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GUEST POST BY EMMA SPENCER
On Friday night I was lucky enough to attend ‘The Global Party’, at the beautiful Suite del Mar at the Hotel Puente Romano, on the seafront in Marbella, with my colleague Meena. The event had been “highly anticipated throughout the world” and was described on its website as the biggest party of the decade. The founders took inspiration from the famous fictional character Phileas Fogg and his journey Around the World in 80 Days: there were over 80 parties around the world within 24 hours. The proceeds of these events will go to various charities, including Prince Harry’s Tusk Trust and Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Fund UK. With such a unique concept, you can understand why Meena and I felt the need to rush out and buy fabulous new dresses ready for this super-glam occasion.
We arrived at the venue at around 10pm, showed our tickets, and had our names checked against the exclusive guest list. Next up was the photo call on the red carpet, where we had a few celeb-style photos taken. Unfortunately, we discovered later that the photos were not to be published and it was more of a novelty thing. Unwilling, on principle, to pay 10 euros for the photo, sadly we will have to live the rest of our lives without evidence of our red carpet experience!
As promised, the champagne was flowing, along with Mojitos and some interesting-looking blue cocktails which had an indistinguishable but very good taste. The canapés were also delicious, ranging from dainty portions of traditional Spanish tortilla to the cosmopolitan choice of sushi, a favourite in Marbella I am now starting to realise.
There was a wide range of people, from both the older to younger generations, and one of the founders of ‘The Global Party’, luxury lifestyle expert David Johnstone, also decided to join the Marbella scene to party the night away. The dress code was ‘Chic - Dress as if the world’s your stage!’, which was interpreted in a many different ways, from floor-length ballgowns to outfits which left very little to the imagination. In fact, the fashion alone was enough to entertain us for the night!
It was very clear that the women had been sticking to the now rather famous diet of ‘no carbs before Marbs’ (no carbohydrates before Marbella, as seen on cult TV series The Only Way is Essex), and I felt almost guilty for eating the croquetas (a greasy, carby but delicious potato snack) on offer. It is somewhat soul-destroying when, at 21, you see ladies from the older generation with enviable figures. I will now be visiting the gym on a much more regular basis!
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Thanks to the brilliant official entertainment, including flame dancers, an electric violinist and a great singer performing endless tunes from the English music charts - much appreciated by Meena and myself - the crowd started to loosen up, and by midnight everyone was dancing and enjoying themselves. By 1am, the party had moved indoors, where we were treated to a very impressive performance by an acrobat with a hoop hanging from the ceiling, just above the bar.
A couple of things to mention: firstly, we were surprised at the seemingly low level of security for such an “exclusive” party. Throughout the evening, there were people jogging or cycling along a presumably public footpath which actually cut right though the middle of the celebrations. Not quite what you would expect at such an event. The other thing that proved to be a slight issue was the lack of non-reserved seating. As with many of these events, the majority of tables and seats were reserved for specific people or groups, which seemed strange to me, since even the most basic of tickets did not come cheap. I regretted wearing my amazing-looking, but very uncomfortable, heels, as I am sure did many of the women there, after having to stand for a good couple of hours before being able to sit down.
Putting these minor comments aside, overall it was a fabulous evening and I feel very fortunate that I was able to go.