Marbella Special Travel Supplement

MARVELLOUS

SWIRLING a glass of flinty French rose, he looked every bit the suave English gentleman you’d expect of Hugh Grant. Holding court with a group of friends on a warm early summer evening, hardly anyone batted an eyelid. It was early June, after all, and Marbella was at its very finest; the scent of orange blossom in the air, the bougainvillaea in full bloom, candles on every table. There was so much else for the throngs of tourists to be taking in.

At the request of the restaurant owner I took a quick snap (left) of the Hollywood star on my iPhone, but declined to interrupt his convivial terrace bonhomie.

Grant’s regular trips to Marbella have sparked rumours over the years that he owns a house in the resort, in par-

ticular, in the luxury hillside enclave of La Zagaleta. But, when I was actually introduced to him recently in London, the Notting Hill star told me it was ‘merely a good marketing tool for local estate agents’. He certainly loves the place, he explained, but mostly he’s down, these days, on business or to film.

It perfectly summed up the resort, which has rightfully earned the reputation of being southern Spain’s playground for the rich and famous.

Full of tycoons, movers and shakers and, increasingly, tech billionaires, Marbella manages to remain Europe’s top location for a spot of business, alongside

Photos by Jon Clarke

TIMELESS GLAMOUR: Grace Kelly and Hugh Grant, while yoga class on the beach today

From front page

An all-year-round resort

pleasure.

A town of over 150,000 year-round residents, it is almost uniquely a resort that never hibernates. Indeed, as most locals will nowadays tell you, the best months are from October to May, when the tourist numbers remain manageable, while all the top restaurants are still open and the sports clubs buzzing. Meanwhile, infrastructure-wise it counts on dozens of excellent private schools, two cinemas showing VO movies and just about every shop you could desire for from Corte Ingles to the Apple store and Gucci to Specsavers.

Since the 1950s, Marbella has been the glamorous dream escape for movie stars, sportsmen and captains of industry. Photos of the glamorous destination fill glossy travel magazines around the world and it’s probably the most aspirational place to live in Europe, bar perhaps San Tropez, Mallorca or Ibiza.

An exclusive resort, it has long attracted celebrity visitors such Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Sean Connery, while hundreds of sportsmen like Novak Djokovic and Eden Hazard own houses here, and you’ll frequently find boxers, including Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, in the gyms, or Harry Kane and Gareth Bale on the fairways. The pandemic has only made things more pronounced, creating the opportunity for tens of thousands of digital nomads and entrepreneurs to decamp down here from northern Europe and further afield.

With the likes of Dragons Den’s Theo Paphitis and tycoon Alan Sugar already owning here and crooner Julio Iglesias with a giant estate in the hills, don’t expect any villas these days to be going for a song.

Since the resort’s five-star hotels were filled to bursting during the two years of Covid, dot.com millionaires can snap them up at asking price before siesta time. Prices have continued to soar this year to incredible heights and Marbella was one of the first places in Spain to return back to the levels of 2006 before the crisis kicked in. Prices have nearly doubled in a decade and asking prices rose by 20% last year alone, while at €4,121 per

metre squared it is the among the most expensive property in Spain. There are simply not enough properties for sale,

plots to build are far and few between and listings are becoming incredibly scarce to come by. Demand far outstrips supply.

“Marbella is almost bulletproof from a slowdown or crash,” explained estate agent Adam Neale, of Terra Meridiana. “It is almost unique in Europe.” But what is certainly different about Marbella than other nearby resorts like Estepona or Mijas (or further

VERDANT: One of half a dozen subtropical escapes in Marbella

afield in Javea or Ibiza, say) is its amount of history and culture on offer, when you know where to find it.

And let’s not forget to mention the superb walks in its nearby hills - it sits next to a National Park, these days, don’t you know - while it easily has the best concentration of restaurants in southern Spain.

History-wise there is certainly a fair amount to do from inspecting its Moorish walls in the casco historico, to visiting a Roman villa or Visigothic church on its outskirts.

Indeed, rewind the clock sev-

eral millennia, and you’ll find it’s always been a popular spot.

Marbella’s earliest origins are as a palaeolithic settlement. Humans hunted and gathered over the very same land that now boasts Michelin-starred restaurants.

The Phoenicians were here,

before Its next incarnation came as a Roman port. You can see the evidence at the

Continues on page 4

GOING VINTAGE ON AN OLD TOWN SHOPPING TOUR

THE Old Town of Marbella, known as the Casco Historico, is an idyllic paradise of independent shops, bars, restaurants, churches and even museums.

The cobbled streets, whitewashed buildings, and the al fresco dining around Plaza del Altamirano, perfectly embody the traditional ambiance of the Spanish lifestyle.

Plaza de los Naranjos is its epicentre – an absolute must-see, particularly if you are visiting when the orange trees are full of wonderful azahar blossom or heavy with ripe oranges.

In addition to being the home of the architecturally stunning town hall of Marbella, the plaza has an abundance of bars and restaurants, with tables set out in the shade of the trees.

The whole aesthetic gives off the scent of romance and it’s worth just wandering around and getting lost in its maze of fabulous shops, including

Deja Vu, which has the finest vintage clothes and furniture on the coast.

Run by expats Richard and Amanda, who have been in Marbella for nearly three decades, they have the most uncanny knack of finding original and quality items.

If looking for interesting antiques, nearby you’ll find the Athenea Gallery, while just across the main road, a must visit is the incredible candle and scent shop, Alma Essentials. Recently set up by English businesswoman Emma Tremlett, it is not only the most delightfully smelling shop in the resort, but the prices are amazingly good value.

The mother-of-two, whose Spanish husband Jose grew up in Marbella and owns the 1960s built Hotel Finlandia, also now runs scent and candle-making workshops, from just 30 euros per person.

They are great fun and, given Emma knows everything there is to know about the resort, you are bound to pick up some nuggets on who's been in town or what’s new.

Whatever you do, always keep your eyes peeled upwards when in the old town and don’t ignore the charming architecture, and the fascinating mix of Moorish and Christian influences in many of the buildings.

The charming church, the Capilla de San Juan de Dios, is by no means the grandest in Marbella, but, with its simple Christian interior topped by a splendid Mudejar (Islamic style) ceiling, it perfectly encapsulates the meeting of the two cultures.

