Marbella.
A hedonistic paradise.
Propsper Merimé passed through Marbella, inspiring his famous novel Carmen.
Hans Christian Andersen wrote in his travel book about his stay in Marbella.
There he says that it was unforgettable and that in these lands he enjoyed a dream for the senses.
Its geographical location.
Marbella is a populated and cosmopolitan city 60 km. from Malaga .
You should also know that Marbella has 27 km. of coastline and 320 days of sunshine a year.
His origins.
Marbella has been inhabited since the Paleolithic and during the Neolithic.
Later it was a Phoenician settlement and its current old town was an urban nucleus from Roman times.
After the Normans ravaged the entire coast, the Arabs arrived, staying to live and building castles, fortresses, mosques, and defensive towers.
The current old town with narrow streets and white houses is from the Muslim era, as well as its name Marbal.la.
The Arabs cultivated gardens with fig and mulberry trees around the town.
With the leaves of the moray eels they fed the silkworms.
Thanks to them the silk industry flourished.
In 1485 Marbella was conquered without bloodshed by the Catholic Monarchs, who gave it the title of City.
They were the ones who ordered the construction of the Plaza de los Naranjos in the Renaissance style of the squares of Castilla.
Later, in 1644 and from Marbella, the cultivation of sugar cane extends throughout the coast of the province of Malaga.
Marbella and the great fortunes.
Marbella without the Hohenlohe´s would not be Marbella,
and Spain without Marbella would be less Spain.
In 1807, the Berliner Federico Scholtz Roth opened some wineries, which were the most important in the city.
Later, he had 6 sons and daughters, 5 married Spaniards.
His nephew Alfonso de Hohenlohe acquired the Finca Santa Margarita, which in 1954 would be the Marbella Club and in 1975 the Hotel Puente Romano.
The germ of the luxurious and eccentric atmosphere of Marbella.
Next, we are going to relate some episodes related to his descendants, from which the luxurious and eccentric atmosphere of Marbella was formed.
Her daughter Piety married the Prince of Hohenlohe, who one evening while standing on Guadalmina Beach and contemplating the landscape, observed a piece of land owned by the monks and exclaimed “I want to buy here!”
His grandson Ricardo bought a finca called “El Rodeo” and with it he began luxury tourism in Marbella.
Parties at the home of the Hohenlohe and their offspring married to renowned Spaniards brought world fame to the sophistication of Marbella.
In 1959 the first golf course in Marbella was inaugurated, the Hotel Golf Guadalmina.
A little later, in 1962 a banker promoted the Los Monteros Reserve, which attracted representatives of the government of dictator Francisco Franco and also the Hohenlohe.
Their many friends from the world’s most influential families in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Bismarck, the Rothschilds, the Goldsmiths, the Thyssen-Borzenisza.
Also the Onassis and many more spent the summer in Marbella, making it a meeting point for the international Jet-set.
In the mid-60s they began to show a predilection for Marbella potentates, businessmen, owners of great fortunes and members of the royal houses of the Middle East.
Khashoggi, one of the richest men in the world, acquires the Finca de la Baraka.
Construction of high-end resorts begins.
During these years with the petrodollars of the great fortunes of Lebanon, Kuwait, Libya and Syria important complexes and super luxury hotels
are built.
Then, clients from the Middle East began to arrive with their numerous entourage to occupy the new 5-star hotels (Los Monteros, Puente
Romano, Marbella Club, Meliá Don Pepe, Nobu Hotel …)
The Mosque is the tangible legacy of the close relationship between Marbella and the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia.
It was built at the will of Principe Salmán, according to the project of the architect Mora Urbano, and its style is characterized by a mixture of
Andalusian and Arabic elements.
Marbella´s monuments, and places of interest.
Old town.
It includes the Old Walled enclosure, the Barrio Alto and the Barrio Nuevo.
Walled enclosure.
There is the Plaza de los Naranjos, the center of the historic center, drawn up after the Christian conquest according to the canons of urban
architecture in Castile during the Renaissance.
Around the square are the Town Hall, built by order of the Catholic Monarchs, the Casa del Corregidor (Gothic-Mudejar style) and the
Hermitage of Santiago (15th century).
You also have to visit the Arab walls.
Barrio Alto.
Hermitage of Santo Cristo de la Vera Cruz (15th century).
Barrio Nuevo.
It preserves its simple house of lime, tile and wooden beams with an orchard and corral.
Historic expansion of Marbella.
It is the part of Marbella between the old town and the sea.
From the old town to the sea we go down Avenida del Mar, a garden path with fountains and 10 sculptures by Salvador Dalí.
The Golden Mile.
They are the 4 kilometers that separate Marbella from Puerto Banús.
There are the most luxurious residences in Spain, such as the Mar-Mar Palace of the King of Saudi Arabia.
Here are also the most exclusive hotels: Meliá Don Pepe, Hotel Marbella Club and Hotel Puente Romano.
Nueva Andalucia.
There is Puerto José Banús, known as Puerto Banús, with a nautical tradition and a consolidated luxury marina in the Mediterranean.
It makes the Costa del Sol a meeting place for the great fortunes, who moor their yachts (a day of mooring costs 4,200 euros) and park their
sports cars to enjoy a day of shopping and super luxury services.
Their beaches.
The 27 km. The coastline of Marbella is divided into 24 beaches, all of them urban or semi-urban.
Most are made of fine golden sand, although you can also find them made of gravel or dark sand.
For telecabbie.com the best one is Cabopino Beach, located in a protected dune area and from which you will enjoy spectacular views.
This beach will make you feel that you are in one of the best beaches in Cádiz.
On the other hand, the most famous beaches are Puente Romano beach and Puerto Banús beach, frequented by celebrities and people
with high purchasing power.
Furthermore, the beach of Puerto Banús and its marina are famous for their exclusive night parties.
Marbella´s gastronomy.
From telecabbie.com we recommend three restaurants.
We are regular customers and we are always pleasantly surprised.
They are places where you have a perfect and unforgettable lunch or dinner guaranteed.
Two are the premises in Marbella of Dani García, winner of 3 Michelin Stars.
Lobito de Mar, where the most important thing is the fish that they bring daily from the best fish markets in Andalusia and El Bibo, where you
can also try dishes from all over the world and have tapas.
The third place we highly recommend El Nobu, by Robert de Niro.
It has two sister restaurants in Milan and London.
There you will enjoy classic Japanese food with Peruvian touches. Remember that it requires elegant informal dress… it is the glamor of Marbella.
Nearby populations.
Near Marbella and Puerto Banús are, first of all Malaga, the capital of the Costa del Sol 60 km.
Very close: San Pedro, Benahaís, Ojén and La Cala de Mijas.
A little further: Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Estepona, Fuengirola, Sotogrande, Ronda and Antequera.
