Places 34 Clockwise from Places 34 Clockwise from top left: Anantara’s Villa Obama; an open-air lounge at the Marbella Club; the club in its heyday; the club today; former Marbella Club GM Count Rudi and his wife Maria Luisa; lunch with a view at Puente Romano; Prince Alfonso at the Marbella Club; centre: iconic Marbella Club guest Gina Lollobrigida at one of the hotel’s theme parties
35 On Location Marbella is the best of both worlds: peace and quiet, but with places to be entertained. It’s like Madrid, but also a small village – Maria Bravo PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © ANANTARA, © MARBELLA CLUB (4), © PUENTE ROMANO, GIANNI FERRARI / COVER / GETTY IMAGES radar, is firmly back on it, being picked up by Leading Hotels of the World, American Express’s Fine Hotels + Resorts and Virtuoso.) Today’s Marbella began in the 1950s, when Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg’s Rolls-Royce broke down and he got stuck there. There were worse places to be, he reasoned, and invited friends to join him. Soon enough, celebrities, royals and billionaires added it to their circuit. Slim Aarons’s photos of those early glory days decorate the walls of the Marbella Club and Puente Romano. For the past decade, Shamoon, who runs Puente Romano, has been influential in Marbella’s latest transformation. In 1994, his father, David, acquired the resort, which was built in 1978 under the ownership of Mouaffak Al Midani and Prince Alfonso. Prior to David’s death in 2013, Daniel created Suite del Mar, the first beachside nightclub on the Costa del Sol. From there, he implemented idea after idea from his extensive travels, aiming to make Marbella a yearround destination, on a par with Miami or Dubai. That meant not only constantly updating the gardens and rooms but also bringing in one name brand after another. Six Senses opened its first spa in continental Spain here. The tennis club has hosted the Davis Cup and the ATP Tour and attracted stars like Novak Djokovic. Among the hotel’s 20 bars and restaurants are outposts of Cipriani, Coya, Daní Garcia and Nobu, the last of which opened a “hotel within the hotel” several years ago. The resort has been “a work in progress,” he says, “for more than 40 years”. And that’s not stopping. One of the next planned additions is an incarnation of Málaga’s famous bar El Pimpi, developed in partnership with Marbella (and Puente Romano) regular Antonio Banderas. A similar spirit of constant evolution has animated the Marbella Club, which is celebrating its 70th birthday this year. It has a spate of events planned for the anniversary. “Effectively, the Marbella Club is growing up, says the hotel’s managing director, Jennica Shamoon Arazi (Daniel’s sister). “Our natural ambition has been for the hotel to stay true to itself and its original spirit and … to continue to delight guests. We have wanted to give thirdgeneration guests their own reasons for loving the Marbella Club.” One example is prioritising wellness and a closer connection with nature throughout the guest experiences. She continues, “We will also be unveiling a new 1.2ha land adjacent to the hotel, Finca Ana María, which will be a canvas for us to build upon [for] the next 70 years and beyond.” There’s also a five-year sustainable garden project with the French institution Deyrolle and a partnership with Assouline to launch a new Marbella book. Speaking of Marbella’s social calendar, a fixture on it is Spanish film star and talent agent Maria Bravo, who made her name in Hollywood and recently returned part-time to her native Málaga-Marbella corridor. “I tell my celebrity friends it’s the quality of life,” she says when asked what she likes about living here. “It’s the best of both worlds: peace and quiet, but with restaurants and places to be entertained. It’s like Madrid, but also a small village.” This year will see Marbella’s 14th edition of her Global Gift Gala (globalgiftgala.com), an event that’s been likened to the “Oscars of philanthropy”, with tickets that go for as much as €2,000 a pop. It’s an expensive-looking event, but her Hollywood friends donate their time, and sponsors pay Bravo’s foundation to be featured; the funds raised here go to the foundation and local children’s charities. Sometimes those famous friends end up staying. She says, “Everyone who comes here ends up loving it.” Insiders’ Marbella More expert-recommended locales around town Visit Santiago for fresh fish beside the beach, @santiagomarb. rest; Bar California offers stellar no-frills seafood surrounded by locals, +34 952 86 67 52; enjoy sea views and excellent paella at El Ancla, elanclarestaurante.com; check out Vigu for elevated cuisine in an intimate setting, vigu.es; indulge in simple – but delicious – tapas at Taberna la Niña del Pisto in the Old Town, @la_nina_del_pisto; Alcuzcuz is a family-home-turned restaurant and hotel that drips with authentic Marbella charm, alcuzcuz. es; Nota Blu boasts a glitzy brasserie vibe and serves updated French food, notablu.com; Casanis Bistrot offers whispers of France and Belgium at the heart of the Old Town, casanisbistrot. com; La Plage Casanis is an old-school beach club in a newish venue, laplagecasanis.com; and finally, don’t miss the fishermen’s bars along Las Cañas Beach for an antidote to all that. CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