VARIETY: Modern Banus and the Sierra de las Nieves hills behind, while a girl group plays in the old town and (far left) a section of Arabic wall

ARTISAN: Emma at Alma Essentials and vintage style at Deja Vu

From page 3

VISIGOTH INVASION

Termas de Las Bovedas Roman baths, near San Pedro de Alcantara, which comes under Marbella, and at the Roman villa in Rio Verde.

The northern European Visigoths were frequent visitors to

the coast and left their mark in the form of the Vega del Mar Basilica, a necropolis, also to be found in San Pedro.

They, like the giant number of northern Europeans who live here today, would have been

attracted by the excellent warm temperate climate, which rarely goes below 8 degrees, nor over 30 degrees, thanks to the protection it gets from the nearby Sierra de las Nieves National Park and pointy La Concha mountain.

In contrast, the early Arabs, or Moors, who arrived in the 8th century found it a fair bit cooler than across the pond, spotting the town’s potential, calling it bien habitada, or ‘place of good living’.

They eventually built a walled city in the old town in the tenth century and even a large Alcazaba castle.

The walls, some of which survive today, were dotted with around a dozen towers, including the Torre del Puente Levadizo (meaning the ‘Drawbridge Tower’) and the Torre de la Puerta de Hierro (or ‘the Iron Door Tower’).

It doesn’t come close to competing with Cordoba or Sevilla for ornate Moorish architecture, but it came a close second to Ronda in terms of size and fell to the Christian Crusaders in the same year, 1485, just seven years before the Catholic Reconquest was complete. Marbella, to conclude, is a destination that has been a lot of different things to a lot of different people over the years, but the cosmopolitan atmosphere, world-class restaurants and perfect climate look set to entice the world’s elite for decades – if not millennia – to come.

English Summer Camp is coming!

WARREN: Charm personfied in an Old Town alleyway

OLD TO NEW: Ancient and modern styles of worship from Marbella old town to nearby church

ART BENEATH THE GLITZ

Think Marbella is all luxury and glamour?

Nadia McDonald spent a long weekend uncovering some of its hidden charms as an art lover’s paradise

OF course, the cobbled streets of Marbella old town (its casco antiguo), with their hanging flower baskets and tiled street signs are famously picturesque. Even the bins are painted in pastel tones and feature orange groves and sea creatures. But there is art everywhere around this beautiful beach resort.

Take Bar Guerola, standing in a quiet leafy square, a short way from the promenade. Its interior is a real feast for sore eyes, every inch of its walls covered in art.

On one side, paintings by local artists including Pachi Gallado, from Torremolinos. On the other, blue pen cartoons depicting key moments from the last 40 years, with homages to various works such as Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia and Picasso’s Guernica. The bar, which opened in the 1960s, has been run by the same friendly owner, Manuel, since 1982. The entertaining drawings were done by his friend, a well-known local dentist who passed away a year ago. He picked up a small sketchbook with its pages mostly empty. It was a gift for the art-

ist when he’d gone into hospital. “I miss him every day,” says Manuel. “He was a true creative, always thinking up drawings, and he would spend many days here with me. “After he passed away, his wife gave me these works, and I cherish them. We both loved art, but he was a lot better than me.”

With a full stomach from delicious chicken liver pate and a seafood salad, I wandered through the popular yet surprisingly tranquil Alameda Park, with its tiled benches in the dappled shade of palms, and then on to pedestrianised Avenida del Mar.

To my delight, I came across the large bronze sculptures by legendary surrealist Salvador Dali (including the rhino, below), and, at the south end, the two children looking out to sea in Eduardo Soriano’s moving

WE start our art tour at Marbella’s best known museum. Home to one of Europe’s most important Latin American collections, the Museo Ralli focuses on modern movements, particularly surrealism, with works from a wide range of contemporary artists. Its current temporary show is on show until April 2024.

Monument to the Freedom of Expression.

Seeing the sculptures against the backdrop of the sea was a suitably surreal experience. Avenida del Mar with its pergolas, benches and fountains is like an open-air gallery, inviting passers-by to stop and admire the thought-provoking pieces.

The following morning I headed to Hospital Bazan, not in search of medical attention, thankfully, but prints. The historic old town building houses the Contemporary Engraving Museum that is free to visitors, and houses works by a superb range of artists including Joan Miro, Antoni Tapies and even Malaga-born Picasso. A personal favourite was Jose Caballero’s lithograph of his

friend, Granada’s famous poet, Federico Garcia Lorca.

The black and white portrait showing Lorca with a spattering of blood across his forehead is a stark reminder of his execution during the Spanish Civil War. In contrast, Miro’s works were wonderfully co lourful and vibrant. There was more Miro to be had at the Museo Ralli Marbella, an hour’s walk (or a quick taxi hop) away, near Puer to Banus. There was Dali here too, in an exhibition of Surre alism from Europe and Latin Amer ica – his bronze sculpture of a female torso, Venus Spatial, is precariously balanced, al-

most defying gravity. The permanent collection is a hotch-potch of paintings and sculptures from various artistic movements. Look out for the triptych La familia Informal by Peruvian artist Herman Braun-Vega: it incorporates multiple references to Spanish masterpieces and it’s an entertaining brain game trying to identify them. The hall of the museum is inhabited by life size bronze sculptures by Mario Aguirre and Gerardo Quiroz. I found myself mistaking them for fellow visitors only to realise that, as I had been during the entirety of my stay, I was merely in the company of art.

Ralli Museum ?

DALI AND MORE!

It’s not just hen parties creating an exhibition in Marbella; these three picks will satisfy culture vultures

“To fall in love with an artwork is to recognise your soul through the artist’s mirror” – or so said Marife

Es.Arte Gallery

WHERE?

Urb. Coral Beach, Rio Verde, N-340, km. 176, 29602 Marbella, Málaga

WHEN?

Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00 h

Saturday 10:00 to 16:00 h

Nuñez who founded the gallery, and probably knows about these things. Es.Arte is a contemporary gallery with a busy calendar of exhibitions and fairs. As well as exhibiting works by contemporary artists, the gallery also offers consultancy services, helping you find something to hang on your wall.

