I know what you’re thinking – Marbella. Hen parties, The Only Way Is Essex, Danny Dyer living it large on the Costa Del Sol. Well, firstly stag parties are a rite of passage, Mark Wright seems a really nice bloke, and The Business is a minor classic of the gangster genre.
Stereotypes aside, the region has been levelling up its luxury game. Take METT Marbella-Estepona, not merely a great resort, but also an extremely classy one. This will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the METT brand, a group of boutique hotels situated in a handful of select locations across the globe, ranging from Bodrum to southern Spain. It’s the latter that I visited a few weeks ago, swapping London grey for Andalusian sun.
The lobby is a beautiful space, flooded with natural light and foliage, with a large olive tree right bang in the middle. The walls are blue and white, the ceiling hangs a mile above your head. The cooling breeze is almost as welcome as the mimosa you receive on arrival. The drizzly London you left behind that morning doesn’t feel like another country so much as another planet.
We’ll tour the resort in a moment but a word on the accommodation itself, a gorgeously decorated suite of pastel and earthy hues. There was a smart TV, a rainforest shower, a bed so big I could go full starfish and still not touch the sides. Best of all was the balcony, overlooking the beach and the ocean, a lovely spot to greet the day or watch the sunset.
Sea View Suite
METT has many charms but proximity to the beach might be first among them. You can go from fast asleep to splashing around in the Mediterranean in less than five minutes. (Please remember to don your trunks.) The beach itself has copious loungers for guests, and yes cocktails will be delivered if you ask politely.
There’s a gigantic swimming pool in the middle of the resort, aka the Azure Beach Club. It is a lovely place to while away an afternoon, knocking back a few daiquiris – come on, you must go fruity – and sampling the surprisingly great food on offer. Wagyu sliders? Yes please.
If you somehow tire of lounging poolside or floating in the Med, the resort has plenty to keep you occupied. Work off the daiquiris on the padel and tennis courts, or head to the state-of-the-art gym. If you prefer total deceleration, the MOI Spa is your sanctuary. It is an impressive setup, featuring a traditional hamam, hydrotherapy pools, and a menu of treatments designed to knead away whatever residual city stress you brought through customs.
Naturally, all that self-care builds up a serious appetite, which brings us to the main event: the food. There are several restaurants to sample on your visit.
Isola
Isola
Situated directly beside the pool, Isola specialises in Southern Italian and Mediterranean dishes. The food is remarkably good. My advice: opt for the seafood. You’re on the coast. The prawn carpaccio is an absolute must, the calamari tastes like it was caught this morning. We stayed aquatic for the mains, an uncharacteristically wise choice. The seabass was sharp and clean, the octopus came with a wonderful hummus flavouring. As you’d imagine, the wine selection is pretty stonking, too.
AMMOS
AMMOS
Very much one for date night. Ammos is situated directly on the beach, overlooking the ocean and the wide blue horizon. Don’t spend all your time ogling the ocean: the restaurant is very lovely itself, the stone floors, whitewashed walls and pastel hues creating a little corner of Greece on the Costa del Sol. Try not to hum Mamma Mia too loudly. My friend had the seafood orzo pasta – if it ain’t broke – while I finally went terra firma with the baby chicken; both were delicious. The place gets quite vibey in the evening, with live music and dancers. Try not to smash any plates.
El Bar de Lola
Bar de Lola
We’re back at the pool. Bar de Lola is exactly that: a circular bar with the bartenders operating in the centre. It serves tapas, a relatively streamlined selection of sharing plates – come hungry and you could realistically order everything. A solid move, too, considering the quality of the dishes we sampled: grilled octopus, marinated anchovies, confit pork loin. The Iberian ham plate is a must if you’re willing to splash out a little extra. Wash it all down with a couple of house cocktails: I recommend the Cucumber Spritz (the grown-up option) and the Tipsy Monkey (the less grown-up option).
While there’s no need to leave the resort, you might eventually wish to do some exploration. As the name suggests, the resort sits within easy reach of two destinations. Marbella, you know. Estepona is a rather pretty resort town, all cobbled streets and whitewashed houses. It would be simplistic to say one is for the day, the other night, but perhaps not entirely correct.
Anyway, don't tarry for long. The ocean is waiting for you back at camp. And what a marvellous camp it is.
For more information, see METT Marbella-Estepona
