Summers Holiday Part 1||Marbella
Hopefully you have managed to read my brief catch up post from a few weeks back detailing that I would be starting my big post holiday write up in Marbella.. well here it is!. Even though we went to Ibiza first I wanted to switch things up a bit and start talking about Marbella here- I also enjoyed this part of Spain more than Ibiza. My partner on the other hand preferred Ibiza, but as this is MY blog and I am the one writing about our holiday he lost out! So please read on to find out exactly what we got up to in Marbella and where we stayed, ate and partied our nights away.
Stay:
This lovely 5 star, Adults only hotel was a dream to stay in. It had everything you could ever want and more and I honestly would go back in heartbeat.
It offered amazing double rooms, with double beds and LOTS of space inside- all with private balcony's overlooking the pool areas & 24 hour room service. Modern, luxurious facilities including an indoor Spa with complimentary access to the Hot Tub and Spa treatments (these come at additional cost), and a 24 hour state of the art gym- Free for all guests.
Outside you have two gorgeous outdoor swimming pools with plenty of sun loungers to go round, and a la carte restaurant and pool bar area if you are feeling thirsty. There are also loads of great restaurants, bars and pubs within walking distance to the hotel & Taxi's upon request to take you 5 miles to Puerto Banus Marina and 7 miles to Marbella Old Town- where there is lots of fun to be had.
We upgraded our double room half way through our holiday to one of the stunning Penthouse's located right on the top floor of the hotel. We had our own living room and dining space complete with a massive plasma TV on the wall, a lovely modern bathroom and the whole top deck to sun bath and our own private Jacuzzi to relax in. The double room we was initially in was lovely, and more than adequate for us both, but we wanted the end of our holiday to be just that little bit more private and special, and by renting out this penthouse that is exactly what we got.
Here are some photographs I got of the whole place... I really don't think it needs any more description.
Eat/Drink/Party:
Located just couple of minutes walk down from our Hotel was a lovely quirky little restaurant/bar called Tanino. We found this place on our first night when we was looking for a late night place to have a few drinks, because we arrived so late in the evening (thanks to delays) we found the only place open was here. It stays open till around half 2/3 on the weekends (or whenever the last stragglers can be bothered to make their way home). We only ended up visiting here once unfortunately, we did want to come back and try the food but we didn't have time. I would certainly recommend this place to you if you are looking to have a chilled out lazy lunch or dinner with friends or your partner. It is a really great little find, and in a very convenient spot too.
Their cocktail menu is pretty impressive, it is one of the largest and most varied I have come across certainly in Spain, if not ever. We enjoyed many classics and some of Tanino's own creations too, my favourite by far was their Espresso Martini's though. Their Wine cellar is also even more impressive, and even though it was off limits to the customers, I had to get a photo just to show you all how cool it is.
Another great little find was a beautiful Italian restaurant a short walk down from our hotel (virtually next door to Tanino) this lovely little modern Italian offers some of the most delicious pasta's and pizza's I have eaten. We came here during the end of our holiday, and both wished we found it sooner. It was great value for money as well which was a bonus. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any of my own photo's of this restaurant but I think you need to go there and see just how nice it is for yourselves. Even though it relatively unknown at the moment in my opinion it deserves better reviews, give it a try I'm sure it will surprise you like it did us.
Hard Rock Cafe, Marbella
Stay:
Senator Banus Spa Hotel, Estepona
(Around 40 mins from Malaga Airport, 7 Miles from Marbella)
This lovely 5 star, Adults only hotel was a dream to stay in. It had everything you could ever want and more and I honestly would go back in heartbeat.
It offered amazing double rooms, with double beds and LOTS of space inside- all with private balcony's overlooking the pool areas & 24 hour room service. Modern, luxurious facilities including an indoor Spa with complimentary access to the Hot Tub and Spa treatments (these come at additional cost), and a 24 hour state of the art gym- Free for all guests.
Outside you have two gorgeous outdoor swimming pools with plenty of sun loungers to go round, and a la carte restaurant and pool bar area if you are feeling thirsty. There are also loads of great restaurants, bars and pubs within walking distance to the hotel & Taxi's upon request to take you 5 miles to Puerto Banus Marina and 7 miles to Marbella Old Town- where there is lots of fun to be had.
We upgraded our double room half way through our holiday to one of the stunning Penthouse's located right on the top floor of the hotel. We had our own living room and dining space complete with a massive plasma TV on the wall, a lovely modern bathroom and the whole top deck to sun bath and our own private Jacuzzi to relax in. The double room we was initially in was lovely, and more than adequate for us both, but we wanted the end of our holiday to be just that little bit more private and special, and by renting out this penthouse that is exactly what we got.
Here are some photographs I got of the whole place... I really don't think it needs any more description.
Eat/Drink/Party:
Tanino, Estepona
Address: Carretera de Cadiz, Km 168 Urb Benamara, 29688
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| Outside bar/seating area |
Their cocktail menu is pretty impressive, it is one of the largest and most varied I have come across certainly in Spain, if not ever. We enjoyed many classics and some of Tanino's own creations too, my favourite by far was their Espresso Martini's though. Their Wine cellar is also even more impressive, and even though it was off limits to the customers, I had to get a photo just to show you all how cool it is.
