Gecko Towers
Late summer is a spectacular time in Marbella. The blistering heat of July has calmed with August temperatures still high but deliciously bearable. The summer of celebrations, the visiting offspring and other family members are returning to their homes after a relaxing time by the sea or poolside.
The iconic Starlight festival is wrapping for another year after a varied bill of local and international talent has rocked the world of many residents and tourists alike. A session in the gym is more productive as the access to equipment eases. Tennis and padel courts can be booked more easily. Favourite town and beach restaurants are liberated from the pressures to pack in as many as possible. After years of trying, I have decided to avoid some preferred venues as the best solution to swerving the less mellow visitors. The departure in late August of those majoring in a patrician air, a disapproving scowl or a critical eye will not be universally mourned.
The roads are the most significant barometer of visitor numbers. The key strip between the Nagueles tunnel and the Puerto Banus turn off, rear-end shunts aside, can simply be a frustrating. For those with appointments in Marbella it can be irksome while for those keen to visit the “La Canada” shopping centre to feed the fridge it can be irritating as it steals part of a valuable holiday day. The works have now been complete on the Golden Mile going into Marbella from the West, so it’s much more free flowing. Adding an extra five to ten minutes to a journey is bearable and, compared to the grid locked roads of many European capitals, its insignificant. However, the last few days of August there is a noticeable fall off in traffic as the “Great Return” to home starts to happen.
A sub-audible sigh of relief can be heard in the quiet streets of Marbella’s Old Town (Casco Antigua), at the taxi ranks and from the patient staff of Mercadona. The hard working bar staff, arriving early for the breakfast service, cheerily pass their day until the last gin and tonic has been drunk in the wee hours. How they retain their impressive good humor is beyond me. They must quietly celebrate the days when the last iced coffee is ordered and the rhythm of the rest of the year in Marbella is restored.
Don’t get me wrong the welcome you’ll receive in Marbella is truely enthusiastic. Your custom, along with that of thousands like you, is the fuel that runs major parts of the local economy. Indeed with the arrival of the various clans of golfers, yoga practitioners and sun-seekers during an ever longer ‘season” throughout the year is hugely treasured. The Costa del Sol, while dedicated to providing the millions of annual visitors with an impressive blank canvass onto which they can paint their preferred vacation, it is also the home to many, both of a local and international flavour. It’s an increasingly sophisticated blend, influenced by the seekers of an unparalleled lifestyle in a beautiful location.
What is really impressive is just how international the “offer” is. Tempting and alluring to both tourists and would be relocaters. Two plus years of Pandemic has taught many about what the international visitor thrives on and its delivery continues to grow. From Michelin-starred restaurants, impressive esplanades, to clean, well-manicured, clipped and swept green spaces and beaches, the messages of sustainability and quality are really hitting home.
The end of August is invariably punctuated by a couple of impressive thunderstorms and heavy rain, it’s as if the Divine is preparing the greens of the many golf courses for the influx of further visitors who arrive to enjoy the months of September and October, invariably some of the most beautiful of the year with continued warm to hot weather.
As I always say to our kids, misty eyed as they return to “real life”, “You have to go, to come back!” – But please return soon!
Should you be interested in discussing the legal process involved in buying a property in the Marbella region, we would be delighted to assist you. Our multi-disciplinary team of bi-lingual, highly experienced and wholly independent Abogados and Asesores Fiscales are ready to help you.
Please call me, Mark FR Wilkins, during usual business hours on +34 600 343 917 or, if you prefer, or e-mail me at mark@roslegal.es
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