Checking into METT Marbella - a luxury new beachfront hangout on the Costa del Sol

Catherine Hanly 26 September 2024

Right on the beach between Marbella and Estepona, you'll find the METT Marbella - a five-star hotel where everyone is having fun in the sun. We checked in to see if the food and hospitality lived up to the luxe look and feel.

The hotel

The pool at METT Marbella at sunset - honestly it's like something out of a movie set.

This new hotel in Marbella opened up in July 2023, so we were visiting at the end of its first full summer season. Perched right on the seafront, it's an absolutely gorgeous looking place - maybe one of the most beautiful spots we've stayed at abroad. It's also a fun place with a DJ holding court by the pool during the day so if you're looking for a tranquil spot, maybe this isn't the place for you.

The hotel is owned by Dubai-based Sunset Hospitality Group, has a sister hotel in Bodrum and there are also plans to open in Ibiza too.

Location

You'll find METT about halfway between Marbella and Estepona in the quiet neighbourhood of Costalita. It's on a lovely stretch of beach with a boardwalk. Getting around is relatively easy by taxi but if you like exploring a hire car might be a good idea.

Yes that is a Pornstar Martini...

The food

Food is a big deal at METT - there are three full blown restaurants and a tapas/poolside bar. METT owner Antonio Gonzalez's background was in restaurants originally and he's about to open his first place in London (Amelie at the revamped Pantechnicon building). So they know what they're doing.

The three main restaurants are Italian spot Isola, the sushi beach bar Azure and Greek/Med offering Ammos on the seafront. Each have a very different vibe and menu, so you can dine well here without ever having to leave the property if that's what you want.

Isola Ristorante Italiano is where we dined on our first night - it's also where breakfast is served every morning. Although this is the main hotel restaurant, it's so gorgeous we can easily see it being a place that non-residents would travel to try out. There's a separate bar and large covered terrace and it's very buzzy at night.

Ammos looks for the world like a Greek taverna transplanted to this part of the Med - it's all whitewashed walls and there's a fresh fish counter where you can pick the catch of the day to be cooked how you'd like.

Azure might have been our favourite place to eat. Right out on the beach it serves the beach club beds out there but there's also a proper restaurant space if you don't want to eat where you sunbathe. The sushi was incredible - easily as good as anything you'd find in London, maybe even better as so much of the fish would have been caught locally. With bottles of Minuty or Miraval in an ice cooler and a platter of crispy sushi with tuna in front of you - and that view - things feel pretty good.

Breakfast

We'd like to make a special mention of the breakfast offering here as it's notably good and well worth getting out of bed for.

There's a substantial buffet with everything from fresh patisserie to Iberico ham via chia pudding and almond cake. You can also order a la carte (we may have had the freshly made tortilla every day, don't judge us) and on our last day there was even a guitarist serenading us over morning cafe con leche.

We're a big fan of breakfast jamon, particularly when it comes from a really good Iberico ham.

The pool scene

The pool at METT is rivalled only by the one we saw at Maison Estelle for its Instagrammability (that's a word, right?). At the sea end there are a few private cabanas with their own pool that you can rent (minimum spend between 1500-2000 euros a day). The DJ arrives about midday and the music is pretty chill to start with moving to more of a party scene as the afternoon goes on (it stops around 6-7pm).

If you're after somewhere quieter to catch the rays head to the beach, but we loved the pool's atmosphere. We spent days expecting to see someone from TOWIE before we spotted one of the Housewives of Cheshire with her daughters.

Best bit? There were loads of sunbeds available all day every day - both by the pool and beach. No getting up early to nab one.

There's also a bar, Lola, between the pool and the lobby serving up a tapas menu including pitch-perfect sangrias and great boccadillos.

The rooms

There are 249 rooms and suites at the hotel ranging from Deluxe rooms with a view of the gardens to suites with their own garden and pool.

Our seaview suite had an amazing view right on the beach and its own lounge. We're always keen to check out the mini bar contents and here there was a standalone wine fridge as well as a selection including Torres crisps, pre-batched cocktails and ultra-premium spirits. If you're a fussy sleeper, the pillow menu is a bonus and we liked the electric lanterns out on the balcony making it a lovely place to sit with a glass of wine looking out over the sea in the evenings.

Our seafront suite with a separate lounge and balcony

Overall thoughts

Having stayed at plenty of lovely hotels we can tell you it's harder than it looks to create a hotel that not only looks amazing, but also has great service, really good food and is in a perfect setting. METT Marbella actually does all those things and more. And look out for the nightclub, speakeasy bar and Peruvian restaurant all opening in due course.

If you're after a lively place in the sunshine this fits the brief perfectly.

Where to eat nearby

We went to three different local restaurants while we were here, all of them very different in style and price point.

Budget: Restaurante La Escollera

C. Puerto Pesquero, 10, 29680 Estepona

A tip from a chef friend who hails from this area sent us in the direction of this seafood spot in Estepona. Perched overlooking the harbour car park it's clear from the moment you arrive that this is the place to be. There are no bookings in the main restaurant, although you can have bar food at the terrace at the front. Put your name down on the list, and queue for a drink at the counter - it's worth the wait for a table here.

Highlights from our dinner here included an amazing monkfish carpaccio, shrimp fritters and a perfect piece of grilled John Dory.

No frills seafood at La Escollera in Estapona

Mid-range: Tragabuches

C. Ana de Austria, 2, 29670 Marbella

Just south of Puerto Banus, you'll find the Marbella branch of Michelin-starred chef Dani Garcia's Tragabuches. Here it's all about the produce. So you're met as you come in with what looks like a grocer's stall showcasing all the amazing produce which is being used by the kitchen. It's a large, relaxed restaurant with plenty of distinct dining spaces so just as good for a date as an easygoing family meal with the kids.

Here are some of the highlights

Organic tomato slices topped with tuna tartare (18 euros)

Txogitxu ribeye for two (54 euros) - an amazing Basque dairy cow steak perfectly cooked on the grill.

High-end: La Plaza - Puente Romano

Av. Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso de Hohenlohe, 29, 29602 Marbella

It's hard to put into words the extraordinary scenes that await you at this super-luxe resort on the outskirts of Marbella. We were here ostensibly to have dinner at the Fendi pop-up caffe in the hotel's plaza. What we found was maybe the most perfect people-watching perch of all time. If you're wondering where the superyachts in Marbella harbour decant their guests to of an evening, this is the place.

We're not sure how much longer the Fendi pop-up is here for, but do as we did and take a seat in the centre of the plaza and you can order dishes from the nearby Nobu. We also had what was a very good pizza from Pica Pica - pepperoni, hot honey and burrata.

The Fendi cafe at Puente Romano