Our luxury travel begins in the 40s. It was the first time that Rudolf Graf von Schönburg stepped on what we know today as Marbella. Count Rudi breathed deeply the sea breeze, opened his ear to listen to the birds and watched the soft movement of the bougainvillea and the pines around that wild coast. The temperature on his skin felt pleasant and the horizon allowed him to see the sea and the mountain just turning his gaze. Something told him inside that he had arrived in paradise. And he had.
Rudolf was here to visit his family; his cousin Alfonso de Hohenlohe had coincided with him in Switzerland after finishing his studies in hotel business. The prince, son of Maximiliano Egon de Hohenlohe-Langnburg, had come here a few years before to acquire a 52,000 square meters farm called Santa Margarita, dedicated to agricultural exploitation. When Prince Alfonso got off the Rolls-Royce that his chauffeur drove, he was overwhelmed by the temperature, the smell of the breeze and the light. He knew right away why his father had assigned him to that task. What none of the protagonists knew was that this paradise with 27 km of coastline would become the cosmopolitan, exclusive and open to the world Marbella that we know today.
The Count who found his place in the world
In September 2022 Count Rudi entered the Marbella Club, the establishment he has managed for 66 years, in order to celebrate his 90th birthday surrounded by his family and friends. The joy, well-being and sense of belonging that the count, of German origin, feels for this enclave in southern Europe, is irrefutable. His usual residence since in 1955 his cousin assigned him the task of giving life to a hotel intended to accommodate his many friends from all over the world. With great effort and dedication, he turned it into a paradise for its exclusive visitors.
Marbella, the ideal place
In his first luxury travel to Marbella, Count Rudi could clearly appreciate that this place impregnated everyone who arrived with an enormous sense of well-being. Prince Alfonso's friends, scattered over all the continents, were already talking at their dinner parties about this wonderful place in southern Spain. When Alfonso proposed him to take charge of the Marbella Club, he did not hesitate to accept the challenge.
A new building was added to the estate cortijo (farmhouse) that had become the Hohenlohe family home, with the idea of recreating a highway motel like those that the prince could see in California during his studies in agronomy. In 1954 the few rooms with parking lot at the door that made it up took shape, designed to accommodate friends and travellers who made the route Malaga-Seville through those rustic roads. Even today, this building is integrated into the structure of one of the best resorts in the world. Marbella was becoming, almost without being aware, the ideal destination to bring together personalities of all kinds. Undoubtedly, a privileged place where the mountains of the Rif in Morocco or the faint lights of Tangier behind the Rock of Gibraltar can be seen, located just a few kilometres away. An ideal place, just like time would prove.
A perfect climate all year round
The perfect balance between nature and climate amazed everyone. The proximity to the Concha peak, part of the Sierra Blanca, an old mining site, in contrast to the Mediterranean Sea created a bubble of perfect microclimate. Agricultural farms, donkeys, a few cows, and many fishermen who sold fresh fish from house to house, all within a cosy and pleasant ecosystem. More than 320 sunny days a year and an average temperature of 17°C in winter and 31°C in summer let grow a wide tropical vegetation caressed by the sea breeze. Several kilometres of coastline where you can enjoy fishing, sun, water sports or the simple contemplation of nature. Next to this, a sierra to go hiking, covered by wild botanical species filling the area with colour.
A natural environment that invades you forever
Finding a place like the village of Marbella on a luxury trip, with its whitewashed houses, pines and bougainvillea, chumberas (prickly pear) and jasmines, was something that no one could forget. A wide land facing an intense blue Mediterranean, smooth like a plate but full of life at the same time, a rich source of anchovies, sardines, meagre and quisquillas (shrimps) among many other delicacies for locals and travellers. A natural environment that caught the attention of its visitors, amazed with the multitude of sensations that invaded their senses. Without a doubt, the initiation of a sensory journey through an authentic and real place that, thanks to an intelligent urban development, continues to be the same.
One of the most exclusive resorts
The hotel management studies that Count Rudi had taken at the Swiss Hotel Management University in Lausanne helped him focus on the task that had been entrusted to him by his cousin. The Marbella Club became the most welcoming and exclusive 5-star hotel on the Costa del Sol, thanks to the overwhelming personality of Count Rudi. In fact, if something attracted Prince Alfonso, one of the best ambassadors that Marbella could have, it was the elegance that emanated from that simplicity of the natural environment in those years mixed with the Count's ability to integrate everyone in this select environment. The purity of the air and constant temperature enchanted everyone who visited the family or the hotel facilities in its early years. But that was not all that attracted them. The Marbella Club became the ideal business centre, everyone who was someone passed through there. The town of Marbella went from its 10,000 inhabitants in the 50s to almost 30,000 in the 70s. Today it is a town with more than 150,000 residents in low season and still maintains the air of a village.
The luxury travel of Count Rudi
Count Rudi made his luxury travel to paradise thanks to the hospitality and the open and affable character of Marbella people. Despite the difficulties in the language, locals made the effort to communicate, creating a unique atmosphere of warm welcome and Andalusian joy. Dreamer, professional and focused on offering the best to customers and friends who visited him, Count Rudi analysed every detail to set an adequate menu, taking advantage of what the surroundings offered.
