TRAVEL WELL
SPAIN
New skill: Fencing
Where? Marbella
How much? £310 per night in a
junior suite at Puente Romano;
puenteromano.com. Fencing
lessons around £66 per person
Isn’t Marbs a bit
The Only Way
Is Essex?
Yes, Marbella, set
on Spain’s Costa
del Sol, was made
famous by TOWIE
stars, but it’s popular for good
reason: it’s less than a three-
hour flight away, with year-
round sunshine and 16 miles of
sandy beaches. Oh, and Puente
Romano is anything but D-list.
This village-style resort, with
white buildings and pathways
dotted with orange trees, is set
on the Golden Mile between
Marbella Old Town and Puerto
Banús. The rooms are open-
plan with white furnishings,
oversized beds, Jacuzzis and
balconies framed by palm trees.
There are wellness facilities
galore, including a stunning Six
Senses Spa, three swimming
pools and tennis courts. There’s
a plethora of activities on offer,
but I’d always wanted to try
fencing, and what better place
to learn than in the sport’s
country of origin?En garde! What other
Spanish stuff did you do?
For a chance to see some of
the surrounding area, we took
a guided hike 1,200m above sea
level to the top of La Concha,
the highest mountain in
Marbella. The view from the
summit was breathtaking and
we celebrated with cava and
jamón serrano. That evening,
I sampled the national drink
during a sherry masterclass,
while munching melt-in-the-
mouth jamón ibérico de bellota.
And a meal in the resort’s Bibo
restaurant was a tapas feast –
traditional with a modern twist,
including Bibo’s legendary
oxtail brioche.Kitty Dimbleby,
WH contributor
Very fancy, but will it provide
me with a proper workout?
Sí, the average woman will
burn 400 calories during an
hour of fencing. I joined two
90-minute lessons with former
pro Rosabelle Vindel. First, we
got used to handling the sword,
holding it point down and
passing it with a gentle throw
to one another. Then we worked
on the stance – front foot
straight forward, back foot at
90°, legs bent, one arm holding
the sword, with the other
behind your back. Rosabelle
showed us how to ‘lunge’, the
basic attacking move, and
‘parry’, a defensive action. We
donned the heavy protective
gear – jacket, gloves and mask- which is electronic, so detects
when a weapon has touched an
opponent. Up against a fellow
beginner, I felt a surge of
adrenaline – the sword may be
blunt, but one-to-one combat
is still exciting. I quickly worked
up a sweat, feeling the burn in
my legs, arms, glutes and abs.
The verdict? More fun and
exhausting than any HIIT class.
126 | SEPTEMBER 2019