Gecko Towers
When we first settled in Marbella in the early 2000’s something used to infuriate me. Those, particularly, older Expats, who had lived here since the 1980s would suck their teeth and mourn the loss of a particular amenity. A bar, a restaurant or a shop, as though its closure was some form of personal slight. Taking away something someone has enjoyed but can no longer is undoubtedly frustrating but isn’t that the flip-side of economic downturns or upswings? And there have been a few of those over the years in Marbella.
The bemoaner would often say “It wasn’t what it used to be”. House staff were more docent, gardeners were happy to be paid in vedge, mechanics were more grateful and the suppliers of professional services, though limited and snooty, were in many ways far more willing. Interpret that as you will. Hindsight tends to convey a concave view but their intention was usually to imply that it was far better before you lot (gesturing at me) arrived and spoiled it for them. A typically curmudgeonly response to change.
Well, of course, it isn’t what it used to be – it’s way better!
Despite the extensive Roman remains that pepper the coast from Marbella to Tarifa and beyond, this is a relatively “new” coast even by European holidaymaker standards. We are talking about development focussed primarily on the Marbella region but this has been largely achieved in under seventy years. From fields of golden sunflowers to green grass of irrigated fairways in less than two thirds of a century. It is a remarkable tribute to progress.
The aristocratic German Hohenlohe family purchased Finca Santa Margarita as their summer home in 1947. Having been tipped off to the beauty of the location by his cousin, Ricardo Soriano (who gave his name to the Main Street running through Marbella town), Prince Max and his son, Prince Alfonso, first visited in 1946. In 1954 – just 70 years ago – they launched the now iconic Marbella Club and its first twenty bedrooms. By the late 1960’s, with the endless good natured Count Rudi von Schonberg at the helm, many who comprised what was then called “the Jet Set” of actors, fashion models and assorted celebrities had kissed and not told at the Hotel’s Champagne Bar.
In 1970 the developer, Jose Banus launch his eponymous Puerto Banus and this attracted its fair share of glitterati.
I know several intrepid visitors who first came to sample the delights of Marbella in the 1950s. While it was far removed from the subsequent building booms it was hardly a Stanley meeting Livingstone moment that required chopping through troublesome undergrowth with a panga knife. Hotels had been established in Guadalmina, Los Monteros and Cortijo Blanco. They were perhaps a little more primitive than the air conditioned palaces of today but visitors enjoyed locally sourced fruit, wine and beer and feasted on a varied menu of freshly caught fish.
The catalyst for this development was in no small part due to the Navarra industrialist, Norberto Goizueta Diez. In 1933, he purchased, for the Peseta equivalent of €300,000, 350 acres from the Compania General Azucarera de España (the local sugar cane growers) and inaugurated the Guadalmina Estate. In 1959, much to the confusion of local farmers, he developed the first golf course – initially nine holes – in Marbella. It was called “the Southern Course” of Guadalmina Club de Golf.
The impact on the Costa del Sol that was to become known in part as the ‘Costa del Golf’ was enormous. There are now over seventy golf courses between Torre Del Mar and Sotogrande. Around each golf course enterprising developers have built a variety of different configurations of property which in turn grew into villages with a host of local amenities. This became the blue print for the location we see today and continues with more and better controlled development both hugging the coast and the fairway.
The basic healthcare that I needed in 1981, on my first visit to Marbella, when I had a knee wound – I still have the scar – stitched at a local clinic that was lit by a single light bulb on a wire from the ceiling, is now substantially surpassed by the likes of the Costa del Sol Hospital situated on the A-7 “coast road” 7km east of Marbella’s centre. It is regarded as one of the finest and best equipped hospitals in Spain. Several of my family, including myself, have been treated there for various things. For the language poor, there is an excellent multi-lingual translator service that can assist you during your visit.
First launched in December 1993, demand was such that an extension was started in 2008 to provide an additional 150 beds, a base for specialist units and much needed car parking. The economic crash of the same year has starved the development of completion funds but the work has now recommenced and is progressing quickly.
