Exploring Marbella...

Just a month after returning from Canada, I jetted off to sunny Marbella to celebrate my 18th birthday. For years I have said that I wanted to spend my 18th in Marbella, granted I wanted to do that after always being a huge TOWIE fan but it was even better than I had ever imagined. 

We stayed in the centre of Marbella Old Town and it was the perfect location, we could see the beach from the balcony and the bus stop was directly behind our hotel making it easy to get into Puerto Banus. Along the promenade you'll find a great selection of bars, restaurants and shops all of which we found reasonably priced. It's only when you travel into Puerto Banus that the prices start to change, but that is to be expected when you're faced with a harbour of multimillion pound yachts...

So, my birthday... it would be totally unlike me not to have an extravagant day, we went to Olivia's La Cala based in La Cala De Mijas which is about a 40 minute drive away from Marbella. A bit of a trek but well worth it, the food was amazing. I have to admit, I wasn't sure whether the celebrity restaurant would be a bit underwhelming but Elliot Wright has done an amazing job at creating a classy and sophisticated beach restaurant with the highest standards of hospitality. 

In terms of things to do there, I would say there is very little unless you're a bit of a sun worshipper, other than that it's mainly just a nightlife destination. Most certainly not an 18/30 type of 'nightlife' but more for those interested in good music and cocktail bars.