Marbella: From International to Global.
Marbella has come a long way since the construction of its first resorts in the 1940s and 1950s. Over the years, famous and glamorous visitors, including Hollywood stars, European aristocrats, and Saudi Arabian royals, have established Marbella and Puerto Banus as top European jet-set destinations. The inauguration of the International Airport Malaga Costa del Sol attracted unceasing crowds of international holidaymakers, second-home buyers, and ex-pats drawn to the high-quality coastal living.
Luxury Brands.
Many affluent foreigners have settled in Costa del Sol, attracting the interest of foreign investors and luxury brands. As a result, various international companies have established themselves in the area over the years, offering luxury goods, tourism, health, and education services.
Kempinski Hotels has been in Costa del Sol since 1999. Their beachfront property, Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona, is a short drive from Estepona’s historic center and Marbella and Puerto Banús.
Nikki Beach, the international hospitality company that pioneered the luxury beach club concept with venues in Miami, Monaco, and Dubai has brought its unique idea to Costa del Sol since 2003. Their Marbella location on the white sandy beach of Marbella East features a VIP pool, open-air restaurant, octagon-shaped bar, lifestyle boutique, and exclusive lounge, combining elements of music, dining, entertainment, fashion, film, and art.
Buchinger Wilhelmi clinic is a unique destination known for its German expertise in therapeutic fasting and the fusion of Western medicine with alternative therapies. It caters to a prestigious clientele, including actors, writers, designers, and people in business. The clinic opened its second branch in Marbella in 1973, ahead of the trend of such healing methods in Spain.
Costa del Sol has a variety of international schools, including primary, secondary, and college options, as well as the prestigious Les Roches Marbella International School of Hotel Management. The school opened in Marbella in 1995 and is ranked among the top three hotel management universities worldwide. Les Roches Marbella has campuses in Switzerland, the United States, and China.
Nobu restaurant and hotel has also opened in Marbella, Puerto Banus. The globally recognized luxury brand, co-founded by Nobu Matsuhisa and Robert De Niro now operates on five continents, with its latest addition in Marbella’s Golden Mile area. The Nobu experience includes “new style” Japanese cuisine with South American influence, signature cocktails in the Nobu lounge, luxurious suites with rain-fall showers and furnished terraces, La Suite Nightclub, and a Six Senses Spa offering exclusive Nobu treatments.
The award-winning global brand in Marbella enhances the city’s reputation as a glamorous destination and may encourage other luxury brands to follow suit. Marbella is now attracting some of the biggest global brands.
French hospitality brand Club Med has launched its flagship property in Spain by reopening the Don Miguel hotel in Marbella in 2022. The luxurious property will be one of Club Med’s 70 hotels across 26 countries worldwide.
Hotels Worldwide (W) is set to open in Marbella, adding another strong global hotel chain to the market. The hotel will be in Playa Real de Zaragoza, just a short drive from downtown Marbella. It will boast a vibrant bar, signature restaurant, spa with a beauty salon and juice bar, state-of-the-art workout facility, and two pool decks. W Marbella will also offer five modern meeting rooms and a covered terrace, perfect for outdoor events, measuring over 10,000 square feet.
Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, and Ritz Carlton are also considering opening soon and will be announcing their plans.
Marbella confirm its status as a destination for ongoing global investment and mark a new era for Costa del Sol. With its favorable climate, security, and infrastructure, Marbella has the potential to join the ranks of top world destinations like Miami, Cote D’Azur, London, and New York.
Scandinavian billionaires opt for Marbella.
Recent press coverage has revealed that Sweden has more billionaires per capita than the USA, despite being a social-democratic country with higher taxes. Although accumulating wealth is more challenging in Sweden, the country offers a supportive ecosystem that enables successful businesses to thrive and emerge as future multinationals.
Examining the number of established and emerging Swedish multinational corporations affirms that, despite one’s preference for accumulating wealth in the United States, Sweden, often labeled as “socialist,” may be a superior location for a new business venture. This is due to its outstanding healthcare, education, and innovative culture, which has created prosperous enterprises such as Ikea, Koenigsegg, and Spotify. As a result, numerous Swedish entrepreneurs, millionaires, and billionaires are now gravitating toward the southern coast of Spain.
A timeless romance.
