Marbella Spain - History from 1950
Author: John Lewis

Marbella in Spain is a place rich in history over many
thousands of years. Many civilisations have made this one
of their favourite places the Greeks, Phoenicians, Moors,
Arabians, Huns and the Carthaginians to name just a few.

In the later half of the 20th Century Marbella became
famous as a tourist destination starting form the early
1950's for the rich and famous.

Princess Margaret and Michael Jackson have both stayed at
the Los Monteros Hotel on the Costa del Sol now sadly
closed.

The growth of Marbella as a tourist and area for the rich
and famous to visit started after the end of the Second
World War in 1945.

The start of the growth as Marbella as a place to be , to
be seen, to relax and wine and dine started I believe as
do many others with the Marbella Club hotel which was and
is set in a beautiful spot by the sea.

It all started back in 1946 just one year after the second
World War , when Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe together with
his father, Prince Maximiliano came to Marbella with the
thought of purchasing land.

The very next year in 1947, Prince Alfonso's family
purchased an old farm house which was known then as Finca
Santa Margarita initially as a family home.

This Finca was originally an old farm that stood on some 18
hectares in a beautiful location adjacent to the Marbella
sea shore.

As visitors, family and friends, to the 'finca' kept
increasing so at the same time the property also had to
grow and soon it was only a matter of time when the Prince
with his own ever effervescent enthusiasm and forward
thinking ideas that he started to make his own personal
dream into reality by transforming his family's private
residence into an exclusive club.

So with in some seven years of the original purchase of the
Finca the Marbella Club Hotel opened its doors to the
public and it would be fair to say that it has never
looked back since.

When the Marbella Club Hotel opened there were two wings
with 18 rooms in total eight rooms in one wing and ten
rooms in the other. There was also one more room in the
tower and this had a suite next to it.

The dining room, bar and lounge were still in the main part
of the original converted finca.

Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe was actually born in Madrid
the capital of Spain in 1924, and he was the first son of
Prince von Hohenlohe and Princess Piedad de Iturbe. He was
also luckily enough to be the godson of King Alfonso XIII
and Queen Victoria Eugenia

He passed away in 2003 in Marbella the City that he loved
so much and indeed helped to create.

He was so well liked and respected that the City of
Marbella re-named one of their main roads after him , the
Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso de Hohenlohe.

As the years passed the city quickly became known as the
exclusive retreat of many international film celebrities'.

As one example Sean Connery OO7 had a villa here named
Casa Malibu. It is said that he entertained many famous and
well known film and sporting personalities such as
Michael Caine, George Best, Richard Burton, Omar Sharif,
Honor Blackman, George Best and the racing driver James
Hunt.

I cannot in a brief article such as this mention all those
famous who have visited Marbella but I must mention that
Marbella has had for many years very good relations with
the late King of Saudi Arabia King Fahd.

He had a beautiful palace built with the Sword of his
country emblazoned in the garden and a very nice mosque on
the Golden Mile.

He also had his own bank branch here (now closed)on the
golden mile and his Motor Yacht - Shaf was kept and still
is in the Harbour of Puerto Banus.

This all helped to make Marbella the internationally famous
coastal resort that it is today, related to sailing, golf,
wining and dining and of course tourism in Spain.

Marbella has had some problems in the recent past with
planning issues but is rapidly recovering to yet again
become the Jewell in the crown of the "Costa del Sol" in
Spain.


About the Author:

The author JJ supplies premium quality American & European
Hot Tubs from Estepona on the Costa Del Sol in Spain and
his web site is at http://www.spas4you.com email
info@spas4you.com