Marbella: golden childhood memories of eating and drinking and mega yachts

All his family holidays were spent in Marbella. Jorge Hinojosa takes us on a trip down memory lane – with plenty of stops for food and drink along the way

MARBELLA has always been like a second home to me.

My family visits every August to escape the heat of Madrid and have done so since the 1980s, when my dad fell in love with its amazing gastronomy, landscapes and legendary nights out.

I first visited as a baby and by four years old I remember having lunch in a chiringuito called Pepe el Piloto after spending the morning at the beach.

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Dinner in Restaurant Altamirano in Marbella town, Jorge on the left. Image The Olive Press

Then there were the early mornings in Churreria Ramon, in Plaza de Los Naranjos, with all my family, and my mum always saying, “there is nothing as good as having churros in this lovely square,” as we crunched down on the deep-fried fritters and their fatter counterparts, porras.

What I enjoyed most as a kid was going to Puerto Banus to have ice cream and to see all the mega yachts. 

However, before the boats my mum would make us traipse for at least two hours around El Corte Ingles looking for new outfits. My dad and my brother Angel would soon go on strike and head to a nearby bar to wait for mum to finish.

As a teenager, I spent the first half of August with my dad’s family and my uncle who used to love Taberna Gaspar. He would eat there almost every day and raved about its tortillas and paella.

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Jorge as a child with his family. Image The Olive Press

One of my best friends, Ana, came to Marbella with her family one summer. I remember how exciting it was to act as host and show them around. 

She was amazed by how beautiful Marbella was, and also fell in love with the city.

So it is so great to be living back here again full time, all thanks to my new job at the Olive Press, having worked at EFE in London and studying for my Masters degree at City University.

Last summer I spent the summer here with friends, going to Starlite Festival most days for the great atmosphere and DJs.

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Jorge’s best friends at Marbella’s Starlite Festival. Image The Olive Press.

We ate at Bar Altamirano (a restaurant I have been going to since I was a child), and drank at my mum’s favourite place: Trocadero Playa. 

It was the first time some of them had visited the city, but not the last. They all enjoyed it so much, they’re coming back this summer.

While I loved studying and working in London for two years, I love living back in Marbella, surrounded by mountains and the sea.In fact it is a dream come true to come back to a place I’ve been lucky enough to know all my life.

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