Fourth-floor light on a quiet street beside Hotel Lima

South-facing windows on the fourth and highest floor bring direct daylight into the living room, bedrooms and terrace from morning until late afternoon. This 3 bedroom top floor apartment in Marbella sits on a quiet second-line street right by Hotel Lima, where the elevation keeps street noise down while leaving the centre on the doorstep.

85 square metres built and an open-plan refurbishment

The owners have renovated and refurbished most of the flat. You enter directly into a single combined room holding the newly built open-plan kitchen, dining area and living space. Fitting three bedrooms and two bathrooms with showers into an 85 square metre built area means the footprint is compact and circulation space is kept to a minimum. There is no separate utility room or formal entrance hall, which makes the main room do all the daily work. A buyer should check the wardrobe depth and bed clearances in the bedrooms during a viewing to see how the proportions work in practice.

A five-square-metre terrace and a thoroughly overhauled building

Off the main living area is a 5 square metre south-facing terrace. Five square metres is enough for a small table and two chairs to sit in the sun or dry beach towels, though it rules out large dining tables or sun loungers. The block itself removes several common worries of older town-centre buildings: it has a passenger lift to the fourth floor and has recently undergone a major renovation covering the facade, entrance hall, corridors, water supply and electrical system. Because there are no pools or gardens mentioned in the building, communal maintenance is focused on the lift and the newly upgraded structure.

Five minutes on foot to Venus beach and Miguel Cano

Choosing a 3 bedroom top floor apartment in Marbella this close to the water normally means living with late-night noise, or else paying for a car you barely use. Here, the street itself stays quiet, yet Venus beach, the port and Avenida Miguel Cano with its restaurants, cafés, supermarkets and nightlife are all within a five-minute walk. You can live or stay here without a vehicle, which also means a buyer who does drive will need to look into nearby public or rented parking.