WHERE?

Av de Manolete, 1, Centro Plaza, Local 11, 29660 Marbella ?

WHEN?

Tuesday to Friday 10:30 to 16:00 h

Saturday

10:00 to 14:30 h

Avenida del Mar F

OR an outdoor gallery, head to Avenida del Mar to see some of Salvador Dali’s famous bronze statues. Located on this beautiful marble promenade near the waterfront, these statues include a depiction of Perseus beheading Medusa; the Roman emperor Trajan on horseback; and, changing the mood slightly, a statue of Dali’s wife looking through a window. Also look for nearby sculpture by Eduardo Soriano, a tribute to freedom of speech and expression.

WHERE? Avenida del Mar ?

WHEN? 24 hours a day!

INTRIGUING: The engraving museum

CREATIVE: the walls of Bar Guerola (left) while (above) Aguirre’s sculpture and (below) Dali

A RESORT WITH MORE

All along the watchtower

Visigoth vestiges

Declared of Cultural Interest in 1985, the 15-metre Torre Ladrones (Thieves Tower) is the highest watchtower on the Malaga coast. The defensive structure dates from the Muslim period but some speculate the Romans first built it. You can find it close by the Artola dunes nature reserve and Cabopino port.

Arabian delights

The Alcazaba fortress is the most important vestige of Muslim civilisation in Marbella. The Castillo was built in the 10th century during the reign of Abd al-Rahman III, Caliph of Córdoba.

The Olive Press picks out 6 reasons to love Marbella

A Renaissance square

A salty start

The Basílica de Vega del Mar in San Pedro was excavated in the 20th century on a former Roman road running from Cadiz to Cartagena. It is one of the few remaining examples of north African Visigothic churches built in Andalucia during the sixth century although all that remains today are its awesome one-metre walls.

The Plaza de los Naranjos lies at the heart of Marbella’s old town. Built after the Christian Reconquest, it is an outstanding example of Castilian Renaissance architecture. From one of the many sun-soaked terraces, you can admire the Renaissance-style town hall, the Mayor’s house combining elements of Gothic, Renaissance and Mude jar design and the Chapel of Santiago, the oldest religious building in the city.

In Roman times, the city was called duba (Salt City) after the local fish salting industry. The Arabs changed it to Marbil-la, the origin of its current name and it’s spoton. In Spanish, Marbe lla means ‘beautiful sea.’

INTERIOR DESIGN | DECORATION | BESPOKE FURNITURE | PAINT & WALLPAPERS

The elephant sculptures that spray water from their trunks on many of Marbella’s best beaches are an Instagram favourite.

Dunk by Dumbo

BEING SMART

Gearing up for another triumphant year...

After opening the doors to their first office on the Spanish mainland last year in Puerto Banús, the Smart Yachting and Smart Charter Marbella team are ready for a successful second season on the Costa del Sol.

Part of the renowned Smart Group and in partnership with U.S. charter booking platform Boatsetter, the boating enthusiasts offer everything from yacht brokerage and boat maintenance services for private owners to a selection of fabulous charter experiences.

The Smart Yachting Marbella team will continue to focus on the acquisition and sales of yachts, as well as management services including full annual maintenance by qualified in-house mechanics, customisation services including upholstery, painting, wrapping, electrical and demotic systems, short and long-term mooring options, winter storage and expert advice on charter options.

Meanwhile, the Smart Charter Marbella team - together with support from Boatsetter - will take care of the day charters operating out of Puerto Banús. A selection of amazing experiences is available

to choose from, including half-day charters, sunset boat trips, romantic couple’s cruises and family boat trips to name just a few!

Director of Sales, Tim Hope, comments:

“We are very pleased with the warm welcome we received in Marbella and the success of our first season on the Costa del Sol. This year, we are focusing on making further connections with private clients and brokers alike, and continuing on our mission to help our customers have the best time on the Mediterranean Sea - whether they are boat owners or charter guests!”

Smart Yachting and Smart Charter Marbella are part of the renowned Smart Group, which was founded in Ibiza in 2013 and also includes the Balearic Islands’ largest private boat rental company, Smart Charter Ibiza. With over 50 privately owned boats in the company’s fleet, the company gives private owners and charter guests access to an impressive and varied portfolio.

This year, the Smart team is proud to celebrate 10 years of business, growth and countless unforgettable memories made.

For further information visit www.smartyachting.com, www.smartchartermarbella.com and Boatsetter.com.

Sailing in for summer

Take the opportunity to stroll the decks of the first ship to circumnavigate the world

AREPLICA of the first ship to sail around the world will be paying a visit to Marbella.

The Nao Victoria will remain docked, and open to curious visitors, from April 21 to 23 in the city’s Bajadilla port.

The historic sailing ship’s visit is part of a world tour to mark the 500th anniversary of the Magellan–

Elcano expedition - the first circumnavigation of the globe.

The original Nao Victoria, commanded by Juan Sebastian Elcano, left Sevilla in 1519 and returned to the same city three years later, in 1522.

During its stay in Marbella, the public will be able to tour its decks and learn about the incredible adventures that its sailors experienced 500 years ago, as well as the experiences of the young crew that today continue to sail around the world.

The replica was built in Spain in 1991 following months of historical research in order to preserve many details and aspects of the original carrack, which disappeared en route to Sevilla from the Antilles in 1570.

The ship will be open to the public from 10am until 7.30pm each day.

Tickets cost €6 for adults and €3 for children (between five and 10 years old). In addition, there is a family ticket available for two adults and up to three children between five and 10 years old for €15.

Tickets can be booked online at www.fundacionnaovictoria.org

Restaurant

952 636 290 valeria@valeriagourmet.com

952 636 290 valeria@valeriagourmet.com

Centro Comercial Guadalmina 4, local 28 GUADALMINA ALTA, SAN PEDRO DE ALCÁNTARA 29670 Marbella, Málaga

Centro Comercial Guadalmina 4, local 28 GUADALMINA ALTA, SAN PEDRO DE ALCÁNTARA 29670 Marbella, Málaga

The finest cuts of quality matured meat in Marbella

Mon-Fri: 10.00-14.30 & 17.00-20.00

Sat: 10.00-14.30 Sun: Closed tel: 620 67 36 18

Centro Comercial Guadalmina, 29670, San Pedro Alcántara, Málaga

A donkey ride and more before the Marbella tourist gold rush...

