Marbella has a long and chequered history, but for most people in Britain it’s been a byword for Spanish sun, sangria and seaside for just about as long as any of us can remember. Back when I was a boy 50 years ago, Marbella was one of the only foreign resorts anyone in my community had ever heard of - but what was once a little sun-soaked fishing village on the Costa Del Sol has gone through a great many branding exercises and guises since then.

Nowadays, a lot of young folk simply refer to it as “Marbs” - and indeed there are a great many young British people in town throughout the season enjoying the inevitable hen or stag parties which seem to have become one of this nation’s greatest exports.

Regardless of that - and regardless of its rather well-worn reputation - Marbella is a joy. For a start it is an attractive place located upon what is arguably the most pleasant stretch of the Costa Del Sol - and, surprisingly perhaps, it maintains a rather exclusive air.

Added to all that, it is an easy Mediterranean seaside resort to reach. There are daily flights from a great many UK and other Northern European airports to Malaga, and from there regular shuttle buses whisk you the 40-scenic-minutes down the coast to sun-sea-and-sangria-central

My tongue-in-cheek name might give the impression that you will arrive in some giant Spanish holiday-factory - all high-rises, Irish pubs, all-day-breakfasts, sports-bars and hustle. But that would be to give a wholly inaccurate impression of this pleasant resort where you are more likely to find delicate Spanish pastries and excellent coffee for breakfast than fried bacon and eggs.

I spent a long weekend at the amazing Amàre Beach Hotel which is right on the seafront in central Marbella and is one of the best hotels in the region, and I enjoyed every minute of it. If you want cool, chic, upmarket comfort in Marbs, then this place is it.

The “Old Town”, to name but one element I really like about Marbella, is a real joy to stroll around and it immediately gives you the impression that people were visiting the location a very long time before the concept of a holiday was a twinkle in a travel agent’s eye.

Today the town has a population of almost 150,000 inhabitants, but it was once a tiny fishing village located under white mountains on a particularly sunny south-facing stretch of coast. You get some idea of the reason for its history by climbing up one of the uplands which rises into blue skies immediately behind the town. You don’t have to go far up the slope before you can turn around and look across to North Africa - and that amazing view reminds you that this coast was once a corner-stone of a vast cultural Mediterranean melting pot.

In fact, I could see the tops of the Atlas Mountains from my large comfortable tenth storey suite at the Amàre Beach Hotel, which was just one of the many things I liked about the place. Spanish hotels have come a very, very long way since the first Brits began flying south on cheap package tours - and the Amàre Beach exemplifies just how far that journey has taken these bastions of style and luxury.

Because Marbella is protected on its northern side by the nearby coastal mountains of the Cordillera Penibética (to give the range its local name) it enjoys a climate with an average annual temperature above 18 °C and a sunshine count of more than 2,900 hours annually. Given this combination of good looks - enjoyed by an attractive location that is backed by mountains and fronted by blue sea - and the superb weather, it was always going to be popular with visitors once the idea of holiday-making had caught on.

Marbella had just 900 inhabitants immediately after World War Two, but this rocketed once a wealthy aristocrat named Marquis of Ivanrey, moved in and popularised it among his rich and famous friends. During the war he had acquired a country estate near the town and that began the development of tourism. His nephew, Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, acquired a neighbouring estate, Finca Santa Margarita and in 1954 opened it as the Marbella Club - an international resort aimed at movie stars, business executives and the nobility.

These resorts quickly transformed Marbella into a destination for the international jet set. Sean Connery became the town’s most famous frequent visitor and locals still point to some of his favoured watering holes today.

And, as I’ve said, some part of this jet-set ambience has survived, despite the endless gangs of British hen and stag parties who parade around the more popular parts of town. Not that these bothered me in the least. Before meeting up with some other journalists I spent one night wandering alone around the resort, grazing my way around the many tapas bars - and the partying Brits were jolly and well behaved even if they were well-oiled.

Dining on the move in the tapas joints is one of the must-do activities, if you’re ever in town. People who don’t regularly visit Southern Spain might not know this, but some resorts (Marbella is one) have done away with the traditional idea of tapas as a free snack served with a drink and replaced it with a new format borrowed, to some extent, from Japanese sushi bars. In other words, the small dishes are coded in some way, by a coloured plate perhaps or some sort of symbol like a shaped cocktail stick, and each of these will signify a band in the price range.

By picking morsels in various bars this way, I enjoyed an extremely varied and delicious dinner over a period of about three hours, which added up to around £20, drinks included. On another night, once I’d joined my journalist friends we dined at the fantastic Messina Restaurant which is reckoned to one of of the best along the entire length of the Costa Del Sol. The Michelin starred location is something of shrine for local gourmands, and I could certainly understand why. Chef Mauricio Giovanini is a disciple of world famous Ferran Adriá and the fabulous 15-step menu allowed us to try different products, with different cooking techniques, using the cutting-edge technology of his kitchen.

It was one of the finest meals I’ve eaten in a long time. I loved the sea urchin with its lick of and celery root water; the sweet bread served with creamy lemon stew and spinach; and the Iberian pork with creamy lentils and roasted onion.

All this was consumed after we’d had cocktails at the Amàre Beach Hotel’s airy and truly wonderful Belvue Rooftop Bar, admiring spectacular 360º views of the Mediterranean, distant North Africa and Marbella’s old town.

If this all sounds a bit extravagant, then please note that we enjoyed a range of active and relaxing wellness experiences, including a yoga session on the beach and spa treatments at Amàre Spa, where expert therapists soon had us feeling utterly revitalised.

So much so that we even went for a hike in the blazing heat way up at the top of the mountains behind town. At just under 3000 feet, the peak of La Concha is one of Marbella's most recognised landmarks and there are numerous hiking routes up there in the cool woods of what is a natural park. We walked among olive groves and pine and walnut trees and spotted wild goats and eagles.

So Marbella? Well, having scorned the idea of visiting for years, I’d go again at the drop of a sombrero. Especially in shoulder months like September or October or in late winter or Spring - and especially since it is so very close to home on a quick flight from Bristol or Exeter.