Historically, getting to Malaga airport from numerous airports all over Europe and North Africa served the core market. Now Malaga airport operates with three terminals, the last of which was opened by the then King of Spain in March 2010. In September 2010, an overground railway station, called “Malaga Airport” was opened servicing both Malaga city and those satellite towns to which the steel rail has stretched, ending currently on the Western Costa del Sol in Fuengirola. A second runway was opened June 2012. This paved the way for more international arrivals and, as a family, we have already flown to JFK New York from Malaga. This service has been revived annually running from May to September.
The old “coast road” the N340/A7 continues to run past the airport. My wife’s family, in the 1970s, would take a three hour taxi ride through the towns and villages in the direction of Marbella on what was then called the “Englishman’s Graveyard” – the road’s planners permitted traffic to turn left across oncoming vehicles! It was a journey that now approximates to the flight time from Manchester. The final stage of the AP7/E15 Peage (toll road) from Malaga to Guadiaro was opened in August 2002 eight months ahead of schedule, by the Spanish construction giant Ferrovial who had previously completed the Malaga to Estepona section.
Though the tolls continue to be pricey using the toll road reduces your journey time to Marbella to around forty minutes. As a result, you can disembark with hand luggage and be at your preferred location within just over an an hour.
As a barometer of how much change has influence for the good the lives of those who settle or spend more time of the Costa del Sol the retail opportunities of both the Plaza Mayor business park, between the airport and the city of Malaga, have been joined by a McArthur Glen Designer Outlet. The US giant CostCo is also due to arrive in 2024/25. The new stores now make for an even more enjoyable trip to Malaga. For those who since the early 2000s have enjoyed their retail therapy at the La Canada, the shopping centre that sits behind Marbella, it continues to deliver.
The need to grow and develop has never more keenly been felt than in the last couple of years. Emerging from the periods of lockdown and restraint it is clear that demand from a new and discerning patron is fast approaching. This time the audience appears to be younger, vibrant with clear presences for great food, health and to thrive in harmony with the environment.
I wrote a piece – see here Are younger property buyers really disinterested by cheap booze and all day breakfasts? – which highlights the influx of a new breed of Marbella residents who are already influencing the shape of this growing and thriving region. Their impact on Marbella will be even more interesting as we evolve.
I can confidently predict that many from outside Europe will take advantage of the clear intention of the Spanish Government to welcome – even post Brexit – those who see quality of life as being a priority. See here another recent blogs – Will you benefit from Spain’s “Startup Act”? and Costa del Sol – The DigiTech Revolution
So, I’d agree nostalgia is really a rose-tinted view. Today, as opposed to yesterday, there is so much more to enjoy, revel in and experience. For its residents and visitors, alike, they continue to flourish in this area known as the “California of Europe”.
My advice is simple if you are looking at a life that may include Marbella and its region, let the legacy of nostalgia enjoy its position….firmly in the past…and enjoy what the future may hold.
Should you be interested in discussing the process involved in buying a property in the Marbella region, we would be delighted to assist you. As and when you are ready to progress with your search please contact me to discuss your precise requirements.
We are not estate agents, but we work with some hard-working and reputable ones.
We have a multi-disciplinary team of bi-lingual, highly experienced and wholly independent Abogados (Spanish Lawyers) and Asesores Fiscales (Tax Accountants) ready to help you.
Please note that our posts are for general interest. There is no substitute for proper advice tailored to your specific circumstances as provided by a qualified Abogado who is experienced in the application of the Spanish Law. Nothing contained in this article should be seen or taken as the writer or the publisher providing legal, tax or financial advice. All details have been reasonably fact-checked and all efforts have been taken to ensure that facts are accurate as at the date of publication.
My details: Mark FR Wilkins, during usual business hours on +34 600 343 917 or e-mail me at mark@biznagapartners.com
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