Going back in time

PIONEER: The Marbella Club kick-started the town’s glamour back in the 1960s, when donkey rides were de rigeur, while the El Fuerte hotel (ringed) was built by an ancient Roman site, before the town grew many-fold

TRAIN TO NOWHERE: Well actually to the mine that once provided 75% of all Spain’s iron ore

STUNNING: The Puente Romano Hotel’s ancient bridge

BUILT BY ROMANS

MARBELLA began its life as a town in the seventh century BC, when it was a Roman settlement called ‘Salduba’. This is also the name of a well known bar at the entrance to Puerto Banus that has been there for centuries too.

Meanwhile an original Roman bridge still stands surreally in the middle of the Puente Romano Hotel and a few kilometres away is the restored Roman villa at Rio Verde with its beautiful mosaics.

SPECTACULAR: Mosaic at Rio Verde

A sleepy town during the period of Al-Andalus, Marbella was retaken by Christians in 1485. The Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Square) has been the focal point of the town since then and the town hall is still located there today.

NO SIN: Nuns having fun in the sun on a Marbella beach, while (below) fishermen head out for their catch

IN WITH THE NEW

It’s 15 years since La Sala launched in Marbella. With a new restaurant, bowling alley, sports bar and estate agency soon to be added, Jon Clarke discovers why the restaurant and lifestyle brand is still going stronger than ever

WITH no sea view and sitting on a roundabout overlooking the busy N-340 motorway, it has no right to be the most successful Marbella restaurant in a generation.

Yet, somehow, La Sala continues to be the place that every tourist aspires to come to for at least one night of their holiday.

Guaranteed to offer glitz and glamour, the sprinkling of stardust continues by the week, with celebrities from around the world continuing to flock in to enjoy the vibe.

Be they actors or soap stars, boxers or racing drivers, singers or royals, there is a magical ingredient that ensures they feel at home here or at one of its sister restaurants, including La Sala by the Sea, and soon to reopen, the Oak, next door.

From Tyson Fury to Frank Bruno, Harry Redknapp to Harry Kane and Bruce Forsyth to Ja Rule, the stars from today and yesteryear keep coming back.

Even Prince Albert of Monaco has been in for dinner, while celebrity chef Jamie Oliver made a point of joining the fun on a trip to Spain a couple of years ago.

With Amanda Holden, Boy George and

LA SALA BY NUMBERS

Julian Clary already scheduled to drop in this Spring, what exactly is the recipe for success ensuring that anyone who is anyone keeps scything a trail to its door?

“It’s all about not being complacent,” explains boss Ian Radford, who moved to Marbella from London at the age of 20.

“We are constantly evolving with the Marbella scene and are never sitting back,” he explains over a beer on the sunny terrace.

“We don’t stop trying to change things but, above all, we try to keep the prices as reasonable as we can.”

This is certainly a vital ingredient in a resort, where prices have rapidly zoomed up to the levels of all luxury destinations in the world.

Rising fast since the pandemic eased last year, the average cost of a good quality restaurant in Marbella these days is around 80 to 90 euros a head,

● The La Sala Group has 155,000 covers a year

● On a busy summer day it can serve 1500 people

● Over one million drinks are sold each year

● 300,000 food dishes are sold

● It employs over 200 staff

● Pre-bookings at La Sala by the Sea are over 10,000 this year

● A sunbed for four to six peo- ple costs around 300 euros for the day

estimates Radford, a father-of-three, who was a squash and padel pro, before becoming a restaurateur.

“We could jump on the bandwagon and

Continues overleaf

HOT SPOT: The desirable La Sala terrace and (top) new Oak design

IN CHARGE: Ian is closely involved in the Oak renovation

LEGENDS OF LA SALA

The great and the good have eaten out at La Sala over the last decade and, here, the keen celebrity-spotters among you will be able to pick out a handful of them, including two world champion boxers, an American rapper, two TV presenters, a pair of soap stars, a European prince, a Formula one ace, a trio of giant American soul legends, a pair of British pop stars and enough Premier League footballers and managers to drink Marbella dry

WE’RE NOT GETTING GREEDY!

get greedy, but we are trying to keep it at 65 euros a head, up about 10 euros from before the pandemic.”

It has certainly been anything but plain sailing for the businessman, who struggled through the pandemic, not to mention Brexit and six years of recession before that.

Having over 200 staff between the various businesses, it wasn’t easy to survive the two years of Covid, he admits. “We got very little support from the government and while many of the staff went on furlough we still had to pay their social security, meaning we made quite a big loss.”

However, the last 18 months have really seen the business bounce back, bringing the highest turnover and profits since opening in 2008, initially at the beach club site.

Meanwhile, reservations for La Sala by the Sea itself have gone through the roof this year, which should serve as a great barometer of the season ahead.

Before opening in a week’s time, it already has a staggering 10,000 bookings for the season, which compares to 6,000 bookings in the last comparable year of 2019.

“It is an exciting time and we are really happy that people are finally booking their holidays again nice and early,” explains Radford.

“They get their flights sorted and next it is the beach beds and restaurant bookings, well before arrival.”

He is hoping that the strong recovery in the tourist market helps to make a string of other plans for the season to go ahead swimmingly.

The first in an exciting roll out of new ventures is the re-opening of The Oak restaurant across the road from La Sala.

A complete redesign by a local firm will see the venue become a stylish, high end cocktail and wine bar, with food, open in early June.

“We are spending a lot of money on it and with a proper new roof it will be able to stay open for 12 months of the year,” explains Radford, whose wife Claire Strutton runs the beach club.

The group also owns the Havana bar in San Pedro, run by his daughter, and has recently bought a 60 foot motorboat, anchored in Puerto Banus, which will be able to take clients on day cruises and nighttime charters.

Part of the entire package the group aims to give its customers, there is also soon to be a bowling alley and golf simulator venue below the main restaurant, where it used to have a nightclub. And then there is the sports bar, the Clubhouse, which should be open by the summer, as well as La Sala Homes, a real estate arm, set to open soon next door.

