Many have dubbed ritzy, glitzy and exclusive Marbella as the St. Tropez – Monte Carlo of Spain while others will insist it’s the London of Spain. Pretty much in a nutshell, Marbella is the playground of the jetsetters—the moneyed in Spain, as well as all over Europe especially from the UK come down to Costa del Sol to splurge on million Euro beach side mansions and dock their swanky yachts at Puerto Banus.
Swanky Marbella
In the last decade though Marbella has seen its popularity and sophistication slowly decline due to high profile criminals sheltering in the city—tattooed mafias hobnobbed with the celebrities and the rich—oh la la, Costa del Sol is now christened, Costa del Crime. Additionally, the feeble economic climate is not much of use and the sorry litany goes on: Euro crisis, housing bubble and Spain being in the brink of bankruptcy, some businesses even have closed shop and a number of villas and yachts are now tagged with ‘se vende’ signs. Oh dear Marbella, will you ever recover your dignity as THE place to be?
Well, seems like the celebrities continue to pour in to Marbella, like ‘Desperate Housewife’ Eva Longoria and Antonio Banderas who flew over to host the Starlite Charity Gala last month, as well as Michelle Obama opting to vacation here, which, as we all know, sparked a lot of criticism back in good ole America. Thus, there is really no reason for Marbella to be fretful now, she is in the spotlight once again!
So why don’t we check out Marbella’s Old Town, known also as ‘El Casco Antiguo’ by the locals. I must say that it is a gorgeous place, there is a beautiful confluence of Moorish and Spanish architecture, and the usual labyrinth of narrow cobblestone streets filled with boutique and souvenir shops on each side, as well as café and restaurant terraces. The Old Town during summer actually becomes a huge open-air terrace! It is very charming, perfect place by the way to people watch because a lot of people I saw here were well dressed, good looking and what else, rich looking. This isn’t your typical beach town; it’s the place to be seen so let’s go and strut those Manolos, walk with me with the fotos below.
Outdoor terraces around La Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Square).
Its almost 9PM so people are taking their seats but Dutchman and I don’t know which restaurant to eat at, yet!
Outdoor terraces everywhere. So gezellig…
Spain is not for the vegetarians, although the tortilla and patatas bravas are good options as well.
Anyway, I am not really into the high profile, socializing, I-want-to-be-seen and showing off my bling and brands lifestyle. I actually have a pet peeve against show offs and that hollow partying lifestyle (very tiring, this). So I know that even if I have gazillions of money, I would still prefer the normal, or rather, low profile lifestyle whilst enjoying the best of life and what money can offer. You keep out of trouble you know this way.
Travel Period: August 2010
Destination: Marbella (Malaga – Andalucia), Spain
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