Marbella enjoys 72% surge in holiday enquiries thanks to TOWIE

TOWIE babes Lydia Bright, Lauren Pope and Chloe Sims strut their stuff as they head to Ocean Club in Puerto Banús

Thousands of ‘Well Jel’ and sun-starved Brits swamped online hotel booking portals after the first of the two-part TOWIE (The Only Way is Essex, to the uninitiated) Marbella special aired.

Searches for Marbella increased by a whopping 72 per cent, according to holiday booking website hotels.com (who unfortunately did not reveal the number of people who searched for ‘Marbs’ instead) as the Costa del Sol resort played host to the popular reality show’s summer special…

TOWIE’s stars could be seen frolicking on the sands of Puerto Banús’s best beaches, enjoying the high-end delights of the front line’s superb boutiques, and getting rowdy and raunchy in the stylish clubs and bars that dot the resort.

Backdropped by the sparkling Mediterranean and the iconic La Concha mountain, Marbella evidently turned the heads of thousands of viewers.

“It’s impressive to see how influential our favourite TV shows can be on our travel habits,” said hotels.com’s Alison Couper. “Our site offers great deals for Marbella for those who are interested in whisking themselves away to have a ‘reem’ holiday this summer!”

The show’s Lauren Pope has also been talking up Marbella recently, and has even been promoting the first-ever TOWIE-themed CD – The Only Way is Marbs: Marbella Anthems. Pope also spoke to the Daily Mail about her favourite Marbella nightspots, singling out Aqua Mist, La Sala, Tibu, Nikki Beach and Pangea as places no wannabe WAG or reality TV star should miss.

There is much more to Marbella than TOWIE-endorsed clubs and bars

But while Pope’s recommendations are solid, they are drawn from a rather narrow subset. Marbella and Puerto Banús have much more to offer than simply glitz and glam: the Old Town of Marbella, for example, is ideal if you want to while away a few hours exploring its narrow cobbled streets and enjoying some delightful local cuisine and ambience.

In Puerto Banús, the busy ‘second line’ is strung with friendly bars and clubs that range from the commercial and the classy to the traditional and the unique.

As for the beaches, well, take your pick – both resort centres are flanked by exceptional sandy shorelines and a wide variety of beach clubs, bars, restaurants and even deserted stretches.

So while it is great that TOWIE is helping to raise Marbella’s profile to even greater heights, those who aren’t fans of the show need not worry – Marbella has something to please everybody.