“And once the new Marbella town plan is finalised we hope to open a hotel upstairs over two floors,” adds the businessman, who is also in the process of planning a 12-bedroom luxury hotel and spa in Malaga city. Clearly, never standing still, he has just acquired a country home in the Serrania de Ronda, where he insists he and his wife are never happier.

As if he needed a sign of the good omens ahead, just as he’s telling me that legendary 80s pop star and TV presenter Boy George is set for a trip over in June, on comes his hit Do you Really Want to Hurt Me? With this much enthusiasm and joie de vivre, there can’t be many.

FAMOUS FACES: Ian and wife Claire with Jamie Oliver and leading football agaent Rob Segal

STARS:

Don’t get stuck!

WHETHER it was Diana Dors or Sean Connery, Ava Gardner or Audrey Hepburn, James Hunt or Rod Stewart, none would have come to Marbella without the influence of Prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe.

For the German aristocrat was the svengali with the necessary capital to turn the dusty village into a highfalutin millionaires playground to rival the likes of Cannes and Deauville, in France.

It was in 1947 that the charismatic playboy had been sent to the coast by his father Prince Maximilian to purchase some land. The family already had business interests in southern Spain, particularly in Malaga.

The 23-year-old was told to hook up with his eccentric uncle Ricardo Soriano, who had been eulogising about the merits of the coast for a number of years.

A huge fan of watersports, Soriano especially liked powerboat racing and lived an enviable bohemian life.

He was soon chaperoning his nephew up and down the coast in his vintage Rolls-Royce looking for land.

The bilingual Alfonso – who was a keen painter - was immediately taken by what he saw in Marbella.

Sheltered by the dramatic Sierra Blanca and with crystal-clear waters just a stone’s throw away, the savvy prince immediately saw a wealth of opportunities.

He ordered his father to sell off his wine cellars in Malaga and began developing his now seminal Marbella Club hotel, which opened in 1954.

But that was not enough and the well-connected prince soon embarked on a European-wide campaign to convince all his high-flying friends that Marbella, not San Sebastian or Cannes, was the only place to be.

And his campaign worked with the grand families of central Europe, including the Bismarcks, Rothschilds and Metternichs, coming to see what the fuss was about.

A string of celebrities followed suit, with actresses including Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, photographer Patrick Lichfield, footballer George Best, model Brigitte Bardot, and Rolling Stone Bryan Jones joining the in-crowd. Even British aristocracy got in on the act, with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (Edward and Mrs Simpson) visiting the hotel.

“The people I met in Hollywood, in New York, and in Europe, they were the roots, the bridge that brought people to Marbella… who made Marbella,” explained Marbella took pride in being cut off from the hectic, stressful and often scary modern world.

Indeed, news of the Cuban Missile Crisis did not reach the resort until it

STARDUSTER

ties when the rest of the world was trembling that World War III was starting,” explains Count Rudi Schonburg, a former manager of Marbella Club.

Coining the nickname the ‘King of Clubs’, Alfonso’s reputation quickly preceded him and he soon opened up a disco which got the club swinging every Tuesday and Friday night.

Despite revelling in its exclusive status, the Marbella Club was anything but formal.

“At dinner everybody arrived with a dinner jacket, but I said ‘Stop! This is not the Marbella way! You only wear a dinner jacket on New Year’s Eve,” recalled Alfonso. As the inspired prince’s creation boomed, so did Marbella and its surrounding hillsides. New restaurants, bars and sports clubs began sprouting up as the Costa del Sol quickly entered its so-called golden era.

Developers included Jose Banus, who built Puerto Banus marina and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, who built a white palace (still there today) that is modelled on both the White House and a mosque.

The likes of multi-millionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi (who formerly owned La Zagaleta, Spain’s most expensive urbanisation) were able to dock their luxury yachts in the port.

“Thanks to my initiative, Marbella’s Golden Mile alone now provides 60,000 jobs,” Alfonso once said.

While his friends called him the ‘King of Clubs’ or the ‘Little Prince’, locals came to know him affectionately as Ole-Ole because of the difficulty he had pronoucing his surname. Yet as the Costa del Sol dream began to spiral into uncontrollable development, Alfonso became aware of the monster he had helped stir. Concrete towers were sprouting up as far as the eye could see, from Malaga all the way down to Estepona, almost 100 kilometres away.

Worse still, wanted British criminals began to take advantage of a lack of an extradition treaty between England and Spain.

This influx of crooks and subsequent crime left the idealistic Alfonso disillusioned with the vision of rich grandeur he once envisaged for Marbella.

After growing weary of the mass tourism that was lowering the tone of his town, he sold up all his Marbella business interests in 1978 in search of a new vision.

BIGWIGS: Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly loved Marbella

Entering his 60s, the prince settled in his last home with his third wife Marilys Haynes, a Gibraltarian divorcee. He plumped for a mountain retreat, in the hills close to Ronda, with a trout lake, partridge wood and an impressive library.

And the ever-inventive Alfonso decided on another successful business pursuit – producing the soon-to-be award-winning wine Principe Alfonso. And it was nestled in the heartland of Andalucia, close to the sleepy village of Arriate, where Alfonso finally found true happiness before passing away, leaving his estate to his children, in 2003.

“I have lived in castles, in Venetian palaces and the world’s finest hotels. I have watched the sun rise over the beaches of five continents and I have looked into the eyes of the most beautiful women of the universe,” he famously remarked. “Everywhere I sought my dreamed-of city and at last I have found it in Ronda.”

The team at Estuco Interiors are full of the best design ideas

FROM bold statements to subtle interventions and fabrics to furniture, the all-female design team at Estuco are here to help.

With over a quarter of a century in business, they know their way around Marbella and the Costa del Sol like a taxi driver. For those in the know, Christel Jurgensen and Chris Poveromo, from Sweden and the UK, are the only interior designers they can trust.

Always busy with dozens of jobs on the go from as far and wide as Malaga to the Algarve, it’s lucky they have a talented team of trainees working under them.

“I’m working on three or four quotes today alone,” says Chris, who moved to Marbella in the 1980s. “It’s always the same at this time of year.”

