Travel
Originally published on Tuesday, 26th October 2010
SPA: MARBELLA CLUB PART 2
Say it in a sentence: Meandering celebrity haven with a sensational star-studded spa.
Brush shoulders with:
Euro money lounging by the pool in teeny bikinis whilst the impeccably clad old guard seek parasol-provided shade.
Check in for:
A total escape from reality; once you’re through the gates you really don’t need to leave with two pools at your disposal, enormous Mediterranean-tiled suites and private villas scattered around tropical gardens and access to the beach on your doorstep.
Get busy with:
Sure there are tennis courts and golf courses... but then there are also sun loungers and sand. Your call.
You’ll love:
The Thalasso Spa, especially the ‘Hollywood Icons’ packages which will leave you feeling as buffed, bronzed and beautified as Liz Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly or Bridgette Bardot. Between swims in the saltwater pool, sessions in the steamy Hammam and treatments under the hands of some of the most professional and thorough therapists we’ve ever come across (no false nails, sighs or half-hearted fingertip massages here), you’ll never want to leave.
We heart:
The dripped wax piled up over the branches of great big trees scattered throughout the outdoor Grill restaurant and lit up by fresh candles nightly – romantic, a little gothic and totally up our street. Sit in the same spot for breakfast and you’ll get sparrows hopping around after breadcrumbs.
You won’t find:
An abundance of TV channels. Oddly for such a luxurious property, the satellite channels take account of regional BBC varieties (hello East Anglia) but not much beyond ITV. Enough for an X-Factor catch up and trashy afternoon movie, not quite sufficient for a rainy day spent bunked up in bed. Which, given the Marbellan climate, come few and far between.
UJ’s Shared Secret:
What we wheedled out of the waiters.... A permanently drunk Britney Spears dragging K-Fed into the restaurant loo for a little nookie ‘even though she had a perfectly good villa’, Victoria Beckham’s breasts moving independently from the rest of her body as she refused to have her photo taken with an avid fan (David was, apparently, much more obliging), and Michelle Obama trying to make a reservation with her 40-strong entourage. Sidle up to the staff at this joint, they’ve seen it all...
MARBELLA CLUB
Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n
29600 Marbella – Málaga
(+34) 95 282 2211
www.marbellaclub.com
Rates from EUR 300
Hollywood Icon Spa Packages from EUR 280-375.
UJ flew with Monarch: Award winning low fares airline Monarch offers year round flights to Malaga from Birmingham, London Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester airports with fares, including taxes, starting from £46.50 one way (£76.99 return). For more information or to book, visit www.monarch.co.uk.
Check Out Take Two PT.1: CITY/SEA: Puro Urbano And Beach, Spain >>
