After much recent coverage of The Polo House, James Hewitt´s new venture in the Spanish and UK media, I took a trip to see what all the fuss was about on Saturday night.

Hewitt, the former lover of Diana the Princess of Wales and often considered a bit of a rascal, has just opened a lavish restaurant/bar on Marbella´s famous Golden Mile. The venue is beautifully decorated and furnished, in keeping with its polo theme – lots of polished wood and subtle reminders that you could be in a gentleman´s club in Knightsbridge.

I tried to say ´Buenas Noches´ to the doormen as I entered, only to discover that they were as English as I am. In fact, everyone was English…very English, almost as if the owners have deliberately tried to re-create a tribute to all things colonial. And it works…I think.

First of all, the place was packed….which isn´t hard, as the venue is a little on the small side. The restaurant takes up 70% of the space, and I am sure it is a wonderful setting in which to dine. I was only there for a drink, and so felt a little squashed into a corner of the bar that overlooks the dining area. But hospitality and service were top-notch, no surprise given that Charlotte Fisher has been recruited to run the front-of-house.

I´m not a foodie, so the Polo House may be a bit lost on me, but a very trusted friend assures me that the food is superb, and not over-priced. Apparently, the place can get a bit wild after midnight (well, wild for the over 40s), when the restaurant transforms into a luxurious nightclub, with DJs and dancing (probably on the tables, as there seems no room for a dancefloor!).

I am confident that the Polo House will prove to be a very popular and successful addition to Marbella´s exclusive haunts.