Her associate Christel, who also arrived in Marbella in the 1980s, grew up in contrast, in Africa, and has a great understanding of the exotic and African vernacular.

The company has one of the best selection of fabrics and wallpapers on the coast and works with many of the world’s leading brands from Porta Romana to Nobilis and Farrow & Ball to Designers Guild.

Their excellent service is also guaranteed thanks to a trusted network of craftsmen, builders, painters, electricians and suppliers who are ‘always on time, on spec and on budget’.

For more info visit www.estucointeriors.com or email info@estucointeriors.com

“Everybody had the most gorgeous par-

The Olive Press looks back at the lives of the aristocrats and celebrities that turned a small fishing village into a glitzy, star-studded resort for the ‘jet set’

GLAMOROUS: Diana Dors sunbathing, while George Best plays football on a Marbella beach (below)

We had the most gorgeous parties when the rest of the world trembled

Sinatra and Ava Gardner enjoyed the charms of Marbella’s old town

DINING CAPITAL

Marbella has the best restaurants in southern Spain, insists Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke

WHEN I researched a restaurant book on Andalucia a decade ago, I came across some wonderful hidden gems tucked away in the tiniest inland villages all around the region. But, what is one of the real Dining Secrets of Andalucia, is that Marbella is the region’s definitive Foodie Capital. Forget Malaga, Sevilla or Granada, cities with far more tourists and many more locals, Marbella has the best spread and quality of places to eat that I have come across. And

that hasn’t changed. It’s no coincidence that the resort of 150,000 people counts on the second highest number of Michelin starred eateries in Spain, per capita, after San Sebastian. That’s five in total, while it also, coincidentally, has the same number of references (14) in the famous guide as Sevilla and one more than Malaga.

But that’s only half the story, for there are perhaps a dozen more incredible places jostling for a listing in the famous French food bible.

Meanwhile, eight also count on prestigious soles (suns) from Repsol’s Spanish equivalent, with one, El Lago, counting on two.

A long time visitor to the resort and now living nearby, my personal favourites

include Ta-kumi and El Lago, which have never let me down.

And then there is the stunning simplicity of the soul food at Gaspar, run by a young lawyer Carlota, as well as the intriguing Kava, where the chef, Fernando, is also a lawyer and entirely self-taught.

Casa Tua, run by an Irish expat and her Italian partner, have been serving up magical Italian fare for a decade. Meanwhile, befitting the glamour of the Golden Mile, Boho Club is style personified, with the former chef of El Lago Diego del Rio at the helm and fast heading for its first star. And also on the Golden Mile and amazing for sheer variety all in one place is the Puente Romano hotel’s famous La Plaza restaurant zone. Here you will find the Asiatic delights of Thai Gallery, as well as Monkey Club, Nobu and Lena, while the

Continues on page 18

CULINARY MAGICIANS: Team at Ta-kumi and Fernando at El Lago, while (top right) Jon with Boho Club chef Diego del Rio

WELCOME: Paco at Sauvage things at Nomad and

CONSISTENT: Italian Casa Tua is now a decade in Marbella

(above left), while (above) Alex bosses and a waiter shaves parmesan on a dish

WHERE TO EAT

SHOWBIZ CHEFS

MARBELLA is the place to go star-spotting, particularly in the summer months with Ronaldo, Robert de Niro and Michelle Obama all visiting for a meal over recent years. But for me, the most exciting visitors are the actual chefs themselves, who regularly come down for holidays, but also for a string of key events.

The best of these was the once annual, A Cuatro Manos, organised by Dani Garcia for years at the Puente Romano, where I met the great and the good of Spain’s famous food scene. Plus a few global greats to boot, such as Daniel Humm, of New York’s Eleven Madison Park and international megastar Joel Rubuchon, who sadly died the following year.

My all time favourite interview though was with El Bulli legend Ferran Adria, who told me how much he liked the resort and, in particular, Andalucian cuisine.

I later got to grill the three-Michelin geniuses Joan Roca, of Celler de Can Roca, and Valencia’s Quique Dacosta, among others.

Where art meets gastronomy

Since getting it’s first Michelin star 17 years ago, El Lago has just kept getting more artistic and creative, writes Jon Clarke

IT has long been one of the most sustainable and forward-thinking restaurants in Spain.

But El Lago, which is a staunch supporter of the KM-0 Slow Food concept, is also getting more and more creative.

The Marbella joint, which has held on to its Michelin star since 2005, serves up some of the most beautiful dishes on the coast.

Thanks to its talented chef Fernando Villasclaras, the vast majority of the creations are made with vegetables and fruit.

While they do have meat and fish on the menu, Villasclaras, from nearby Nerja, sources his ingredients from dozens of growers around Andalucia.

Artichokes from Alhaurin, aubergines from Coin and radishes from Estepona… these are the true stars of his restaurant.

“The roots of El Lago started with the Slow Food concept,” he explains. “I am fanatical about finding the best local ingredients and thankfully we are spoiled for choice in Andalucia.”

A great example is his take on a healthy French classic ‘Gargouillou’, a delicious fusion of over two dozen different blanched vegetables.

Villasclaras trained with Spanish genius Andoni Luis Aduriz, at Mugaritz, as well as Heston Blumenthal, of Fat Duck fame, in the UK.

Visit www.restauranteellago.com and full Olive Press review online: www.theolivepress.es

From page 16

Beach clubs and more

brand new Peruvian joint Coya is making massive waves.

And then there is my top tip for something new and exciting this year; Sauvage, in the heart of town, run by two former Marbella Club chefs, one who trained at three Michelin starred Celler de can Roca.

Also extremely likely to do big things this year is Nomad, the latest creation of the talented Metro Group, which has just opened in Nueva Andalucia.

A stunning place, with no expense spared, their launch chef Alex Craciun, is the executive chef of the UK’s

leading Jason Atherton group. A man who has also worked with top UK chef Gordon Ramsay and at world-famous

GRILLED: (from top) Jon has interviewed Dani Garcia, Ferran Adria and Joan Roca in Marbella

CREATIVE: Talented Pablo at Savor and a dish, above.

