PRIVILEGED SETTING

Marbella occupies perhaps the best section of the Costa del Sol’s coastal strip, which extends between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountain ranges rising up a few kilometres inland. It is this topographical setting that gives the whole region a blessed microclimate made up of gentle winters and warm, long summers; but within this area, Marbella is particularly privileged.

WELL CONNECTED

Marbella is centrally located on the Costa del Sol, which means it is just over half an hour to the international airports at Málaga and Gibraltar, with high-speed AVE train connections from Málaga to major cities across Spain and beyond to France and the rest of Europe. The flying time to most main European destinations is 2½ hours and the high-speed train will take you to Madrid Central Station in roughly the same time.

TOWN AND SUBURBS

The actual town of Marbella forms the basis for the much larger area that now carries its name. Originally a village of fishermen and farmers, it was ‘discovered’ in the late 1940s by Spanish aristocrats such as Ricardo Soriano and of course Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, the creator of the legendary Marbella Club Hotel – and the man who put this beautiful spot on the map and made it internationally famous.

The great stars, royals, aristocrats and tycoons of the 1950s and 1960s all fell in love with Marbella, acquiring holiday properties here or even making Marbella their year-round home. The allure continued to grow with the years, as sheikhs and those successful enough to allow it visited or lived here. Each decade saw an evolution of this exciting town with its can-do attitude and international population, spreading outwards from the historic old town and the palm-lined boulevard that is the Golden Mile.

This stylish avenue connects Marbella town with Puerto Banús, the jet-set marina inaugurated in 1970. Today, Marbella can be divided into distinct areas, occupying over 40 kilometres of coastline and extending into the foothills of mighty mountain ranges.