It’s been many years since I visited the Andalusia area and what a better way to explore it than in an Alpine Green Bentley Bentayga. The Bentley Bentayga is a front-engine, all-wheel drive, five-door luxury SUV. It is my second time driving this beauty after my first experiences with the Bentayga in the UK.

I was going to take the Bentayga down to one of the glitziest areas of Spain in Marbella. This city and resort area on southern Spain’s Costa del Sol is the area where the rich and famous come to the party or relax. Marbella’s setting is stunning with the nearby Sierra Blanca Mountains offering the perfect backdrop to 27 km of sandy Mediterranean beaches, villas, hotels, and golf courses.

It is a seaside resort area in where many walks of lives come together to showcase their fashion, lifestyle and luxury cars.  Regarding the way they drive in this region,  it seems that on the most part, everyone understood the basic automobile road rules, unlike the rest of Spain.

Alpine Green

When I collected the Bentayga from C. de Salamanca in Marbella I absolutely fell in love with the Alpine Green colour, it certainly blended in with the environment here. Whether parking at Marbella or the coastal estates leading to Puerto Banús, a marina filled with luxury yachts and surrounded by upmarket boutiques and bars, the Bentayga was in its rightful surrounding. The Bentayga not only belonged here, but it was also a real show stopper every time I pulled up in any public area. There were both men and women always coming over asking about this SUV.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

The Bentayga at Puente Romano Marbella

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Puente Romano is famous for the Bjorn Borg Tennis Courts

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Near Puerto Banús Marina

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Ronda

Literally an hours drive from Marbella, is one of Spain’s most amazing historical cities called Ronda. Ronda is a mountaintop city in Spain’s Malaga province that’s set dramatically above a deep gorge. This gorge (El Tajo) separates the city’s circa-15th-century new town from its old town, dating to Moorish rule.

The drive to Ronda, through the the Sierra Blanca Mountains is slow, windy but has stunning views. This was the perfect road to test, the Bentley Bentayga’s driving technology. The double sun visor and top view camera were an added bonus to see and appreciative these spectacular views. Also on my way down n the early morning fog, the lights were so strong, it was like landing on a runway.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through AndalusiaBentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through AndalusiaBentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

This road is somewhat dangerous because there are not many overtaking lanes and this can cause frustrated drivers to take unsafe risks and overtake other cars or heavy traffic such as trucks. I always kept my distance because I knew how much power was sitting under my bonnet.

I felt so safe driving on this windy narrow road and when the opportunity arose to overtake, there was nothing more exhilarating when my foot hit the drilled alloy sports foot pedal. It was also equally comfortable when I could drive and relax my foot on the matching footrest. I did this several times throughout my drive kindly been reminded, to watch my speed and drive safely.

I find in Spain there are always drivers who love to tailgate and God forbid if I braked they would end up ramming into me. So once again it was so empowering to accelerate, look in my revision mirror and giggle as I left my annoying driver way in the distance. The slow windy drive to Ronda was amazing and as you can see the Bentley Bentayga looked worlds apart from any other SUV out there.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Puente Nuevo –  Historical Stone Bridge

There are two parts of Ronda, one that is historical and the other very new and modern. I got a tad disorientated, so I decided to ask one of the locals to guide me. This is what I love about the power of the Bentley brand. That normally when I ask for car re-directions, it’s a few hand gestures and off I go. But on this occasion, his eyes were peeled on the prize and it certainly was not me he was looking at. In fact, as I looked around a slow steady crowd started to gather around me, which it then occurred that I was driving a 220,000 euro car and how often has a Bentley Bentayga pulled up in these neck of the woods. Spain is a very safe country, it was lovely to be able to share the opulence of the car in such a small city. So before I knew it, I was being guided by the locals literally with them driving in front of me.

I wanted to park the Bentley in the gorge to get the best views of the historical stone bridge. What a blessing to be shown and taken down a steep windy road. I decided to put it in 4WD, to test out the difference, also my version had the terrain specifications valued at almost 5000 euro. I instantly felt a safe force to lead me to one of the most spectacular bridge drives I have ever done within Europe. The slow steep descent was not an issue for the Bentayga as it had more than enough clearance plus it had the underfloor protection which was crucial regarding handling the rocky Andalusian terrain.