Noma in Denmark, it was no surprise to find an extremely varied menu, with some amazingly deft touches. For beach clubs Bono Beach is a surefire winner, in particular, for its amazing attention to detail and client care. Another favourite, Macaao will hopefully reopen later this summer after a total rebuild, while Pu-

ente Romano’s Sea

Grill is always popular.

It’s more tricky to find somewhere good to eat in the old town, but Candela, with German chef Andy on the chopping board, is a good tip, while Casanis is a great spot and Altamirano comes highly recommended by most.

I must also mention Skina, which now has two stars in the heart of the old town, and its owner, a sommelier by training, Marcos Granda’s new Asiatic restaurant Nintao, which already has a star around the corner.

Nearby in San Pedro de Alcantara, you have the excellent Savor, where well travelled Pablo Castillo regularly changes the menu with a sprinkle of stardust, while the secret spot El Cortijo de Ramiro, in Guadalmina, is where the power-brokers-in-the-know go to eat.

For a drive into the hills look out for the charming restaurant at Alcuzcuz, one of the true gems in the hills of Marbella (albeit technically Benahavis). Just 200m further up the road is the architectural masterpiece El Coto, which recently opened for the super rich and super-picky gourmands around Zagaleta and Madronal.

In the tourist hive of Puerto Banus one might expect it to be rammed with great places to eat,

but the truth is it can be very hit and miss.

Stick with the classic spots like Jacks, Leone and Mumtaz, probably the best Indian in Marbella, and you can’t go wrong.

You’d probably however, be better off walking out of the port up towards the unbelievably popular stalwart of La Sala… that is if you can get in. Incredibly, now 15 years old, it is the place to do your star spotting and just about everyone who’s anyone has been to eat here (see our centrespread this issue).

Most likely Marbella’s most successful restaurant of the last decade, it employs over 100 staff and includes a football team of investors, including David Bentley, Shay Given and most recently Harry Winks.

The food is not just excellent value for its location, but the menu changes regularly and there will always be some entertainment. In particular, with the fellow guests.

Finally, and reluctantly, I feel the need to mention one Dani Garcia, a man who really helped to put Marbella on the map, in particular a few years ago when he won his third Michelin star at his Puente Romano joint, before controversially throwing them all in the same year.

A local Marbella man, who became famous winning a star for Ronda two decades ago with Tragabuches, he still has his imprint all over the resort, and is involved in at least half a dozen restaurants.

Brasilian Rodizio, different cuts of quality meat cut directly at the table and typical side dishes

You literally can’t miss him, with a huge advertising hoarding as you pass Corte Ingles in Banus, but the truth is, among the local culinary movers and shakers, his star is somewhat waning.

TOP PICKS: The glamour of stunning Boho Club, while (below) La Sala’s famous dining terrace

WHERE TO EAT

Nervecentre for gourmands

Jon Clarke takes a gourmet tour around SORI - also known as ‘Downtown’ - the hip new area where you must go and eat when in Marbella

IT’S a small area of around six or seven streets - or approximately a kilometre squared - but it encompasses maybe half of Marbella’s best places to eat.

Let’s call it SORI (South of Ricardo Soriano), this is a nucleus of a dozen or so excellent places for a tapa - or a full gourmand blow out!

Everything from a park pop-up serving up an award-winning sarnie to the best Japanese on the coast, this is the area for serious foodies.

Broadly south of busy, Avenida Ricardo Soriano, down to parallel Antonio Belón and bounded from the east by the Alameda and west to, approximately, Calle Gregorio Maranon, the SORI area has formed as restaurateurs increasingly swerved the old town - or relocated - to be taken more seriously and to capitalise on the more reliable, all-year round local trade.

“The area seems to be growing really fast and is definitely up and coming,” explains Emma Tremlett, who recently opened a shop, Alma Essentials, there.

“It’s gaining a personality, which is excellent and we sometimes hear it called ‘Downtown’ or ‘Little Soho’,” she adds.

Aided by the continual growth of fulltime residents in Marbella (now officially 150,000 people, but in reality much higher), new restaurants and shops are opening almost every month, while three of them, Ta-kumi, Kava and Backi, are now Michelin-recommended.

“There is so much passing trade from business people, lawyers and politicians through the winter months it made a lot of sense to relocate,” explained Luis at El Albero, who recently made the leap from the casco histórico across main radial avenue.

Around the corner, Catherine Visentin of excellent Italian Casa Tua, which has also relocated, added: “We miss

the charm of the old town but we have a lot more room and a nicer space to work with here.”

She and her husband, chef Adriano, from Milan, first opened their stylish joint a decade ago and they have built up a loyal local trade.

Another place, even better established, is the true dining secret of Gaspar, which has now been open for 25 years.

The sort of place the locals only whisper about, the family-fun Spanish joint is the true godmother of the SORI area and you’ll definitely need to book for their extremely popular style of soul-cooking.

A charming woodbeam eaterie with a cornucopia of collectables from bullfighters capes to typewriters and murano bottles to sewing machines, it is run by Carlota, a lawyer by trade, who can normally be found at the back surrounded by books and notepads.

It is anything from what you would expect from a Marbella restaurant, with the menus scribbled out in the morning by hand (in Spanish), once the team has decided what to cook (see right).

This is entirely seasonal and depends on what they feel like rustling up daily, but many of their recipes have been tried and tested for decades.

There are loads of stews and potajes and most can come as a half portion (media racion) if you want to try a few things or are eating alone. Most of them come in a big pot, with the potaje of chickpeas with chard being a classic Spring dish and good for Lent.

The pastel de berenjena, a sort of aubergine moussaka with bechamel and toasted

cheese on a bed of lettuce and diced pork, was a sure fire winner, really delicious.

The generous grilled sea bass came with a salsa verde green sauce and was beautifully cooked and tender, while the apple tart with no pie crust was a gluten-free joy. Just around the corner, you better try out the brand new hotspot, Sauvage, which has only been

open for nine months, before it gets too packed. Stylish and attractive, it has an unusual exotic style, without being fussy, while its menu is simple, without being too sparse.

A very international mix, its fusion of dishes with an asiatic flavour are created by the duo of young, yet well-trav-

elled chefs, Daniel Ortega, 31, and Nacho Espana, 28, who both grew up locally.