Swedes’ romance with Costa del Sol went way back to the 60s and was nicknamed Sueca, describing young blonde girls on Spanish beaches. Though British, Arabic and Russian homebuyers later overshadowed them, Swedes are again drawn to Marbella and its surroundings due to its alluring climate, coast, and glamour.
Affluent Swedish buyers are particularly fond of Marbella’s upscale residential areas, such as Nueva Andalucía, Guadalmina, the New Golden Mile, Sierra Blanca, Los Monteros, and Elviria. Modern open-plan villas, apartments, and penthouses are highly sought-after in these areas.
Furthermore, Malaga’s downtown area has recently piqued the interest of Swedish and other buyers who seek a pied-à-terre in the city’s historic center, which offers an excellent investment opportunity with good returns just an hour from Marbella.
The sustained price increase shows the trend towards high-quality properties in Marbella and Málaga. A growing trend of a coastal region centered around Marbella, extending from Sotogrande in the west to Málaga in the east. This area offers a diverse range of property types and options.
Puente Romano: Past and Present.
Some of the world’s most iconic hotels are so closely associated with the cities they occupy that it’s impossible to think of one without the other; one such hotel is the legendary Puente Romano in Marbella, when one thinks of Marbella, it is hard not to conjure up images of this beloved hotel that has been an integral part of the city’s fabric for many years. Other prime examples of such establishments include the Ritz in Paris, Raffles in Singapore, Claridge’s in London and Beverly Hills in Los Angeles.
Built in 1974, originally as an upscale apartment complex and converted 5 years later into a high-end hotel, Puente Romano is a unique place that blends the old and the new. It cemented its position as a world-class hospitality destination and contributed to the establishment of Marbella as a leading global tourism hotspot when it became a member of the distinguished Leading Hotels of the World Group two years later
Puente Romano, one of the leading tourism destinations in the world.
The origin story of this charming apartment complex in Andalusian style dates back to when Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, looking for an alternative to the trendy Marbella Club Hotel, spotted its potential. He then entrusted Bolivian-born architect Melvin Villaroel with the task of creating a luxury complex that would reflect the essence of the local culture. Villaroel, who lived in Marbella, drew inspiration from traditional Andalusian villages and designed an oasis of luxury that catered to the kind of clients that Marbella was becoming famous for;
an elegant complex that still stands today as a testament to his talent and creativity and it even won him the prestigious award for Best Tourist Complex in the World, cementing the hotel’s status as one of the most coveted destinations for the jet-setting crowd. Over time, the hotel’s reputation only grew, making it a favorite of the rich and famous and in 1980, tennis legend Bjorn Borg chose the hotel as the venue for his wedding, solidifying the enduring allure of this classic Andalusian treasure.
Former World Nº. 1 tennis player Björn Borg with Regine at Puente Romano in the ’80s. It was hardly surprising then that the Swedish champion, still at the height of his fame and game, took up the position of manager of the newly completed Puente Romano Tennis Club, thereby attracting many more celebrities from the world of tennis and helping establish the complex as a venue for many official international events. He handed over to the great Manolo Santana a few years later, who ensured the hosting of some of the most important tournaments in the world over subsequent years. Tennis at this level has now become synonymous with Puente Romano.
The Puente Romano Tennis Club’s establishment marked the beginning of a new era for the Swedish champion who was still ruling the tennis world; he seized the opportunity and assumed the managerial position, which turned out to be a wise decision as it solidified the complex’s reputation as a location for various international events and attracted a flurry of celebrities from the tennis industry. After a few years, the legendary Manolo Santana took charge and paved the way for some of the most prestigious tournaments to be hosted at Puente Romano.
Over the years, the 3,000-capacity center court has served not only its primary purpose but has also hosted concerts for renowned artists like Ray Charles, Montserrat Caballé, BB King, Gloria Esteban, Van Morrison, and Grace Jones. Meanwhile, the guestbook of this exclusive venue is filled with the names of notable personalities from Elizabeth Taylor to Adrian Brody who frequented the hotel’s nightclub, which was previously called Regine’s,
The Botanical Gardens of the Puente Romano.
Today, the only difference between a stroll through the charming streets of an Andalusian village and a walk through the sprawling grounds of Puente Romano is the abundance of exclusive dining options and lavish facilities that you’ll encounter on your path and adding to the hotel’s appeal is the Costa del Sol’s expansive Andalucía Conference Centre, which first welcomed guests in 2002, and stands as one of the largest such facilities affiliated with the hotel.