Puente Nuevo is a stone bridge spanning the gorge, and from the angle bellow, it is spectacular to view. Not many cars venture down here for obvious reasons but if you can, I highly recommend it. When you are in the historical town there is also a lookout also from the bridge, offering stunning views of Ronda and its surrounding countryside.

As I parked the car, I wanted to get a few social media shots and I noticed to my left a guy called Ali, who clearly had the right camera technology. After a quick chat,  Ali took over, directed my shots and the trained aviation photographer took some epic shots and showcases the Bentley Bentayga in a terrain in which I believe it belongs.

As usual, the crowd slowly got closer and before I knew it, I was inundated with many questions about the Bentayga.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through AndalusiaBentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through AndalusiaBentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Historical Ronda

Ronda is also a beautiful place to drive through and there are so many tourists walking it requires slow driving. This was a lot of fun because as I drove there was a real sense of rarity just by the look of the public faces, I knew the Bentayga was as unique as Ronda itself. Many people watching, glaring and taking photo’s as I slowly drove in. I chose to stay in the heart of the city and thankfully there were a few spots in where I could quickly park and offload my luggage.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Luggage Management

When I am pulling up at 5 Star hotel, there is nothing more endearing when they open the boot and notice the beautifully handcrafted luggage management. This system is great for heavy luggage and literally, by a push of the button it comes out slowly out.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

City Specification

In Spain, the parking can be a very challenging adventure, as they have not updated the specs of a parking lot for the last three decades. So I really appreciated the park assist, as parking the very large Bentayga ( Length, 5,141 mm), can be quiet a challenge. The pedestrian warning was also an added bonus because every time I pulled up to park, there were so many people stopping looking and taking photos.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Andalusia Terrain

The Andalusia countryside looked stunning and has some harsh terrains to drive through, but in the Bentayga it was just bliss. Taking in all the surroundings, the steep windy roads were brilliant fun, appreciating the handling power of such a beautiful handcrafted machine. Listening to the amazing stereo which Bentley also claim is the loudest in the world, was absolutely perfect driving in and around Ronda and Marbella. Words can’t even describe my emotions every time I played my music.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Union Jack Exterior Flag

This was an interesting feature to have on the outside of the car, the Union Jack Exterior flag. But as marketing goes it was lovely to remind anyone observing that Britain has held onto timeless historical treasures such as the Bentley brand. One that I am very proud of to be part of as a luxury, lifestyle journalist.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through AndalusiaBentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Luxury Leather Interior

As I opened the car I was once again reminded that the Bentley Bentayga for me can only be described as a luxury leather handbag on wheels. The main hide was a camel colour and the secondary hide is a gorgeous burnt oak, which is such a trending colour for menswear in the last year. It is one of my favourite colours and once again it matched the harsh Andalusia terrain perfectly. Team this with the massage chair on whilst driving and touching the leather hand stitching steering wheel, and it was a beautiful reminder, that Bentley stands alone when it comes to luxury car driving. The feeling is like no other and one has to experience this first hand to truly appreciate the leather and craftsmanship of Bentley.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Conclusion

Every time I drive a Bentley I am so overwhelmed by its engineering and craftsmanship. I never can contain my emotions when driving this car both with a city environment and on the open roads. I adore all the attention it attracts when I am driving and I love the reactions of the people when I smile back and make them feel welcome.

Once again my mission is to inspire my readers that everything and all things are possible in experiencing the world of luxury. I can only describe my Bentayga experience in Spain as equally as the New town’s Plaza de Toros, in Ronda.  Which is a legendary 18th-century bullring and which is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

You may not like it, you may not agree with it, you may not be able to afford it, but the Bentley Bentayga is there for the taking. I personally can’t get enough of it.

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia

Bentley Bentayga Diesel - Tour Through Andalusia