Spain - Marbella

29thApr-1stMay

Why Marbella?, well we did need some pit-stops on our way up Spain's southern coast, Costa del Sol, to our next confirmed booking in Barcelona.
Marbella proved to be a good choice for a recharge and cleanup in a little familiarity and quite a lot of comfort.

Home to the rich and famous, Marbella, the Costa del sol's most expensive resort, has the Sierra Blanca mountains forming a spectacular natural backdrop. While mansions, luxury restaurants and hotels line the waterfront , Marbella mixes it up with a charming old Andalusian quarter.

A little disinterested in the glitz, glamor and expensive, and having seen it some 18 years earlier, we decided to stay just out of the main center. Alanda Club Marbella was the choice for two nights. As expected, we appreciated having our first kitchen  and washing machine for a few weeks, we ran them pretty hard.  

I think arriving back to Spain was a bit of a cultural re-balance for us all. 

The supermarket was paradise unleashed, obviously catering for the large number of English tourists, I was highly excited over purchases of wine, french cheeses, even Heinz baked beans and Dorset Cereal.

My hair now in a disasterous state was well tended to by an extremely good 'English' hairdresser who I fortunately stumbled upon in the local cluster of shops. Engaged in typical hairdressing chatter, I soon learnt of a large portion of Bryan's life story, his fortune won and lost and his new life here in Marbella with his new love. 

View from room.

Testing the cold waters, Chris went in(of course), Ollie and I just enjoyed a drink.

Our time in Marbella was not much more than swimming in the pools, visiting the beach and readjusting. The boys did partake in a rather odd swim-jam kid's session, they were the only participants in quite a big setup so I think they felt more obligation than desire. I wondered if the snake coiling up the tree I walked past on the way to the pool was a sign, a rather biblical Garden of Eden image came to mind.