Top Marbella Cooking Classes

I've always wanted to take a cooking class in a foreign country and this exceeded my expectations. Maria and Rafael welcomed us into their home and presented a history of Rafael's family farm and the history behind Paella and other foodstuffs from Spain. I quickly fell in love with the Iberian ham and the cheeses (was one Manchego?). I ended up ordering other meals with this wonderful ham during the week. The tapas also included figs and olives from the garden and crackers. while I love figs, I have never been wild about olives but I figured I should try everything and guess what, I loved these! Who knew. The mussels were delicious too. A little story ... Maria has you introduce yourself and I told her I lived in a rural area of Maryland and she said she had friends who lived in a rural area in MD also. As she walked over to pul a ball cap from her hat stand, she said her friends decided to raise goats and then started milking them and making cheeses from the milk. That sounded familiar but I never the ball cap to say Firefly Farms which is in my area. It's a small world. Sangria was served while we ate tapas. Maria made mussels and started on the Paella. Meanwhile, she kept telling stories about the area, about cooking, about her and Rafael. We took a brief break to explore their garden which produced multiple types of tomatoes, etc. It was small but filled with goodies. We returned to the class area and Maria showed us the rest of the steps to make Paella with my niece serving as assistant chef. We learned that you need to keep the pan moving (use your hips) with about a 1/12th turn of the pan every so many minutes at the end. She served the Paella with a delicious Spanish wine (Vineverde), followed by Columbian Coffee and small desserts from a local shop. Everything was great ... Maria and Rafael were great hosts. We decided to ask Maria about places to see in the area as we planned to go to Ronda and Gibraltar. Her eyes lit up when we mentioned Ronda and she told us to travel 15 more minutes to Silente de Bodegas which is a small town of white houses that seem to grow out of the rock sides of a small gorge in the area. We are so grateful to Maria for telling us about Silente as it was one of the highlights of our trip. We also felt the class was a great value given all we learned, the food we ate, etc. We highly recommend her class and will contact her again if make another trip there, in case she has other classes we can attend. What a day!

Maria and Rafael were just fabulous hosts! The seafood paella was delicious and we learned techniques that will enable us to make Paella Valenciana (with chicken) and vegetarian paella as well. We had tasty sangria with our appetizers (tapas) with olives, cheese and a selection of curated hams. The other guests were lovely and we spent a lovely afternoon in this Finca!

Lovely authentic experience with a knowledgeable and friendly hist in a nice space

A beautiful setting within a beautiful home and made extremely welcomed into the family as strangers that came alway feeling like friends ..it was a special day too start with being it was my birthday but they made it into an unforgettable day ..its truly a unique experience and one I highly recommend

What a wonderful experience! It felt less like a cooking class and more like being invited to a family gathering. Maria made everyone feel so welcome, creating a warm, relaxed, and homelike atmosphere from the moment we arrived. She is an exceptional cook and generously shared all the little tips and techniques that make a truly amazing paella. Watching her prepare it step by step was fascinating, and the final result was absolutely delicious. We learned so much while having a fantastic time. The farmhouse itself is beautiful, perched on the mountainside with stunning views and a refreshing breeze—such a perfect escape from the summer heat. If you're looking for an authentic Andalusian experience, this is an absolute must-do. We left with wonderful memories, new cooking skills, and the feeling that we'd spent the afternoon with friends. Highly recommended!

Very enjoyable afternoon with Maria and her family on her hilltop farm overlooking the local area and sea. It was very peaceful and I felt very much welcomed. She did a wonderful job explaining the history and culture surrounding paella while assembling the ingredients in her kitchen. She shared several appetizers with our small group as she went along and recruited a few of us to help in the paella preparation. When it was complete we shared the wonderful food together along with some family wine followed by coffee and dessert. It was a wonderful afternoon long experience. Her farm is not far from Estepona, but it was a bit tricky to get in and out of with an uber since the address didn’t register on the App. However, Maria gave excellent instructions along with photos which helped. If you have your own car it certainly won’t be a problem. I very much recommend the experience. Maria was awesome.

