Or, pausing along the Paseo Maritimo, they shared a meal together.

As for my own meals, I usually stopped for lunch at the Tiger Bay Restaurant to keep expenses down. At this waterfront establishment, one-euro tapas were the norm. I'd return to the promenade in the early evening for dinner, timing my schedule to the beautiful sunsets Marbella offers its visitors free of charge.

Surprisingly, Marbella can be a gastronomical delight regardless of your budget. Even in the exclusive Puerto Banus Marina area, Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano offered 16-euro, three-course meals. Having grown up in a traditional Polish family, this meat-and-potatoes guy was astounded at the variety of fresh seafood available--and at how attractively the food was presented for diners at even the simplest beachside chiringuito.

As in Nerja and La Herradura, I made it a point to find just the right spot in town to hone my "watch the world as it goes by" skills. In Marbella, that special place was Casco Antiguo, the city's Old Town section. Settled first by the Phoenicians and later the Moors, and surrounded by the ruins of an old Arab wall, Old Town's winding streets and alleys offer today's visitors delectable cafés and unique boutiques. I found the best way to enjoy this section of Marbella was to wander the streets without a tour-guide map and let Old Town take me in.

The focal