La Mama Elena, Estepona
Address: Avda dos Hermanas, Urb Benamara 29680
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| Photo Credit: Trip Advisor |
Marbella Old Town
We ventured into Marbella Old Town a few nights during our stay, it was one of the most beautiful towns I had been lucky enough to visit in Spain so far. The cobbled streets were scattered with pretty little souvenir shops, lovely designer boutiques, big fountains and lots of outside seating belonging to some beautiful little traditional Spanish restaurants. Of course we ate here a few different nights, both nights we indulged in some Tapas.
The thing we loved about the Old Town is that everything is open till late, the restaurant's are still serving food way into the night, and because of the pace and easy lifestyle out there everyone is enjoying each others company over a drink or two and no one seems to be in a rush to go home, even at 12am/1am in the morning. It is a really lovely little family orientated town, with a little hint of tourism but not too much, that it feels overcrowded and suffocating like Puerto Banus did.
Make sure you visit Orange Square when you are here, there are loads of lovely little traditional restaurants and bars to visit and the views are beautiful.
Marbella Port/ Lemmon
Address: Puerto Deportivo, 29601 Marbella
After dinner one evening in Marbella we decided to venture to the Harbour/ Marina Port area where we had heard there were lots of clubs and bars which catered to the more younger crowd. We were not disappointed. There was lots to choose from, but we settled on Lemmon during that evening, which served more great cocktails and Sisha which we were dying to try out. Most of the bars on this strip are exceptionally busy ALL the time! We were lucky enough to get a table and we stayed their until around 4am, (the club closed at 6am fyi,, but says on its website its open 24 hours- great for all you late night party people!)
Hard Rock Cafe, Marbella
Address: Calle Ramon Areces, s/n 29662, Marbella
We couldn't come all the way to Marbella and not do a cheeky stop off in its Hard Rock Cafe, (you all know just how much I love visiting them around the world).We came here for a casual lunch and a few cocktails and it was so nice and chilled. The restaurant inside was also very interesting, not the biggest one I have visited (or to be honest the prettiest) but the food was still excellent Hard Rock standard and the memorabilia was interesting here.
We couldn't come all the way to Marbella and not do a cheeky stop off in its Hard Rock Cafe, (you all know just how much I love visiting them around the world).We came here for a casual lunch and a few cocktails and it was so nice and chilled. The restaurant inside was also very interesting, not the biggest one I have visited (or to be honest the prettiest) but the food was still excellent Hard Rock standard and the memorabilia was interesting here.
Puerto Banus
This was the place I was most excited to visit when I first arrived, but it ended up only really being good for one thing and that was Shopping! We spent 1 night out here and really didn't have the best time. Everywhere we went was overcrowded, heaving with tourists. Don't get me wrong the yachts were amazing and really good to look at but to be honest I think that's about it. We couldn't even get a seat at any restaurant, we queued everywhere for ages and ages because there was that many people waiting to also eat. It felt like the complete opposite of Marbella Old Town, which was lovely relaxed and very laid back. Here it felt like everyone was on a mission and there was just too many people to enjoy the scenery and surroundings.
If I was to venture back to Marbella I would choose a different hotel which is a little bit closer to Marbella Old Town. Don't get me wrong I loved our one, but I would want to try somewhere a bit nearer as Taxi's are actually quite a bit more expensive than we anticipated. We both fell in love with Marbella Old Town, and it was a shame we didn't get to see a lot of it so this is also why I would stay here next time. I would also not want to go back to Puerto Banus, the experience I had there this holiday did put me off visiting there again, even though a lot of people I know and met on holiday loved it there, it wasn't really for us.
So I guess that kind of brings me to the end of my holiday. I guess this post was more of an area guide with a few restaurants/bars thrown in the mix. I hope it was kind of useful and hope I have given you a couple of decent suggestions of places to go if you get stuck for ideas. Have you been to Marbella? I would love to know all the exciting details, and places to visit if I ever find myself in the area again. Feel free to comment below with suggestions for us all. Of course if anyone has any other questions about my holiday and/or the area please do also drop me a comment. I am going to be putting a review up on Trip Advisor as well so hope you will take the time to read that.
If I was to venture back to Marbella I would choose a different hotel which is a little bit closer to Marbella Old Town. Don't get me wrong I loved our one, but I would want to try somewhere a bit nearer as Taxi's are actually quite a bit more expensive than we anticipated. We both fell in love with Marbella Old Town, and it was a shame we didn't get to see a lot of it so this is also why I would stay here next time. I would also not want to go back to Puerto Banus, the experience I had there this holiday did put me off visiting there again, even though a lot of people I know and met on holiday loved it there, it wasn't really for us.
So I guess that kind of brings me to the end of my holiday. I guess this post was more of an area guide with a few restaurants/bars thrown in the mix. I hope it was kind of useful and hope I have given you a couple of decent suggestions of places to go if you get stuck for ideas. Have you been to Marbella? I would love to know all the exciting details, and places to visit if I ever find myself in the area again. Feel free to comment below with suggestions for us all. Of course if anyone has any other questions about my holiday and/or the area please do also drop me a comment. I am going to be putting a review up on Trip Advisor as well so hope you will take the time to read that.
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