy beach day and a decent dinner without leaving town, and it’s an easy place to keep a group of mixed ages happy. Dads and uncles love it. So do the lads who own more than one white shirt.

Start in the Old Town. Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Square) is the postcard spot, with restaurants spilling out under the trees, though the side streets around it are better value and full of small tapas bars where you eat standing up. Dinner here runs late, so don’t bother booking for seven unless you want the place to yourselves.

Then get a taxi down to Puerto Banús. The marina is where the night really happens, with bars facing the yachts and the bigger clubs a short stagger away. Dress smart. Trainers and shorts won’t get you in anywhere decent, and the bouncers have seen every excuse. Street promoters will offer you deals, so check exactly what’s included before anyone hands over any money.

Daytime in Marbella means beach clubs. Nikki Beach is the famous one, with themed parties in high season, and there are plenty of more relaxed chiringuitos (beach bars) along the front doing grilled sardines and cold beer. A boat party or catamaran out of Puerto Banús is a great way to get the whole group on the water, and the stag can take the helm for a photo while a professional does the actual steering.

This stretch of coast is nicknamed the Costa del Golf for a reason, so a golf stag do morning is easy to fit in before the sun gets serious. If you’d rather stay in town, a bar crawl round the Old Town is a cheerful way to warm up for Banús.

• Getting there. Fly into Málaga, which has flights from most UK airports, then it’s a transfer along the coast. Book it in advance for a big group.
• Getting about. Taxis are the easy option late at night, as local buses stop running fairly early.
• Booze in the street. Drinking outdoors is banned across Andalucía outside licensed terraces and approved areas, and local police do fine people.
• Shirts and shoes. Swimwear and bare chests belong on the beach and the promenade. Wander into town like that and you risk a fine.
• Timing. Beach clubs run from around late May to September. Out of season the Old Town is still lovely but the port is quieter.
• Book ahead. Beach club beds and club tables go quickly in summer, so sort the big night early.

If you want the same sunshine with a slightly cheaper round, a Málaga stag do is just up the coast and easy to combine. Otherwise, browse the packages below and compare stag do packages side by side before you pay a deposit. My advice is to book the boat for Friday, the big night for Saturday, and nothing at all for Sunday morning.

You’ve got two real choices, and they suit different groups. The Old Town is all whitewashed lanes and orange trees, with Plaza de los Naranjos and its side streets full of small tapas bars on the doorstep. I’d pick it for a mixed group that wants long dinners and a walk home. Puerto Banús is the marina, where the bars face the yachts and the bigger clubs are a short stagger away, so it’s the one for lads who are mainly there for the big nights.

The two are a taxi apart, so if you base yourselves in the Old Town, budget for cabs back from Banús, as local buses stop running fairly early. My practical tip: sort the transfer from Málaga before anything else. It’s a ride along the coast, and booking it in advance saves a big group standing around at arrivals.

Friday Fly into Málaga, take the transfer along the coast and get changed. I’d start in the Old Town with a bar crawl through the side streets off Plaza de los Naranjos, eating standing up in the tapas bars as you go. Dinner runs late here, so don’t panic if the place is empty when you arrive.

Saturday Morning is for getting competitive before the sun gets serious. I’d book go karting or rage buggies, and the golfers can sneak off for a round on the Costa del Golf. In the afternoon, get everyone on a boat party or catamaran out of Puerto Banús, with the stag taking the helm for a photo while someone qualified does the steering. Then shower, find a proper shirt and shoes, and head back to Banús for the night. Trainers and shorts won’t get anyone in anywhere decent. Do the marina bars by the yachts first, then the big clubs, and if a promoter offers you a deal, check exactly what it includes before anybody pays.

Sunday Book nothing for the morning. When the group surfaces, head to one of the chiringuitos along the front for grilled sardines and a cold beer. In high season, anyone with energy left can try Nikki Beach for one of its themed parties. Just remember the swimwear and bare chests stay on the beach and the promenade, because wandering into town like that risks a fine.