I went to the Dubai-like hotel resort in Spain with huge swimming pool and ‘sunloungers for days’

MENTION Marbella to TV- loving millennials and you will conjure up visions of no-carb pre-hol diets, lots of fake tan and those big beach bags the original Towie cast had, with their faces painted on the side.

But my recent trip to the famous Spanish coastal town could not have been more different, from the moment I walked into my very zen hotel lobby to discover a huge tree growing inside and fancy cocktails.

This was no Towie “Marbs”. This is the Dubai version of Marbella.

The Mett Hotel & Beach Resort Marbella is the new offering by the UAE-based Mett hospitality group.

It’s now branching out into Spain, with a second Mett hotel planned for Ibiza next year.

Also, it’s “Marbella” in the loosest geographical terms — it’s on the beach down the coast in Estepona, so it would take you around an hour to walk to the lively seaside town.

Despite its 249 rooms, the five-star hotel has a boutique vibe — and you never feel like there are more than 100 guests at any given time, possibly down to the fact this is a resort with plenty of zones — one for every mood.

Just ten minutes after checking in, we were lounging by the 52m-long pool (no chance of a sunbed war here — there were loungers for days), ordering sushi and yet another cocktail while listening to ambient Ibiza tunes sunset-style playing over the pool speakers.

That night, we switched up with tomato carpaccio, burrata and some of the best pasta I’ve ever eaten at flagship Italian restaurant Isola.

The food’s not cheap, with starters costing between 17 and 32 euros and mains from 25 euros, but this really is top-notch restaurant fare.

The next day, we eased our hangovers by sipping Aperol spritzes and dining on fish tacos at exotic beach club Azure into the late afternoon while listening to the resident DJ.

Shifting to yet another popular Med country hotel “zone”, there’s a Greek-themed beach club and restaurant called Ammos that looks like a scene from Mamma Mia!, with its whitewashed walls and bright pink flowers climbing the pergola.

It serves typical Greek mezze such as feta filo parcels, meatballs and taramasalata, as well as a strong line in seafood, including platters, oysters and prawn ceviche.

And that’s before we get to the spa, which includes a soothing indoor pool that was like being inside an Aztec tomb (in a good way).

Meanwhile my bedroom was ­distinctly modern-cool, with all the earthy white and terracotta tones that fancy Spanish decor does well.

Aztec tomb pool

The bed was absolutely massive — so big, in fact, that my friend and I weren’t even aware of each other as we slept in it at night.

But even that was dwarfed in size by the bathroom, the size of a small London studio flat, with an enormous walk-in shower and lovely toiletry miniatures courtesy of BotanyC.

They didn’t scrimp on size with the balcony either, which overlooked the pool so we could enjoy an ­evening drink in our room.

All this makes it sound like we never left the hotel, and frankly that wouldn’t be too hard.

But that would be a huge shame, because this stretch of coast has so much to offer.

Estepona’s historic old town centre is a must for a stroll, with its immaculate streets lined with beautifully restored whitewashed buildings with their signature ornate ironwork on the doors and balconies.

Estepona’s historic old town centre is a must for a stroll, with its immaculate streets lined with beautifully restored whitewashed buildings with their signature ornate ironwork on the doors and balconies

The streets also feature gorgeous ­floral displays, with flowerpots and hanging baskets leading on to more beautiful botanical treats in quiet squares like the Plaza de las Flores.

Of course, with that gorgeous coastline, it would be a crime not to take to the water.

There’s dolphin-watching tours on offer from the bay as well as sailing at sunset.

If you’re sticking with the uber-fancy vibe, Marbella has a whopping 13 restaurants in the Michelin guide.

But for something a little more casual, El Kapricho serves up tapas and cocktails at reasonable prices, while the new La Madrina offers authentic Spanish food.

After perusing the boutiques in the Old Town, we pitched up at Mia Cafe on the Calle Remedios, which offers traditional and modern Spanish tapas and some extremely drinkable house red for three euros.

We then walked off our meal by taking the pleasant hour-long stroll back to the hotel along the promenade, then rewarded ourselves with a cocktail at the beach club, of course.