Ronda from the coast

Pine resin hangs in the warm air as the A-397 winds upward, and each hairpin whistles past the bumper. In 59 km from Puerto Banús, the road climbs from sea level to roughly 740 m and reaches Ronda, split by the Tajo since the 18th century Puente Nuevo replaced the older span in 1793. You catch sight of the 1785 bullring, among Spain’s oldest, and the cliff-hugging houses of La Ciudad and El Mercadillo. A quick pause at Mirador de Aldehuela frames the gorge perfectly and makes sense of the city’s fractured street plan.

From there it’s effortless: pick-up at your Puerto Banús hotel, a Mercedes at your disposal all day, and flexible timing. With a private chauffeur in Marbella, you skip crowded car parks, get dropped at Plaza de Toros, and explore the Casa del Rey Moro’s 18th‑century water steps or Santa María la Mayor while your driver waits. Lunch looks straight onto the chasm—taste a Sierras de Málaga white or rabo de toro—and he handles the road. The return can skim through Grazalema or Zahara de la Sierra to sample the white villages without adding too much time.