Puente Romano Marbella – Review

Puente Romano Marbella, member of Leading Hotels of the World, is an all-year experiential Mediterranean destination, where days are shaped by endless possibilities, from active wellbeing with complimentary fitness sessions, private tennis coaching, and holistic treatments at Six Senses Spa, to personalised destination experiences on land and sea. Younger guests dive into La Casita Kids Club, while teenagers unwind at Teen Spirit lounge. Savour over twenty acclaimed restaurants, from Coya, Nobu and Gaia, to Venetian classics at Cipriani, authentic omakase at PurOsushi and Andalusian dining at El Pimpi Marbella.

To get the inside track on this award-winning resort, The Luxury Editor joined a Health and Fitness Retreat at Puente Romano Marbella, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It was the chance to gain an insight into the contemporary active lifestyle holidays the resort offers, that complement its long established profile as one of the finest Gastronomic Resorts in the Mediterranean.

The classic elements of a luxury Mediterranean escape were there of course (as you might expect as the property is on the exclusive Golden Mile, between Marbella and Puerto Banus) but so were state-of-the-art training facilities, and varied sports activities complemented by nurturing therapies, and healthy cuisine, writes Andrew Forbes (The Luxury Editor).

Puente Romano Marbella

The 162 spacious suites in this Andalusian village-style resort are spread across three-story villas each surrounded by lush landscaped subtropical gardens and waterfalls, leading down to the Mediterranean sea. The 55,000m2 resort also includes ultra luxury private villas and some 20 restaurants with cuisines from all over the world, including the beach front Sea Grill, Nobu Marbella restaurant with Nobu Bar & Lounge, COYA, Cipriani, GAIA as well as LEÑA by Dani Garcia.

Guests looking for the most exclusive experience of the resort should choose one of the five private guest properties in the Puente Romano Villa Collection.

Privacy is also assured in each of the suites, with independent access (no need to pass through a busy hotel foyer).

Puente Romano Marbella is also home to probably the most exclusive Health and Fitness training facility on the coast, with cutting-edge design, new Technogym equipment, and studios for spinning, pilates, yoga, barre, and boxing.

Over recent years Puente Romano Marbella has become a sought after destination for its beautiful sea side setting with elegant suites and a glamorous cocktail and dining scene. The hotel has a number of exclusive bars and restaurants including Nobu Marbella, and bars overlooking ‘La Plaza’, the lively and chic central courtyard that comes to life each evening.

This upscale resort is also welcoming a new generation of visitors drawn to Puente Romano Marbella’s fitness facilities, as well as mainland Spain’s only Six Senses Spa.

Curated Experiences

Travel is all about unique and memorable experiences and a stay at the Puente Romano Marbella is no exception. The concierge team has curated 100 experiences that guests can enjoy, from star gazing, having a flamenco dance lesson to driving on a racetrack. Our health and fitness retreat kicked off with sailing along Marbella’s shore, aboard the hotel’s fully crewed yacht. It was an unforgettable afternoon, watching dolphins darting and diving beside the hull, and views of Sierra Blanca – a powerful reminder that a wellness holiday here is unique luxurious.

Puente Romano’s yacht is available for guests to enjoy on a private, chartered basis. Each sailing excursion will include use of the spacious lounge areas, kitchen, living room, main cabin as well as two guest cabins, equipped with their own bathrooms. Catering is provided by your preferred Puente Romano Marbella restaurants, including Nobu Marbella, Cipriani and Gaia.

Acing It

Opened by Bjorn Borg in 1979, the famous clay courts of the Club de Tenis Puente Romano have hosted many tennis greats, so it was with some trepidation that the next day I joined a class with Juan Nieto, the Head Coach who is sometimes joined by Marko Djokovic, assistant coach to his brother, World Champion Novak Djokovic.

Despite not picking up a racquet in years, I needn’t have worried. Juan’s enthusiasm and energy quickly boosted my confidence and the class made for a fun, satisfying and active morning.

One of Spain’s most iconic clubs, with 8 clay courts, 2 plexipave courts, 4 padel courts, as well as a fitness centre,  the Puente Romano tennis Club offers personalised programmes with world-class coaches.

Art of Mindfulness

There are a wealth of health and fitness training facilities at Puente Romano’s gym. During my stay I had a workshop with a former a member of the Spanish national Kung Fu team and championship medal winner, who was a specialist in biomechanics (the science of body movement), as well Tai chi, Qigong, and Taoist Meditation. Under his guidance, I begun to learn some of the basic fundamentals of Tai chi. This Chinese martial art, sometimes called Shadow Boxing, is like a slow motion version of classical Asian self-defence. It’s a mindful activity, demanding concentration, so your head is cleared of preoccupations and distractions, and one begins to feel much calmer. This is part of growing trend to offer a more holistic approach to fitness.

Hitting the Gym

Over recent years Puente Romano Marbella has emerged as a trailblazer and innovator for hospitality trends in the Mediterranean. That’s certainly the case with the resort’s gym. With a striking design, bringing together nature (thanks to an expanse living wall of oxygenating plants), together with the urban edge of a boxing studio and evening DJ sets as your train, this is no regular gym. It’s the epitome of the new trend of health and fitness as a lifestyle – stylish, fashionable and inspiring.

In addition, guests can enjoy horse riding, water sports, and a complimentary round of golf at the magnificent Marbella Club Golf Resort.

Eating Well

There’s nothing more rejuvenating than eating well, and at Puente Romano Marbella the restaurant chefs can advise of the healthiest dishes as well as more indulgent choices from the resort’s acclaimed restaurants.

Chef Eleni Manousou, at the award-winning Nobu Marbella restaurant, for example, can tailor a healthy menu for guests, creating dishes like the ‘Vegan Garden’ (exquisitely prepared baby vegetables on a bed of mashed Edamame beans), together with sashimi, sushi and fresh Mediterranean fish that can be delivered to your room, or enjoyed on the heated all-season open-air terrace over-looking La Plaza.

Six Senses Spa

This relaxing sea-view oasis with hydrotherapy pool, cold plunge pool, herbal steam room, sauna, hammam and nurturing, private treatment rooms is at the heart of the Puente Romano Marbella wellness offering.

Relax aching muscles and calm your mind with the CBD oil therapies available at Six Senses Spa Marbella. Choose also from a menu of Mediterranean inspired treatments offered by skilled wellness experts.  

Another new trend in wellness is the use of CBD oil in spa treatments ad therapies. CBD (Cannabidiol) is the non-psychoactive compound from the cannabis plant. Massage oil infused with CBD is considered anti-inflammatory, helping in recovery and healing following heavy exercise or even injury.

Six Senses Spa Marbella, located above the Puente Romano Marbella gym, has developed a CBD massage therapy to ease aching muscles, sore joints and help relieve chronic pain. It is also suggested the oil can help with deeper relaxation and calming of the mind. Sounds good right? And it makes for the perfect end to an active and healthy vacation in the sun.