It’s been called the home of the jet set, city of corrupt councillors, haven for gangsters and playground of the rich and famous.
It’s the hub of the famed ‘Golden Mile’ of the Costa del Sol. It’s where sun seekers and pleasure pursuers yearn to be. Travel magazines wax lyrical about the cobbled streets, tiny shops, art galleries, notable restaurants and tapas bars. Not to mention the dazzling white buildings and the deep blue sea. Yet the customary sparkle of this city has dimmed and darkened at times.
What’s the real story behind the magic of Marbella?
The city of Marbella emerged from humble beginnings. During Islamic rule, the Moors fortified the Marbellan coastline by building a string of lighthouse towers. They then constructed a citadel, the Alcazaba, and a wall to protect the town of narrow streets, tiny buildings and a mosque. They called the city Marbil-la, which was most probably derived from a previous Iberian name.
In 1485, Marbil-la was incorporated into the larger region of Spain by the Catholic Monarchs.
During the 19th century iron ore was mined from the Sierra Blanca around the area of Ojen. The greater Marbella area was then turned into an agricultural colony and most of the small population returned to farming or fishing as a livelihood. Sweet wines were produced from the vineyards around Marbella. In the late 19th century, the general population of the Marbella area was divided between a small group of oligarchs and the working people. It was a simple, rural life where people depended upon the bounty of the land and the sea for survival.
At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Marbella suffered from much anti-clerical violence and most churches and religious buildings were burned to ashes. Marbella was then seized by Franco’s Nationalist Faction with the support of Italian Fascist troops. The erstwhile peaceful coastal town, with its quiet beauty and warmth, was to become a haven away from war for prominent Nazi Officers such as Degrelle and Jugler. It also became a coastal getaway for friends of the dictator Francisco Franco, like Antonio Giron de Velasco and Jose Banus. Whether these two gentlemen were admired or abhorred, it is an undisputed fact that they were instrumental in the urban growth of Marbella in years to come.
The post-World War II period saw Marbella morph from a quiet village of fewer than 1000 inhabitants to a highly desirable destination for the European Elite. The man credited with the beginnings of this Marbellan metamorphosis was Ricardo Soriano, the then Marquis of Ivanrey. Infatuated with the climate, beauty and simplicity of life on the Spanish Coast, the eccentric aristocrat bought the estate ‘El Rodeo’ in 1943, near what today is Puerto Banus. He later built a resort there called ‘Venta y Albergues El Rodeo’, beginning the development of tourism in Marbella. The name Ricardo Soriano can be spotted all over Marbella town today, most notably in the name of the main road.
A second European aristocrat who helped catapult Marbella into the domain of ‘most desired venues’ was Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, who had a similar love affair with the Spanish coastline. Marbellan legend has it that his father, Prince Max, a cousin of Soriano, drove to Marbella in his charcoal-burning Rolls Royce, to see this piece of heaven for himself. Prince Alfonso then returned to purchase their Mediterranean holiday home, the finca ‘Santa Margarita’, a 180 000 square-metre finca.
Prince Alfonso then decided to fashion the finca into a hotel and in 1954, the Marbella Club Hotel opened its doors to guests. This was a substantial step in the development of the ‘adolescent’ town of Marbella into its energetic and exciting ‘adulthood’.
Swinging 60’s
During the heady sixties and seventies, Marbella became a splendid summer playground, a serious rival to the famous Côte d’Azur. Avalanches of aristocracy and swarms of stars 
descended upon the sun-drenched town in delighted droves. The rich and the beautiful, clad in Pucci prints, mini dresses and bell-bottoms clamoured in their multitudes to be part of the Marbella scene.
At that time, ‘Town and Country’ magazine reported on the Marbella phenomenon as the ‘rank upstart of the four-star playgrounds. Loveliest, clubbiest and most historically social.’
It was also during this time, in 1970 to be exact, that the magnificent Marbella profile was ‘nipped and tucked’ somewhat further with the lavish opening of the luxurious Puerto Banus. The port was inaugurated with a magnificently opulent gala, attended by celebrities, royalty, the rich and the beautiful of Europe. Puerto Banus was the culmination of Jose Banus’ dream of creating a magnificent marina that would be home to the biggest yachts, the most luxurious cars and the most expensive designer shops.
In the 1980s, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia built a marble and gold replica of the White House as his palace in Marbella at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. The Saudi Royal Family spent most summers in Marbella, injecting much needed cash into the local economy. It was rumoured that King Fahd could easily spend around 5 million euros a day and his appearance in Marbella was greatly welcomed by locals. Upon his death in 2005, there was much mourning and a three-day grieving period was declared for this ‘Adopted Son of the Municipality of Marbella.’
However, in the sunshine and optimism of this time, the reputation of Marbella was also thrown into a gloomy light. Marbella, and the southern coast of Spain in general, became encumbered with the harsh label of ‘Costa del Crime’. And it was not an entirely unjustified label. Unfortunately the Spanish sunshine and relaxed way of life seemed to draw a multitude of criminals from other countries. An extradition treaty was finally signed between Britain and Spain in 1985, ensuring more cooperation between these two nations in expelling unwanted felons. However, Marbella has still battled over the years to shed this nefarious name.
The tarnished reputation of Marbella was then further blackened with the arrival of the ex-president of soccer club ‘Atletico Madrid’ as the mayor of Marbella in the 90s.
Mayor Gil was not one for following protocol and adhering to formalities. So although his administration facilitated a building boom, the existing urban plan was disregarded and bribes became customary in the business of building. Tens of thousands of illegal and inferior homes were built in the town and there was a lack of development in the educational and health sectors to match the building explosion. In 1999 Mayor Gil was convicted of embezzlement of public funds and falsifying documents. After he stepped down, his party stayed in power, but over the years the corruption continued unabated and many more municipal officials, business executives, mayors and deputy majors were also jailed. In April 2006, the Spanish Senate suspended the Marbella City council, the town being run by a committee of auditors until May 2007 when Maria Angeles Munoz of the People’s Party won the vote for mayor.
Then came the worldwide financial crisis of 2007–08 which lurched itself at Spain with a mighty thump. The real-estate bubble burst and shattered, and tourism floundered.
These days, Marbella is still a beautiful Andalucian town holding onto its traditional Spanish charm. The road to economic recovery has been long and hard, but professionals report that property sales in the Marbella area are on the rise and that tourism figures are climbing enthusiastically. Mayor Angeles Muñoz and her council are revamping the former sparkle and splendor of Marbella by upgrading the neglected Bajadilla Port and other areas of the old town.
For those of us, like so many before, who are infatuated with the climate, beauty and simplicity of life on the Spanish Coast, the magic of Marbella lives on.
A few of the famous faces that have graced Marbella regularly through the ages:
The Duke of Windsor, Rock Hudson, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Prince Rainier, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Aristotle Onassis, Hugh Hefner, Roman Polanski, King Juan Carlos, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Adnan Khashoggi, Princess Soraya, Prince Fahd Al-Saudi, Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, George Clooney, Michelle Obama, Dolph Lundgren, Rod Stewart, Sir Alan Sugar, Simon Cowell, James Hewitt, Fulgencio Batista, Joan Collins, Rick Parfitt, Andy Gray, Vincent Cronin.
