Guide to Marbella

If there’s one thing oil-rich Arab sheikhs, Hollywood superstars, shady arms dealers and British bank robbers on the run all have in common…it’s a passion for Marbella.

Its five star hotels, exclusive golf clubs and Michelin-rated restaurants make it one of the classiest places on earth. But in the typically waspish words of Simon Cowell, the “Mr Nasty” of hit TV talent shows The X Factor and Pop Idol, some of the more over the top displays of wealth in Marbella are “pure Essex”.

The rich and famous of Marbella

Mr Cowell’s name is on an elite list of Marbella property owners, past and present, along with former Saudi ruler Kind Fahd, movie legend Sean Connery and publicist to the super stars, Max Clifford. Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith have a holiday home here, the Beckhams have been known to visit and gangster Ronnie Knight was one of a long line of British criminals to choose it as a bolt hole.

It’s fabulous, it’s flashy and it’s famous for having some of the most expensive real estate in the world.

King Fahd so loved the place he built a fantastical marble and gold palace here, modelled on the White House in Washington. He used to arrive with his own air force of private jets and helicopters to enjoy the mind blowing facilities of his holiday complex with its twin mosques, private hospital and magnificent array of villas.

Surprisingly, though, you don’t have to have pockets as bottomless as the Beckhams to book a holiday in Marbella. A massive building programme in the latter half of the 20th century gave rise to a wide range of holiday apartments, villa complexes and hotels designed to accommodate the budgets of middle market tourists.

Marbella even has a couple of cheap youth hostels for the benefit of budget backpackers and several well equipped camp sites along its coastline.

The rise of Marbella

Of course you’re not likely to bump into any European royals or A-list celebrities in the local camp sites. Members of the money-to-burn brigade take their pick of the impossibly sumptuous suites on offer at Marbella’s many world-class hotels. They include the Puente Romano (well used to jet set guests such as Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Streisand), the beachfront Gran Melia Don Pepe and the award-winning Meridien los Monteros on the outskirts of town.

One of the best places to rub shoulders with the rich and famous is at the legendary Marbella Club which is where the seeds for one of the world’s most exclusive holiday resorts were sown just after World War II. Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, a member of the German nobility and godson of King Alfonso III of Spain, bought a Spanish finca in Marbella, turned it into a luxurious resort hotel and so transformed Marbella from a traditional Andalusian fishing village into a party playground for the world’s mega rich.

Golf in Marbella

The Marbella Club’s 18-hole golf course, 20 minutes drive from the hotel, is for the sole use of hotel guests, Puente Romano clients and property owners in the resort (so overcrowding on the greens is never a problem!).

The Costa del Sol is the golfing mecca of Europe and Marbella has more than its fair share of championship courses on its doorstep. Top flight clubs such as Las Brisas, Aloha, La Cala, La Quinta and Torrequebrada attract golfers from all four corners of the globe with an irresistible combination of challenging courses, gorgeous settings and year-round sun.

Property in Marbella

Marbella’s most famous attraction is its “Golden Mile” which stretches west from the town to the glitzy super yacht marina of Puerto Banus. This is where you’ll find some of Spain’s most luxurious villas, expensive hotels and elegant eateries all vying for position on the Mediterranean’s most illustrious coastal strip.

For a flavour of “old Marbella” head into the town’s attractive Orange Square (Plaza de los Naranjos) which is flanked by elegant 15th and 16th century buildings. The square, still partially bordered by an ancient Moorish wall, lies at the heart of the Old Town where you’ll find a delightful hotch potch of pedestrianised narrow streets with flower filled balconies and traditional tapas bars.

« Back to our Spanish area guides page