Marbs – Bars, Booze & Beach Clubs

So my first holiday this summer was to Marbella! I’d always wanted to go as it’s known for being this glam party place with loads of nice places to go out and yachts in the marina – and it definitely lived up to this expectation. If you’re looking for a beach holiday with plenty of partying but somewhere to also dress up, then Marbs is for you! I’ll also be talking about how to get discounts in Marbella (last paragraph) so if you’re planning on going then it’s worth a read 🙂

 

Where We Stayed

We stayed in a hotel called Sol Marbella Estapona Atalaya Resort – about a 5 minute drive from central Puerto Banus and it was a big resort with a private beach and two golf courses. The location was great and we actually got a really good deal for all inclusive at a four star in June; I didn’t find Marbs as expensive as its stereotypically known for. However, it was a bit more of a family hotel and we would have perhaps wanted something a bit more lively (I’m 20 and boyfriend is 25) and something with more party vibes! Overall though it was a good hotel and if you’re looking for something chilled I’d recommend the Atalaya.

Sisu Boutique hotel is meant to be amazing and if I went back I’d like to stay there, especially with if I went with my girls!

 

Beach Clubs

We went to two beach clubs in Marbs: Ocean Club and La Sala. These were both incred and we had the best days at these! I actually prefer day drinking than nights out so the beach clubs were great.

If you’re looking for beach clubs to go to, there’s a short list below of recommendations/places that I saw were good from researching online before we went:

• Ocean Club
• Nikki Beach
• La Sala by the sea
• Plaza Beach
• La Cabane Beach Club
• Amare Beach Club Marbella
• Puro Beach

 

Ocean Club

Ocean club was amazing and one of the best places I’ve been to. It’s located on the beach front of Puerto Banus and I honestly think it’s worth the money to go to. We pre-booked a bed for around €70 each (for a two person bed) and they provide things like towels/water/fruit on the bed as well. The service was really good and we were well looked after by staff, which again makes it worth paying for. The music was good but was mainly steady techno, and the overall vibe was super chilled but I think this was down to it being a Monday at the start of the season (3rd June). They do loads of cool events there and on a Friday and Saturday it’s meant to be pretty lively!

The food and drink at Ocean is incredible – definitely not your standard beach club cuisine! We had three of the Sushi roll platters and to this day it’s the best sushi I’ve ever had. Cocktails were also good and I drank strawberry daiquiris for most of the day and Sangria – the only downside to the food and drink at Ocean was that it was quite expensive, so I’d recommend putting some money aside for this day!

 

La Sala

We went to La Sala kind of on a whim on our last day and it turned out to be one of the best days of the holiday. It was free to go in and we stayed around the bar all day and still had places to sit! The DJ and music was good and was more upbeat than Ocean and there was a guy on a sax (always very fun). People were really friendly and they have a small pool but people were in it whereas when we were at Ocean there was a huge pool that wasn’t really used all day. It was cheap compared to other beach clubs, around €13 for a cocktail. Would highly recommend La Sala for a fun beach club day!

 

Rosas Cafe

Rosas Cafe in Puerto Banus is super cute and is a must if you’re a girl who loves all things pink! The cafe is a 1 minute walk from the big Puerto Banus sign in the centre and serves breakfast, lunch and drinks. I saw Rosas Cafe on Instagram and it’s one of the most Instagrammable place in Marbs, famous for their designer logo coffees. Think pink flower walls, marble tables and designer coffee! We had breakfast here and the food and coffee was good, and at a good price as well.

 

Bars and Clubs

Going out in Marbs was quite different to all the other party hols I’ve been on like Ibiza, Zante, Magaluf etc – the bars and clubs are a lot nicer and everyone does dress up a lot. I mean like A LOT. Most girls were in full glam makeup, heels/sandals and in dresses or dressed up outfits, whereas most other party islands are more chilled. Personally I quite liked this as I enjoying dressing up, but it’s not to say you’ll be out of place if you like to dress more casual!

In terms of actual places to go, the News Cafe on the front of the marina was okay – it has a downstairs which is more of a bar and then upstairs is more of a club with a dance floor and louder music etc. Pangea was also good and they had a 2 for 1 on drinks which was good too! (I think drinks were about €20 each without the 241). They had shisha here but was more sophisticated and quiet than other places, maybe because we went in the first week of June so it wasn’t very busy!

Bijoux Banus is a nice bar for the evening/before a night out and has a really cute outside area with fire lamps and white leather sofas – very Marbs!

Mirage is supposed to be really good for a night out in Marbella and is more of a club – it opens late (around midnight) compared to other places and closes late as well. We didn’t actually make it here because we fell asleep in the hotel (oops). I know Mirage also does Ladies nights so that’s something to bare in mind!

 

Discounts!!

One thing I was surprised about in Marbella is how many places you can get in for free!

Most clubs and bars offer ladies nights where girls get in/can get free drinks or 241, and club promoters can also get you cheaper deals and offers in a lot of places. I had a few people message me on Instagram because I’d tagged locations in Marbs but the promoters are quite easy to find via the club and bar pages/tagged locations. If you message them most will be able to sort something out which is useful for saving a bit of money while you’re there and some will be able to get you into VIP if you’re lucky!

So if you’re going out in Marbella then it’s definitely worth looking online and seeing what days they’re doing ladies nights as this is quite popular there as well as speaking to the promoters/events managers 🙂

 

The Verdict..

I thought Marbella was an amazing place and really fun and I’d definitely recommend for a chilled party holiday! If I went again I’d do more of the beach clubs as there’s so many good ones that Marbs is known for. I went with my boyfriend and we had a sick time and I’d love to go with my girl friends as well – Marbs is a place you can do both!

 

Millie x