nantara Villa Padierna Palace is a luxury 5-star hotel located in southern Spain, nestled in the hills above Marbella. It is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The resort has 125 rooms, suites and 9 villas each with private pools. It is a peaceful haven, surrounded by meticulously manicured grounds with beautiful scenery.
This iconic “museum hotel” has a lot of character, with a collection of more than 1,200 original pieces of artwork, including artifacts, sculptures and paintings. These are displayed throughout the resort.
On arrival, we were met with a warm welcome from the friendly staff. Check-in was smooth and efficient – we were offered a glass of Cava. They gave us a quick tour of the hotel while we were being shown to our room.
Our room type was a Deluxe Terrace, which was perfectly located in a quiet area of the hotel. We had a spacious room with a private terrace. Our garden view overlooked the hotel’s Roman amphitheatre, which is where they host wedding ceremonies and candlelight concerts.
Our travertine bathroom was large and luxurious, with double sinks, a bathtub and a walk-in shower. The bedding was very comfortable, with soft cotton bed linen and a pillow menu. All required amenities were available in the room. An iron and ironing board were available on request. The toiletries provided are Editions de Parfums by Frédéric Malle, a brand owned by Estée Lauder. You can expect a sweet treat from housekeeping each evening at turndown!
There are 9 one or two-bedroom villas within the resort. Each has a private pool and a terrace. All of the villas are named – one of them called after First Lady Michelle Obama, who once stayed there.
On the room key cards, there are two QR codes – one links you directly to the concierge via Whatsapp (which is very efficient) and another links you to a directory. The directory includes a resort map, access to PressReader (a wide variety of e-newspapers and e-magazines are available), a pillow menu, room service and a list of additional amenities that are available on request. These include extra coffee, towels, toiletries, etc.
Breakfast is served in La Veranda daily. The setting here is beautiful. There is an extensive buffet breakfast and an à la carte menu with a wide variety of hot food options available to order, including eggs, waffles and pancakes. All of the food was very fresh and the fruit was delicious. Service was efficient and quick, and the staff were very pleasant. One morning, breakfast was relocated to La Loggia, an adjoining restaurant, as they were setting up for a luxury designer event. This provided a nice change of scenery!
The hotel offers a wide range of dining options, with ten restaurants in all. These range from casual to fine dining. The restaurants include La Veranda, La Loggia, Viva Italia, La Pérgola, 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant, Eddy’s Bar, Hole 55, Olá Beirut, Beach Club – By The Sea and Irene’s Health Kitchen.
As we booked directly via the hotel’s website, we were given €100 credit to use in the hotel’s restaurants.
One evening, we ate in Eddy’s Bar. This casual bar is elegantly decorated, with a cosy atmosphere and a wide collection of artwork on display. There is an outdoor terrace too, where we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink. We were served complimentary canapes of falafel and brie, while enjoying a glass of Spanish wine. We ordered a burger each off the Snack Menu – they were delicious. The service here, again, was excellent.
The outdoor pool was one of the highlights for us. It is a beautifully designed, spacious and tranquil area. It is surrounded by tall cypress trees, fountains and Roman statues. The pool area gets busy, but we had no problems getting sun loungers. The service at the pool was fantastic. The staff here were very enthusiastic. They were dressed in red shorts and white t-shirts, and were always on hand to provide towels, find sun loungers for us or put up umbrellas.
Although there is no direct beach access, the Beach Club is located just 7 mins drive from the hotel. There is a private area on the beach for guests. The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle bus to and from the beach, leaving the hotel hourly from 11am, with the last bus returning at 7pm. There are plenty of sun loungers on the beach, and cold water and towels are provided. The beach is clean and well maintained.
There is a beautiful seafood restaurant on the beach called “Beach Club – By The Sea”, where we enjoyed a lovely Paella lunch. It was our first Paella in Spain and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The seafood was very fresh. Service was excellent, and there was a very relaxed atmosphere. We could have sat there for hours! It is a perfect location for a casual lunch.
Just 50m from the Beach Club is Villa Padierna Racquet Club. This 22,000sqm club is one of the best sports clubs on the Costa del Sol, with 15 Padel courts, 2 tennis courts and 2 croquet lawns. Padel and tennis lessons are available for guests and visitors and courts can be rented for a fee.
The Anantara Marbella is a family friendly resort. The Kids Club is open to children aged 3 years and older. It offers activities including arts and crafts, games and sports. Babysitting services are also available. The Kids Club only operates during the Summer months, Half Term, Easter and Christmas holidays.
The Anantara Spa was named ‘Best Spa’ at the Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence 2022. The decor is inspired by Roman baths, with statues around the pool. Natural light streams through large windows and stained-glass skylights. The spa offers a selection of treatments based on ancient therapies.
The spa includes Bali steam, Indian steam, and salt steam facilities, a Hammam, a Finnish sauna, a Greek sauna and a laconium. ‘The Circuit’ is an indoor swimming pool with massage jets, a plunge pool and a relaxation area.
Guests can access and use the spa facilities at no additional cost and no booking is required. Spa treatments must be booked in advance. A must visit during your stay!
There is also a fully equipped gym, with Technogym machines. The gym is open 24 hours a day and is complimentary for guests.
The resort also features three of the best golf courses in Marbella with stunning views of the Mediterranean; Flamingos, Alferini and Tramores. Flamingos is an 18-hole golf course, which has hosted events including the European Senior Tour in 2002, 2003, 2004 and the Spanish Women’s Open in 2010. Alferini is one of the few par 73 courses on Costa del Sol. The course, which hosted the Women’s Spanish Open in 2022, has 18 holes and is considered quite technical with long fairways and large greens. Tramores also has 18 holes and is perfect for beginners.
Sustainability is a focus throughout the hotel, with reduced use of plastics and recyclable containers for bathroom amenities. Key cards are wooden and the water provided in the room is in glass bottles.
The hotel collaborates with local suppliers to support the community and to ensure the quality and freshness of the products used in all its restaurants and services. Products that come directly from local producers include extra virgin olive oil, freshly baked bread, homemade jams, chips, vinegar, beer and artisanal chocolate. The Monolo Garden, which is located within the resort, provides fresh seasonal vegetables for ‘The Market’ at La Loggia.
The Anantara Marbella is a pet friendly resort – dogs and cats are allowed provided they are under 25kg in weight. A max. of 2 pets per room is permitted, with a charge of €45 per night/per pet (Nov-May) and €90 per night/per pet (Jun-Oct).
The hotel is conveniently located close to several beautiful and historic towns that are well worth visiting. We hired a car with Hertz, which we picked up at Malaga Airport. We found them to be efficient and the whole process was very easy. Hiring a car gave us the freedom to explore places such as Puerto Banus and Estepona (15 mins drive), Marbella Old Town and Sotogrande (30 mins drive) and Ronda (1 hour drive).
There is valet parking at the hotel which costs €18 per day. Otherwise, guests can park in the golf club car park. This is complimentary and less than a 5 min walk from reception.
The service throughout our entire stay was excellent. The staff are hardworking and very efficient. The electricity tripped in our room one evening. We phoned the concierge to report the issue. The maintenance team arrived within two minutes.
The staff were always available to help, and no request was ever too much. They truly do go to great lengths to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.
The resort is calm and tranquil – the perfect place to relax and unwind. We had a fabulous week’s stay in the Anantara Marbella. We will definitely be returning!
For more information, visit https://www.anantara.com/en/villa-padierna-marbella.
