Oysters for breakfast, shopping in the first
ephemeral Chanel
boutique
in Spain, beauty treatments, tasty cocktails and even a photography exhibition are some of the plans offered by one of the most legendary spaces on the Costa del Sol. Marbella Club hotel, where everything seems to happen normally even though it is part of a parallel reality where money is never a problem. Even less in this place where artists, athletes, models, businessmen and anonymous fortunes from all over the world cross their paths. The one that was the scene of the mythical
jet set parties
From the sixties it has re-emerged as the epicenter of the establishment that promoted luxury tourism in Malaga.
If in the beginning he caught Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minelli, Brigitte Bardot, Sean Connery and half European royalty, recently they have fallen in his networks from Lady Gaga to Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodríguez.
In addition, 2021 is experiencing the best year in its history: occupancy has been 100% for weeks, despite the fact that the average price in August is around 1,300 euros per night.
The aristocrat, Gunilla Von Bismark, dances with the Lebanese businessman, Raymond Nakachian, at the gala to benefit the Spanish Association Against Cancer in Marbella, in July 1989. EFE
The establishment was opened in 1954 by Prince Alfonso, who had built a house on the same site where he would invite his friends. His agenda ranged from European aristocracy to Hollywood stars. Many stayed to sleep, so he had the idea of building 18 rooms around a patio when there was no tourism in Marbella. The exclusivity and discretion on which that luxury was based remain everyday elements of this place today. There are children running, young couples strolling, bicycles parked, statuesque bodies on the beach club loungers
and whole families on the way to the sea.
Familiar faces are not seen, they go unnoticed avoiding being glimpsed.
All guests have at their disposal the more than 500 people that make up the hotel's staff today, the largest it ever had.
El Patio Restaurant, commanded by chef Armando Codispoti.Garcia-Santos / El Pais
Owned by Jennica Shamoon - her brother, Daniel, runs the nearby Roman Bridge - the establishment has made every effort to recover the spirit of the legendary
jet set
in the same place where they starred on their best nights, the patio. Among the novelties is the landing on July 9 of the first
ephemeral Chanel
boutique
in Spain. The pandemic has modified the Marbella shopping habit: if before it was common to see large fortunes strolling through the luxury stores of Puerto Banús at dawn, now the activity has moved to the mornings.
Shopping is best enjoyed at the tables of another of the Marbella Club's new bets: the El patio restaurant. Since its inauguration on July 1, it has been open all day without interruption for customers and visitors (like all the hotel services of the hotel). On the menu there are oysters for breakfast at 16 euros per unit. This is not an eccentricity of the chef: in Marbella it is not exceptional who starts the day tasting these mollusks with a glass of champagne. “They ask for them! I swear! ”Says Armando Codispoti, in front of the kitchen. "And they go crazy because it is incredible," he emphasizes. On the terrace, electronic music - soft during the day, louder at night - accompanies a clientele that at first glance is that of any other restaurant. On the tables there is chatter, persistent mobiles, sunglasses,Pitchers of cocktails to share for 45 euros. The service goes out of their way at each table. They know that the a la carte menu can go from a reasonable price to an indecent one in no time. Like tips.
Chanel ephemeral store, inside the tourist complex.
Garcia-Santos / El Pais
The pandemic has made the theme parties promoted in 2016 by Hubertus de Hohenlohe, son of the founder of the Marbella Club, and Julián Porras, husband of Olivia de Borbón, impossible.
For several years, the so-called The Legendary Party was held, for example, in which Carmen Lomana could be seen as a DJ in the Paris Hilton style and which attracted celebrities with heterogeneous profiles, from actors like Imanol Arias, to regulars. from the pink press like Arantxa de Benito and Carla Goyanes, to aristocrats like Beatriz de Orleans.
On the way to the beach, between luxurious villas with large trees and high walls to avoid unwanted glances, there is another restaurant, a swimming pool, an organic garden with 60 varieties of tomatoes and a wellness center where you can reserve a place in the spa or go to Pilates and aeroyoga classes or meditation sessions.
A little further down, the beach club worships the sun.
Intervened by the signature crafts of the Sevillians The Exvotos, the enclosure is complemented with more hotels.
Teleworkers, other clients
Closed between March and June of last year due to the health crisis, in July 2020 this was the first five-star hotel that opened on the Costa del Sol. Since then it has been taking firm steps to reach the summer season of 2021 in fullness . The clientele has responded with a full house. In the absence of the classic guests from the United Kingdom and the United States, those from France, Belgium, the Nordic countries and Spain have now joined. Many have spent long periods telecommuting here. For them, the hotel has prepared a package that includes ergonomic furniture, improved Wi-Fi or express exercise programs. “This summer season is being very positive, with better results than 2019”, says the director of the Marbella Club, Julián Cabanillas, who did not expect “at all” these data.The hotel has not provided its billing figures.