Absolutely amazing, wonderful food, amazing food, great company, didn't want to leave

Finca Las Marias was one of the highlights of our trip. Amazing tapas, incredible local cheeses, and quite possibly the best jamón we’ve had in Spain. But what made it truly special was learning the history of paella and watching it being made right in front of us — such a neat experience rooted in tradition and passion.Spending time on the farm made it feel completely authentic and unlike anything else we’ve done. We arrived as strangers and left as friends. A truly unique, one-of-a-kind experience.

Maria and Rafael's hospitality was so appreciated. Really enjoyed learning how to make delicious paella in their beautiful home! We had a wonderful experience!

Wonderful, very family atmosphere! Interesting tips for preparing! Delicious paella and pastels! Thank you for the great experience.

The experience with Maria and Rafael was the closest thing you can get to a truly family dining experience that was as local and authentic as you can get. Maria was engaging and informative in detailing the history of both hers and Rafael’s farm as well as meticulously walking us through the detailed process of preparing paella. The end product was delicious and we cannot wait to receive the recipe from Maria. We spent the whole afternoon with Maria and Rafael in their home, became a part of their family for that time, and left knowing that we had made new friends in Estepona. While the food was excellent and it was a unique experience learning the process of cooking paella, the most memorable part of the day was the time spent after dinner conversing and getting to know each other. Maria and Rafael are a lovely couple and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and sharing our life experiences with them. The afternoon ended with pictures and hugs from both Maria and Rafael and not with the feeling that our excursion while vacationing in Estepona had come to an end, but rather that we were at the beginning of what we hope will be a long term friendship with our hosts. Highly recommend them to anyone looking for an authentic local experience in Estepona.

We visited Farm Maria as a birthday treat for 2 of our party of 8 friends. After a friendly welcome, including sangria and tapas, from Maria and Rafa, we spent a fun and interesting afternoon watching Maria create an amazing chicken & beef paella dish (our choice) which we all enjoyed with a choice of local wines. Maria is knowledgeable, professional and clearly passionate about paella and we all had a fabulous time…..despite the debate about the inclusion of peas!Thank you, Maria and Rafa! 😊

A very interesting and immersive presentation of the farm and the family's historical recipe and technique for making a paella, which normally seems to be very tedious. Paella we ate was very tasty but the paella color we got used to was missing. Why was the saffron color missing? Paella was commonplace. Saffron is very expensive.

This was one of the best things we did while in Spain. Maria and her husband Rafael were very welcoming and were great hosts throughout the day. We started with Sangria, Iberico ham, and cheese for a starter all while Maria, our host, started the hot appetizer which was mushrooms in garlic sauce, it was delicious! Maria then started the preparation for the seafood Paella, I appreciated the fact that she showed us every ingredient and each step in making the paella. She took her time allowing time for those who took notes and for us to ask questions and take pictures. She also provided the history of the paellas origin, she had us taste the broth before and after final seasoning and the end result was delicious! everyone enjoyed it and everyone got to have seconds as well as wine produced by Rafaels family with the meal and coffee and pastries afterwards. No one left there hungry, and my husband and I for one left there feeling like we made a new friend in Maria and Rafael. I highly recommend it.

This was one of the best tours we've been on in a long time. Maria and Raphael were wonderful and friendly hosts. The cooking instruction and food was exceptional but what made the tour was the personal conversations and stories shared by all. Enjoying the best paella we've ever had and good wine, sitting around the outdoor family table with the other guests (and Maria's 2 lovely dogs), made for the perfect day. Maria's even drove us to a taxi stand herself when the Uber got lost! Best hostess ever. Highly recommend!

Hostess Maria Jose and Anita her assistant deserve a 10. Of the best experiences of courses we have lived..