Award-winning Ortega did his time at three Michelin-starred Celler de Can Roca, while Nacho did the Melia hotel circuit before ending up at the Marbella Club hotel, where they both met. Head waiter Paco, who has worked for

SOUL FOOD: Luis and Marta from Albero (far left) specialise in great Spanish dishes like fabada while Timonel (below)

20 years in Marbella, is meanwhile brilliant at explaining everything, such as the Osaka pork ribs cooked at very low temperature, or the lamb shoulder accompanied by petit plom in its juice - a type of couscous from Morocco!

I really liked the Buñuelo of squid starter with eel sauce, which were off-sweet with dry tuna flakes, as well as the delicious red prawn ‘pilpil’ croquettes with langoustines and bluefin tuna from Cadiz. There was a definite explosion in the mouth.

His Yakiniku baos with slow cooked Iberican pork had a Lebanese sauce, while the Peking dumplings were made of duck with

hoisin toffee and cucumber sunomono.

A Peruvian cerviche was one of the best I have had on the coast.

If you are after more traditional Spanish fare, then head to El Albero, where Luis, from the fast-improving wine region of Valdepenas and his wife Marta, from Salamanca, have set up a real quality joint.

Think fabada Asturias, or cocido Madrileño, this is a place for top quality traditional Spanish classics.

The menu is simple but good value with lots of tostas and traditional dishes like salmorejo and gazpacho soup, perfect for hot days, while the oxtail (rabo de

toro) was surprisingly good. The wine-list is particularly worthy of note, coming from all around the country. Near-neighbour, Timonel has only just opened, but is likely to also do very well.

An attractive place open all day from 1pm to 10pm, it has elegant decor, maximising on the light.

There is an interesting, minimal menu, ranging from Focaccia with sardines to a delicious pisto of cod in a classic tomato sauce. I also liked the tosta of Iberian pork and ham, with nuts, rocket and a ‘joppie’ sauce, while the duck magret was well presented with a quail egg on a courgette tower.

Continues on page 22

Tuesday to Saturday: 1:30pm-4:00pm & 8:00pm to 11:00pm Sunday: 1:30pm - 4:00pm

Closed: Sunday night and Monday

t: +34 952 73 75 97

sauvagerestaurant.es

Calle Antonio Belon 17, Marbella

Yakiniku baos with slow cooked pork had a Lebanese sauce

LOCAL TALENTS: David and Nacho at Sauvage and two of their dishes

TUCKING IN: Gaspar is the most authentic wholesome joint one could hope to find, (from far left) a range of dishes and the menu

WHERE TO EAT

From page 21

Tasty treats

Around the corner the Gourmet Burger Room, does exactly what it says on the tin… and it has been doing it for seven years.

Run by a Frenchman Franck, he clearly knows his onions but isn’t scared to graft having done his time in hotels and restaurants in France and also a decade in Marbella.

You choose your type of burger (there are dozens, including vegetarian and even vegan ones) and then one of three buns… In particular I recommend the ‘Milano’ which comes with Gorgonzola, bacon and mushroom.

Heading a bit further west, definitely look out for Ta-kumi, which is the absolute best traditional Japanese food I have eaten in Spain.

The place that footballer Ronaldo swears by when he is in town, Alvaro Arbeloa and Toshio Tsutsui are total style freaks and attention to detail is spectacular.

t: 951 51 77 27

tropicosol@hotmail.com

gourmet-burger-room.business.site

Avenida Antonio Belon 18, Marbella

The place is minimalist and easy to miss, with a very Asiatic feel, but once inside you will quickly relax and enjoy the tour of Japan’s best dishes, from a simple, good value Miso soup to a soft shell crab Tamaki, which I could eat every day. Other places well worth looking out for are Kava, where Fernando Alcala is doing remarkable things.

This local Marbella man shelved a high flying job as a lawyer in Switzerland to return to teach himself cooking

and then open his incredibly stylish joint. His attention to detail is big in both decor and layout and it’s great to watch all the chefs working away in the kitchen. Produce-wise, I found it one of the best I have tried in Andalucia. Also highly-rated, but not yet tried, are the Parque de la Milla pop up in Parque de la Constitucion, which seems to change its opening times by the week.

Connected to the La Milla chiringuito up on the Golden Mile, it won the X Snack competition at Madrid Fusion this year with its pickled partridge sandwich, winning chef, Javier Ruiz, 1,500 euros. Go on, try it before me!

Meanwhile, brand new, De Juan, is a stylish place just opened on Calle Antonio Belon, while lots of locals are raving about the Argentinian bakery Maleva, which definitely has style.

Absolute gem

Enjoy a friendly Irish welcome at The Claddagh in Marbella

THE Claddagh Irish Bar is an absolute gem. Located in the centre of Marbella beneath The Skol apartments, it's a must to pop into on your travels.

YOUR GO TO IRISH BAR FOR LIVE SPORT AND MUSIC EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK!

WEEKDAYS: 18:00PM-2:00AM WEEKENDS: 14:00PM-02:00 AM | +34 952 779 537 | info@thecladdaghirishbar.com | Avda. Arias Maldonado

Gerry and the team know how to look after you. With live music most nights of the week just walk in and let your hair down and dance. Not forgetting, Claddagh is a great place for live sports. Golf, football, GAA Formula 1 to name a few. The Claddagh Bar is the most warming of bars in Marbella. You can walk in alone, though leave with friends. Enjoy the Craic at Claddagh Marbella.

16 Avienda Arias Maldonado, Skol Apartments, Marbella info@thecladdaghirishbar.com Facebook - thecladdaghmarbella

va Andalucía Beach.

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THE SOUND OF YOUR STAY® – THE SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR HOLIDAYS

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EXPERIENCES AT THE ROCK

SPA® WELLNESS CENTRE

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WEDDINGS ROCK AT HARD ROCK HOTEL MARBELLA

Hard Rock Hotel Marbella is also a glamorous option for a wedding – and it takes the stress out of the big event. Wedding planners are on hand to help customise a party and make a couple’s wedding dreams come true.

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MASTERCLASS: At Japanese gem Ta-kumi and (top) Kava’s Fernando