Irish media fawns over Marbella’s glossier side

The reputation of Marbella extends across the world, but is it always accurate? There can be no doubt that its image as a playground for the rich and famous is accurate, and that listers from A-Z flock there all year round to revel in the glamour, the glitz and the prestige that comes with being seen in one of the world’s coolest resorts, where supercars and megayachts are such a common sight as to be almost mundane…

Shows like Life on Marbs and TOWIE also reveal the resort’s more accessible – yet still aspirational – side, with excessive champagne spray parties, pricey bars and restaurants and stylish clubs packed to the rafters with hedonistic party animals.

It is rare, then, when a larger media outlet takes the time to discover just whether this really is the ‘true’ Marbella, or whether the resort has more depth and, well, appeal to those put off by the idea of a non-stop party town.

Last week the Irish Independent published a rather nice piece on exactly this topic – taking its readers on a journey from the front line of Puerto Banús – where seemingly anything goes so long as it is suitably gold-plated – to the cute and cool alleyways of Marbella’s Old Town, finding a resort that despite its fame and millions has managed to retain the other worldly charm for which it first became famous.

The article winds its way through the Marbella Club Hotel – where superstars such as Lady Gaga and Paris Hilton think nothing of shelling out €15,000 a night for a suite – along the Golden Mile of Middle East royalty, luxury furniture stores and high-end car dealerships, right into the heart of Marbella proper: a thriving, working, normal Spanish town on the glorious southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.

After traipsing around the Old Town, the Irish Independent can’t resist looking briefly at the region’s luxury property market with barely concealed incredulity – yes, properties can retail from multi-millions, but largely real estate in and around the resort is fairly priced – before heading to some of the best fine dining establishments found anywhere in southern Spain.

The article overlooks the opportunity to explore the delights of San Pedro de Alcántara, and misses a trick in not heading inland a short while to explore the tiny pueblos that dot the hills that ring Marbella, but overall it is a nicely balanced, well-written account of one of the world’s best-loved – but strangely misunderstood – destinations.