Nothing But Diamonds and a Thong

Yacht-loads of glitterati have been coming to Marbella since the 1950s. Here’s how to join them.

International Living Postcards-- your daily escape

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006
Marbella, Spain

Marbella has been hip ever since Alfonso von Hohenlohe created the legendary Marbella Club hotel, which brought yacht-loads of global glitterati to town in the 1950s. This chic Costa del Sol city, which boasts more designer stores per-square-mile than any other Spanish resort, is still the place where “everyone”--from Robert de Niro to Naomi Campbell--comes to hang out.

If expense is no object the best way to hit town is to hire a limo from The Marbella Stretch Limo Company (Lincoln Limo, plus chauffeur and bubbly, from $250) and zip into town with the style of fellow vacationers Antonio Banderas, Sean Connery, and Kate Moss.

The 18th-century Alameda park, with its tropical trees and bubbling fountains, is the place where Marbella’s beautiful people meet up. From here a horse-drawn carriage (or your own feet) will take you to Naranjos plaza, a cobbled 15th-century square hedged with the city’s oldest and most beautiful buildings, which is also the hub of Marbella’s café nightlife.

Better-value bistros where you can snack on slabs of morcilla (black sausage) and slivers of serrano ham lie in the nest of narrow alleys behind this world-famous square, but if you want to try the city’s trendiest bodega head for Tasca Don Matute, behind the Museum of Spanish Contemporary Engravings (which is packed with the fabulous oeuvres of Picasso and Miro) where you’ll chalk your orders up on a blackboard and stand in sawdust, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and locals as you sup on empanadillas de ternera (veal pancakes), or fideos a la malagueña (paella made with spaghetti, instead of rice).

Marbella offers some of the best retail therapy in the world and those in-the-know head for the Avenida Ricardo Soriano to get their buying kicks. Exclusive rocks can be had at the Chopard jewel emporium; other expensive whims are satisfied at Hermes, Gucci, and Versace. When you’re too hot-to-trot, the sleekest blue-flag beach to cool-off is half mile-long Nagueles playa where it’s de rigueur to wear nothing but diamonds and a thong.

The celebrated Marbella Hotel Beach Club is where I love to go when trying to get my head out from under the southern Spanish sun. But when that burning Andalusian sol finally descends on Marbella’s beautiful, emerald seascape I make my way along The Golden Mile, Marbella’s classy, marble-paved boardwalk, to Puerto Banus. Here, the terrace tables of Sinatra’s bar make a good window for watching the cocktail parties taking place on vessels the size of skyscrapers in this world-renowned port.

Once night has fallen, the movers and shakers make a beeline for Olivia Valere, a disco with kitsch décor of green plants and Greek statues, named after the local night club queen. This is Le place in Marbella to see, and be seen, but be prepared to pay a small fortune for the privilege--and make sure you get there early if you want to get in.

Heidi Fuller-love
For International Living

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P.S. If you want to discover more of the real Marbella life, hit the tangle of alleys leading off the Plaza Puente Ronda. In Anche street and calle Aduar you'll discover earthy establishments serving a drool-worthy selection of tapas and wines that are easy on the pocket.