There's Marbella... and then there's 'Marbs'

Reality television stars like to visit ‘Marbs’, not Marbella.

With temperatures gradually on the rise and summer now tantalisingly close, the Costa del Sol is gearing up for another enjoyable season of relaxing days at the beach, balmy nights spent on the terraces of bars and restaurants, leisurely strolls along boardwalks and cooling dips in swimming pools or the sea. People’s moods have become generally more upbeat and the feeling is one of relaxed anticipation as another glorious summer awaits, the air heavy with the prospect of fun times ahead…

But something has been happening in Marbella over the last few summers that has no doubt helped raise the profile of the area, but whether for good or for bad is entirely subjective. Nowadays, every summer sees the inevitable influx of reality television ‘celebs’ who have made ‘Marbs’ (anybody who lives in Marbella detests that abbreviation) their playground of choice to be photographed spraying champagne at each other or showing off their near-naked, gym-sculpted bodies on the beaches of Puerto Banús. Love it or loathe it, it has become a regular feature of Marbella summers to see reality stars of questionable talent gyrating in designer swimwear at expensive beach parties purely to tighten their tenuous grip on fame by being ‘papped’ and splashed across the pages of the tabloids back home. But hey, it’s an image-obsessed world we live in today and something that has to be endured or enjoyed (depending on your position) each summer on the Coast.

But though the tone may now be slightly lower than the days when actual celebrities used to visit (Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Sean Connery, Grace Kelly, et al), the influx of this new generation of celebrity is, generally speaking, good for the area’s tourism. Teens and twenty-somethings who are gripped by the scripted reality that unfolds on their television screens see Marbella as a fun, vibrant, sexy place to visit. And Marbella is a fun, vibrant, sexy place to visit. It’s just that there’s a lot more to it than nightclubs, cleavage, pouting and mock drama. But these viewers are the next generation of British holidaymakers keen to see things for themselves, and as they say, all publicity is good publicity. So while times may have changed, the attraction of the Marbella region hasn’t, and those who already know the Coast know full well that what’s presented on television isn’t the only type of Marbella there is.

That particular side of the Coast is available to those who seek it, but for those who balk at this new breed of role model and type of entertainment (we’re speaking to you, older generation), Marbella offers so, so much more. So don’t be put off by what you see on shows like TOWIE or by news that a Marbella version of this type of show is possibly in the works if that’s not what appeals to you. That whole scene can be ignored by those with no interest in it, and enjoyed by those who do. But whatever side of the fence you’re on, the coming summer is – as always – gearing up to be a great one.