'Michelle Obama is a modern-day Marie Antoinette': First Lady slammed for lavish Marbella holiday



Michelle Obama’s lavish holiday in Marbella has led her to be compared to Marie Antoinette.



The First Lady is in the Spanish city for four days with her daughter Sasha - and a total of 68 Secret Service agents from the US.



She is staying at the five-star Hotel Villa Padierna, where her entourage has reserved 60 of the 129 rooms.





Michelle Obama takes a stroll in downtown Marbella with daughter Sasha (third left) after arriving in the Costa del Sol yesterday morning

Travelling in style: Mrs Obama during her $375,000 trip to Spain last year

Andrea Tantaros has compared Mrs Obama's extravagant behaviour to French queen Marie Antoinette



Today New York Daily News columnist Andrea Tantaros likened the President’s wife to a modern-day version of the French queen, who was famously extravagant with her spending.



Tantaros wrote: ‘To be clear, what the Obamas do with their money is one thing; what they do with ours is another. Transporting and housing the estimated 70 Secret Service agents who will flank the material girl will cost the taxpayers a pretty penny.’



And she accused the Obamas of hypocrisy for preaching the values of sacrifice and austerity to Americans while seemingly refusing to heed their own advice.



She said: ‘Instead, Michelle Obama seems more like a modern-day Marie Antoinette… than an average mother of two.’



She added: ‘I don't begrudge anyone rest and relaxation when they work hard. We all need downtime - the First Family included.



‘It's the extravagance of Michelle Obama's trip and glitzy destination contrasted with President Obama's demonisation of the rich that smacks of hypocrisy and perpetuates a disconnect between the country and its leaders.



‘Toning down the flash would humanise the Obamas and signify that they sympathise with the setbacks of the people they were elected to serve.'

Few details of the Spain expenditure are known. Purely personal parts will be paid for by Obama and friends.

Official portions of the trip will be picked up by the taxpayer, including transport on the Air Force version of a 757, which would cost around $146,000 (£91,900) for the round trip (not including four to five days' ground time), and her mandatory Secret Service detail.

At an estimated 70 agents - at the $273-a-day federal per diem for five days, that's just over £60,000 for Secret Service room and board.



That's a grand total of £150,000 - and that's just for starters.





High security: Bodyguards surround the First Lady and youngest daughter Sasha as they take a stroll on the Costa del Sol

Michelle Obama is all smiles as she walks past typical tourist attractions in southern Spain

Today Mrs Obama was seen strolling around the shops of Marbella’s old town, accompanied by burly Secret Service agents as hundreds of locals sought to catch a glimpse of her in the Costa del Sol resort.



Wearing black trousers, a black and white top and dark sunglasses, the 46-year-old walked through Marbella's cobbled streets, nipping into a number of shops before having dinner in an Andalusian restaurant.



Mrs Obama arrived by plane at Malaga airport yesterday morning and was driven in a 14-car convoy to her hotel



She told owner Ricardo Arranz she had come to 'relax and unwind'.



The hotel is nestled in the hills overlooking Marbella, and at 6.30pm she and nine-year-old Sasha were driven to the historic centre for their shopping trip.

The holiday came just as the Obama administration faced an embarrassing diplomatic blunder and was forced to pull a warning about racism in Spain.



Staff at the US State Department removed the contentious advice to travellers, which included the phrase 'racist prejudices could lead to the arrest of Afro-Americans who travel to Spain,' from its website on Monday.

Locals and British expats and holidaymakers crammed the streets or leaned out from balconies to get the best shot of the First Lady on their cameras. Some even climbed orange trees to get a better look.





Window shopping: Mrs Obama bends to get a better look at the display in a handicraft store

A bodyguard puts up a protective arm as the U.S. First Lady heads for a shop selling tourist paraphernalia

Touch down: Michelle and Sasha Obama arrive at Malaga airport on Air Force Two

Mrs Obama bought two white Egyptian cotton dresses for €84 (£70) from a shop called Blanc du Nil after asking shopkeeper Irene Aivar for advice on styles and sizes.



New York Daily News columnist Andrea Tantaros accused Michelle Obama of extravagance

She then took a business card from another shop called Samira, which sells silverware and crafts, before heading to a restaurant for dinner at 8pm.



They had a reservation for 14 people at the Buenaventura Plaza restaurant, reportedly eating lobster with rice and oysters followed by a Spanish bread pudding called torrijas.

The party enjoyed red wine with the main course and a local sweet white wine with dessert before retiring to the hotel at 10pm.



Today Mrs Obama and her youngest daughter were due to visit the city of Granada, taking in the spectacular Alhambra Palace, the 16th century Granada Cathedral, and the pretty Albaicin neighbourhood, famous for its narrow winding streets and small squares.



After four days on the Costa del Sol they are expected to visit King Juan Charles and Queen Sofia at their summer palace on the island of Majorca.



Around 250 Spanish police officers and military personnel are protecting the Obamas during the trip, with another 68 Secret Service agents over from the US.

President Barack Obama, who turned 49 on Wednesday, is not expected to join them in Spain, and oldest daughter Malia, 12, is at a summer camp in the US.



Mr Obama celebrated his birthday with friends in his Chicago hometown, including TV host Oprah Winfrey, shortly after receiving well-wishing phonecalls from his wife and daughters.



As the presidential motorcade pulled closer to his house in Hyde Park, neighbours lined the street to welcome him home with waves and signs, including 'Happy 49th Birthday President Barack Obama' and 'Happy Birthday Mr President.'



As well as Oprah, Mr Obama was joined by longtime friends Eric Whitaker, Marty Nesbitt and Valerie Jarrett, also a senior White House adviser and fellow Chicagoan.



VIP welcome: The First Lady and her daughter are greeted at Malaga airport

Michelle and Sasha travel by car from the airport to a luxury five-star hotel

High security: The First Lady's large convoy can be seen arriving in Marbella

Celebration: Barack Obama marked his 49th birthday with friends, including Oprah Winfrey, right, at Graham Elliot restaurant in Chicago



'Millionaires' playground': The hotel Villa Padierna in Marbella, where Michelle and Sasha Obama will stay for four days

Luxurious: The Obamas have booked 60 rooms and will spend four nights at the five-star Villa Padierna



Mr Obama's birthday - though a year short of the milestone 5-0 - also was viewed in this election year as a prime fundraising opportunity for Democrats, who fear losing their hold on both houses of Congress come November.

E-mails, house parties and other forms of outreach sought to capitalise on Obama's big day.

Mrs Obama even joined the act, asking supporters to sign an e-mail birthday card being distributed by Organising for America, Obama's political organisation. More than 1.2 million people had signed it as of Wednesday morning.











