If you thought it would be all doom and gloom in Marbella after Covid, you’d be wrong. The Costa del Sol has sprung back to life with pizzazz and it’s a pleasure to behold. Certain health/related restrictions with regard to distancing and extra hygiene remain in place, but for the rest this region has returned to normal life and it’s Marbella as you know and love it!
Shops are open again, the street scene vibrant as of old, and the cafés and tapas bars that so popularly occupy shaded squares or overlook the sea are full of life, as are the coastal promenades, beaches, coves and most of the places that make the Costa del Sol special. Famous restaurants and beach clubs have reopened, as have shopping malls, department stores and night-time venues, while the sound of people practising sports has returned to golf and tennis clubs.
But there are also exciting new venues, such as a range of brand new or totally revamped restaurants, cafés, gyms, beach clubs and even resort hotels. The luxury Greek brand Ikos opened the doors to a truly stylish resort on the New Golden Mile, Estepona, where it occupies a prime coastal spot and offers fine dining in five different restaurants, as well as top-of-the-range spa and entertainment facilities, luxurious suites and bedrooms.
Trocadero has extended its range of luxury seaside venues with a new beach club in Estepona East, while the Anantara Villa Padierna Palace hotel looks as fresh and refined as ever and its beachside club, restaurant and paddle tennis centre provide a wonderful environment that also includes facilities for Croquet, a sport that is rapidly gaining in popularity.
The same is true of the luxurious Finca Cortesín resort and golf club. This superb, award-winning establishment has upgraded and renewed its spa, gym and restaurant offering, while the evergreen golf club has been chosen to host the Solheim Cup – the women’s Ryder Cup – in 2022.
There is movement and excitement across the area, with the Starlite Festival back with a full offering and the old bullring in Nueva Andalucía/Puerto Banús, Arena, is soon open for musical, cultural and sports events, including Sister Sledge and UB40 concerts this summer.
Meanwhile, relatively new venues such as Breathe and the Boho Club are back along with a refreshing of decor at the Puente Romano, adding to a host of new and renewed restaurants, cafés and shops across Marbella and beyond, and more luxury resorts to come.
Marbella and the Costa del Sol are ready for the summer and enthusiastic about the future.