With balmy temperatures all year round and an array of festive offerings, this year head to Marbella – Estepona for a Mediterranean Christmas, where Kempinski Hotel Bahia has partnered with celebrity designer Debbie Wingham to reveal a festive showstopper. The beachfront escape is housing the world’s most extravagant Christmas Tree, worth a total of $15 million. Fashioned from high-value stones, the tree is peppered with pink, red, white, and black diamonds, edible treats, and traditional decorations.
Guests and locals alike gathered in the hotel’s recently refurbished lobby, enjoying traditional music and sipping on champagne, before the tree was unveiled by the hotel general manager Axel Bethke and the haute couture designer Debbie Wingham. All flawlessly cut and ethically sourced, decorations include three carat pink diamonds, four carat sapphires, oval red diamonds, black and white diamonds, and a mixture of remastered, expertly upcycled jewellery from the likes of Bvulgari, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Chanel.
Inspired by the verdant feathers of a peacock and the modernist art-deco era, the tree features martini glasses, feathers, perfume bottles and even 3D printed chocolate peacocks. But it wouldn’t be Christmas without tradition, and guests can still expect to find classic decorations such as snowflakes, fairies, and beautifully decorated baubles, carefully curated with a mixture of materials, from diamond dust and 24 carat gold, to emu and ostrich eggs.
Those heading to Marbella during this festive season may also join the hotel’s Diamond and Champagne Night on December 28. At the event, guests will get to indulge in a decadently curated cocktail dining experience by Executive Chef David Fernandez and have the chance to take home a diamond valued at €2,000 (over $2,200). The indulgent cocktail dinner with a twist will see guests sip on Perrier Jouet as they each have the chance to select a key and attempt to unlock a box containing the valuable treasure. Whoever’s key fits the lock will take home the dazzling diamond.
Kempinski Hotel Bahia is situated a stone’s throw from the palm tree-lined promenade of Estepona – Marbella. With landscaped gardens, expansive swimming pools, terracotta towers and newly refurbished restaurants and bars, the property has become a favorite escape for families, couples, and adventurers alike.