Marbella
The home of European glam and glitz, Marbella has been around for a long time. Humans
started settling on the Sierra Blanca Mountain in prehistoric times and have stayed
ever since. The Phoenicians, Romans and Visigoths all passed through, leaving an
assortment of monuments behind them, but it was not until the Islamic period that
Marbella became a walled city. After the Reconquest it became a backwater: in the
1940s there were about 900 people living there. A breakdown was to change the future
of the village.
In 1950, Prince Max Egon zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg and his heir Alfonso de Hohenlohe
experienced a problem with their Rolls-Royce in the vicinity. Alfonso was so impressed
by Marbella that he decided to buy land commercially, marketing the area as a tourist
destination. In 1954 he opened the Marbella Club Hotel, which was loosely modelled
on the motel style with lower pitched terracotta roofs among 23,000 trees. The European
jet set flocked to Marbella throughout the 1960s, joined in the 70s by the Saudi
Princes in their yachts. The town grew ever more lavish, attracting enormous investment,
as well as the attentions of gangsters from Italy and Russia. Despite a dip in its
fortunes in the 1990s it retains its title as Spain’s most stylish resort and even
now has the highest per capita income in Europe.
Sheltered by the Sierra Blanca, Marbella is said to have the most soothing climate
of any resort on the Costa del Sol, with mild winters, 320 days of sun each year
and temperatures rarely going over 31º even at the height of summer. In a town like
this, it’s not surprising that the main activities are posing and shopping. There
are ample opportunities for both: the beaches are wide and golden, while the selection
of designer boutiques rivals Madrid. The beauties draped all over the yachts probably
don’t take full advantage of the excellent local cuisine; a pity for them, as the
seafood is exquisite. Fried fish, lobster, fish stew, grilled prawns and calamari
salad are among the treats in store.
For visitors who tire of the beach, there are plenty of places to visit. The Golden
Mile is a strip of luxury where you can see King Fahd’s palace, which was modelled
on the White House. The old town is peaceful: although many of the houses are being
turned into shops there are still pretty squares where you can sit on a terrace
and drink a jug of sangria looking up to the mountains of Ronda. Hidden amongst
the whitewashed streets are the Church of the Incarnation, built in a combination
of Baroque and Arab styles. The Little Hospital, opposite, dates to the Reconquest
and has marvellous frescoes. The Contemporary Spanish Engraving Museum has work
by Picasso, Dali and Miro, while the nearby Bonsai Museum is the oldest in the world,
with a wonderful collection of miniature trees.
Marbellans are great partiers and have fiestas throughout the year in honour of
their special saints. The two biggest are the festival of San Bernabe in June and
the festival of San Pedro in October: people fill the streets, dancing and drinking
until dawn. No need to worry if you’re there at other times: the choice of bars
and clubs is enormous, ranging from student hangouts to seriously swanky cocktail
bars. Just remember to dress up: in Marbella, less is never more!