About Expat Marbella
We're Rob and Louise. We live in Nueva Andalucía and built this site because we needed it ourselves.
Who We Are
Rob is Scottish. Louise is Swedish. We met in London, lived in Saudi Arabia for a few years, and eventually landed in Marbella. Nueva Andalucía, to be specific. We've been here long enough to know where not to park on market day.
Rob spent nearly a decade in health and fitness coaching. He's worked with clients across three countries and understands the logistics of relocating your life. Louise is a life coach and NLP practitioner. She's good at the stuff most expat sites ignore: how to actually settle in, make friends, and feel at home somewhere new.
Why We Built This
Most "expat resources" for Marbella are run by estate agents, law firms, or relocation companies. They give you just enough information to make you need their services. We wanted something different.
When we moved here, the visa process was confusing. Finding a decent rental felt impossible. Our first gestor gave us wrong advice that set us back months. We learned the hard way which areas actually suit expats (not just tourists) and which "must-visit" spots are overpriced traps.
So we built the resource we wished existed. Practical guides. Honest recommendations. Real information about what living here is actually like.
What Makes This Site Different
We're independent. No estate agency pays our bills. No law firm sponsors our content. We recommend places and services because we've used them ourselves, not because someone paid for a listing.
We live here. Nueva Andalucía is home. We shop at Mercadona, sit in traffic on the A-7, and deal with the same bureaucracy you will. When we write about registering on the padrón or finding a good mechanic, we're speaking from experience.
We tell you the bad stuff too. Not every area suits every expat. Some popular restaurants are overrated. Certain visa routes are far harder than others. We don't pretend everything is perfect here.
Affiliate Links
We do use affiliate links for some products and services. If you sign up for Wise, use a VPN we recommend, or book through certain links, we might earn a small commission. This costs you nothing extra.
We only recommend things we actually use ourselves. If something's rubbish, we'll say so. Our reputation matters more than a few quid in affiliate fees.
Get in Touch
Questions about moving here? Spotted something outdated? Just want to say hello? We read every email.
Email us at hello@expatmarbella.com
This Site Is a Work in Progress
We're adding new guides, updating old ones, and building out the classifieds section. If you've got local knowledge to share, tips for other expats, or corrections to anything we've written, we want to hear from you. The best expat resources are built by the community, not just two people with laptops.
Last updated: April 2025