At the heart of any hotel lie the essential services of fine dining and board, which Puente Romano takes very seriously; with a variety of dining options from tapas at the beach bar to the exquisite gastronomic delights in the surrounding restaurants within the main hotel building, every palate is catered for in this place. I can personally vouch that even the simplest of dishes, such as a fish dish commonly found in restaurants throughout Southern Spain, turned into an unforgettable sensory experience.
The Plaza at Puente Romano is a place to see and be seen.
Nobu restaurant, named in honor of chef Nobu Matsuhisa and run by Executive Chef Elenio Manousou, is a renowned establishment among nearly 20 other dining and drinking restaurants within the complex; it is famous for its unique blend of traditional Japanese dishes infused with Peruvian flavors and requires a smart casual dress code, unlike El Chiringuito’s dress code which may attract unwanted attention.
Amidst the array of dining options, is Steakhouse X by the celebrated Dani García, known as Leña – a name that alone can whet the appetite. Whether you prefer the freshness of Sea Grill, the exotic flavors of Thai Gallery, or the classic Italian dishes of Serafina, the choices here are plentiful. To orient yourself, take note of the surroundings – the elegant La Plaza, the serene Les Jardines, and the lush La Selva; and if you lose track of time, Supperclub is there to remind you. With something to suit every palate, and even more to surprise and delight, you might just discover your new favorite cuisine. It’s wise to book ahead at all restaurants during peak season.
Where beach meets elegance: El Chiringuito.
As the Puente Romano hotel and apartment complex approaches its 50th anniversary, it’s reassuring to know that its future is secure under the guidance of a team of Andalusian and international experts whose dedication to excellence continues the legacy of their predecessors, The Puente Romano endures, a timeless icon that has not lost its passion for perfection.
Marbella Real Estate nowdays.
Where can you find the priciest and most exclusive homes, embodying the epitome of luxury? Marbella is renowned for its luxurious and exclusive lifestyle. It attracts diverse affluent clients, including celebrities from music, sports, and cinema, international investors, aristocrats, royal families, and individuals with high-end positions. These clients come from various countries, including Spain, Europe, and South America, sharing a common trait of high purchasing power. In our blogs about real estate in Marbella, we highlight the unique features that set it apart from other areas, including its high-end properties with prices exceeding even 30 million euros. This market is the most exclusive in Spain, surpassing even Madrid and Barcelona regarding property prices. Marbella and La Costa del Sol are particularly sought after by wealthy families nationally and internationally, and some of the most expensive properties in the country can be found in these areas.
Where can we buy this kind of property? Areas like The Golden Mile or La Zagaleta in Marbella’s real estate market offer unique and expensive options.
Villas in the Golden Mile can be difficult to find due to the area’s exclusivity. The renowned developments, such as Sierra Blanca, Cascada de Camoján, and Puente Romano, are notable in this area.
Not many are familiar with the names of small urbanizations located on the beachfront of The Golden Mile, such as Santa Petronila, Santa Margarita, and Las Torres. These areas are surrounded by the prestigious Marbella Club and are considered among the most expensive in Spain, with an average cost of 10 to 20 thousand euros per square meter. While security and privacy are paramount, the location is unbeatable. The properties in this area are truly impressive and can easily fetch prices above 50 million euros.
Villa Loriana is one of the most luxurious properties in the city is a waterfront estate on an 8,300m2 plot. The entrance is impressive, with a private street leading to a large tropical fountain and a roundabout. It boasts 4,000m2 of space with ten bedrooms, including five suites in the main house, 3 in the guest house, and 2 in the beach house. Additionally, there is a staff house with four bedrooms. The property has many amenities, such as an elevator, spa, gym, music system, medical room, snack bar, and two pools, including a large tropical pool and a heated pool near the beach. This estate is truly one of the most extraordinary properties in Europe.
LuxuryForSale.Properties real estate.
While we have previously mentioned properties in Marbella priced at up to 8 million euros, there are even higher-priced properties that are not officially listed for sale. These ultra-exclusive properties, valued between 30 and 60 million euros, are marketed privately and only shared with a select few agencies that have established relationships with the owners.
LuxuryForSale.Properties real estate is an agency chosen for its discretion and personalized approach to marketing these high-end properties to the most exclusive clients.