7AM : Watch the sunrise over the Artola Dunes, a protected expanse of rippling sands much wilder than most manicured beaches around Marbella. The contours look especially dramatic in the glow of dawn, under the long shadow of the Torre de los Ladrones (Tower of Thieves) – an odd, prismatic medieval lookout. Cabopino Beach is right there for a morning swim in the Med, too, though be advised that it’s a designated area for nude bathing.

9AM : Enjoy a gourmet breakfast at Tragabuches, the all-day dining operation of ubiquitous Marbella megachef Dani García. Hotel staff, locals and visiting foodies have developed a communal morning habit around García’s anchovy-tomato toast, larded-meat muffins and other re-imaginings of rustic Andalusian breakfast foods.

10AM : Ride from the Marbella Club Equestrian Centre, on a guided trek through rugged, ancient creek-side terrain from the suburban village of Benahavís. Even for hardy horses the final ascent to Castillo de Montemayor is so steep that riders must dismount and climb the last section on foot. The mountaintop ruins of an 11th century Islamic fort offer a 100km sweep of visibility on a clear day – across Marbella and the Strait of Gibraltar to North Africa.

1PM : Laze through the afternoon at Chiringuito Puente Romano. There are many luxe beach clubs along the Golden Mile but this one is archetypal – combining a seafood restaurant, cocktail bar and daytime DJ right on the sand. Diners can move straight from lunch tables to rented Bali beds on a private stretch of shoreline.

4PM : Browse the boutiques of Puerto Banús, the fabled marina, custom designed to attract an international cohort of the fashionable. Glamour-wise the port is not quite what it was in the days of Grace Kelly, but the streets closest to the harbour form a maritime shopping district lined with all the leading names in couture, including Gómez & Molina, the storied local dealer in jewellery, diamonds and haute timepieces.

6PM : Set sail at sunset, on a chartered yacht from Nautica Marbella, with an experienced skipper and a cooler full of spirits and mixers. Watch the Mediterranean horizon split into layers of rose, gold and indigo before turning inland toward the city’s own lighthouse, Faro de Marbella, and docking at the central Puerto Deportivo as the evening comes to life.

7PM : Survey 600 years of graphic art at the Museo del Grabado Español Contemporáneo (Spanish Contemporary Engraving Museum) where relatively recent Spanish masters such as Picasso, Dalí and Miró share wall space with obscure 15th-century craftsmen under the brick vaults of a former Renaissance hospital (which tends to be quietest in the hour before closing time).

8PM : Wander the Old Town, or Casco Antiguo, around the leafy central square, Plaza de los Naranjos. Trace the remains of the medieval medina, admire Islamic tilework at the city’s oldest Christian chapel and marvel at the gigantic showpiece pipe organ in Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación. The best photo angle is out on Calle Carmen.

9PM : Trawl the tapas bars of the Old Town’s narrowest alley, Calle San Lázaro, making sure to stop at Taberna La Niña Del Pisto and take a high stool at a barrel table for an aperitif of cask vermouth and a little cod tripe.

11PM : Settle in for late supper and a show at Mamzel Marbella – a wilfully spectacular forum for Marbellan high society on hot summer nights. This characteristically glam hillside complex sets VIP tables around an outdoor stage on a lush garden roof terrace for seafood, bottle service and expensively produced Vegas-style live entertainment, followed by DJ sets that turn the venue into a late-night dance club.