In the beginning there were few vegetables, and meat was a precious good; it could always be ordered from other areas, but the connections were not ideal yet. French cuisine and the feeling of being in an incipient Saint-Tropez led him to decide on the soufflé as the star dish of the first period, since eggs were abundant in the area. A menu that included grilled fish or “espetos”, the way locals cooked their fish. A sensitivity that he poured into the way of decorating the Clubhouse or giving life to the gardens, offering the best views, wide spaces, flowers and nature at their best and a unique place bathed by local identity. The Clubhouse became the compulsory place of passage, the perfect place to meet the best of the best in Marbella.
Daily life in the beginning of Marbella
The relationship of the Marbella Club with its surroundings was usual thanks to the purchase of fish and products from the area, but also due to the fact that the hotel had the only phone in several kilometres around, so it was an obligatory stop for neighbours, travellers and transporters. Aristocrats with their families, artists and businessmen added, almost without knowing it, new nuances to this privileged place, exclusive and away from everything. Several Marbellas began to develop then, unlike other areas with a large influx of tourism, the small village was taking shape of a town with hotel projects and new facilities designed for leisure. The first golf course, and perhaps the most exclusive in Europe, was in the facilities of Santa Margarita at the request of the Duke of Windsor.
Other builders and fortunes arrived in the area and established luxury villas. The planning of Puerto Banús included streets following the paths that donkeys of the area used, keeping the identity of a white Andalusian village. And so, little by little, the cosmopolitan Marbella that we know today began to take shape, anchored to its origins to continue being the paradise that Alfonso de Hohenlohe and Count Rudi knew from the first moment.
A luxury travel to the Marbella of today
Julián Cabanillas arrived in Marbella, in his particular luxury journey, for a job interview. He had never been here, but as soon as he arrived, he noticed that special feeling with the place. A good hunch. The current director of the Marbella Club resort has been in town for almost twelve years and fell in love with this corner of the world from the first moment.
The real Marbella
Marbella was and is a real place. Today, the resort which began at Santa Margarita estate has 58,000 square metres dedicated to enjoyment. The old farmhouse became a social club and restaurant. Right in the middle of the road from the town of Marbella, with its charming old town and narrow streets, to Puerto Banús, one of the most luxurious marinas in Europe, inaugurated in 1970, is the beginning of everything: Marbella Club. A perfect place that still holds the identity of that former village. An identity composed of Marbella people, occasional travellers, lovers of the Costa del Sol who fixed their permanent residence here, or those who arrived in these coasts to do business and ended up acquiring their second residence bewitched by this privileged enclave.
A different and special destination in the Costa del Sol
The Marbella Club was a pioneer in applying a concept of luxury that went beyond available options, impeccable service and taste for excellence and details. Looking at old photos of the area, that characteristic Andalusian accent of white walls reflecting the sun is present. A relaxed and relaxing environment that lives and lived peacefully with the fantastic night parties. An essence that has not been lost over the years. Marbella is a special and unique enclave where Phoenicians, Punics and Romans have passed, later with a Visigoth, Byzantine and Muslim presence. A place where history, archaeological remains, water sports, tennis and golf, coexist in perfect harmony with an excellent quality of life. A living essence derived of the Andalusian roots that combines the charm of the old with the sophisticated. The passion for living the present, gourmet and proximity cuisine, sports and social relations end up configuring a unique and special lifestyle.
The meeting place: Marbella Club
The meeting place is right in the middle of today’s Golden Mile. Entrepreneurs, aristocrats, movie stars, Marbella residents, professionals from different areas, curious and travellers have come over the years by the Marbella Club. A focal point created with care by a human team led by Count Rudi. Married to Princess Maria Luisa of Prussia in 1971, hers was the idea to have a Kids Club. A proposal designed for the numerous families who came with their children, and that the current director, Julián Cabanillas, rescued when he took charge of the resort. Relationships based on learning, leisure and entertainment, enjoying the perfect stay.
The same happens in the clubhouse, with its busy social life and at the same time the preferred refuge of many. Today it pays tribute to its beginnings in the 50s rescuing the present memory of the area. A place for all ages, cultures and languages. A corner of Andalusia that was, is and will be a meeting point to laugh, do business, develop ideas or enjoy its exquisite gastronomy, thanks to an area with everything one can desire and well communicated with the rest of the world.
A paradise in continuous evolution
That initial luxury travel to a rural and fishing Marbella is still present in the essence of the town. Both Count Rudi and Alfonso de Hohenlohe together with many other famous names of builders, artists, aristocrats and personalities of different cultures have formed what today is the Costa del Sol. An ongoing history to which new people contribute day by day. A paradise with a privileged microclimate and a cosmopolitan lifestyle. A place that enchants day by day, providing its vitalist light, its warm breeze and the smell of the sea mixing without any complex with the magical aromas of tropical flowers. A paradise to arrive and belong, buying in the best shops, eating in the most select restaurants and combining history, culture, nature, fun and disconnection in just a few kilometres of coastline.
Everything is possible in Marbella
Focus of attraction for talent, everything is possible in this paradise. The best professionals in gastronomy, health, water sports, art and culture. A place where you can find the most select services, from real estate to rental of villas, yachts or exclusive cars. But the history of luxury is more than that, because here the best professionals in hospitality, restaurants, gardening, beauty, aesthetics, nutrition or the world of fashion come together. Thanks to their experience, search for excellency and the multitude of exclusive events of the most important brands in the world of luxury, Marbella is the epicentre of a climate bubble that houses the most valued infrastructures, activities and services. One of the most select equestrian clubs in Europe, one of the best resorts in the world or the most exclusive golf club. An interesting circuit of art and antiques, and the possibility of experiencing unique and exclusive sensations based on years of lived history. A paradise located in one of the most select, exquisite and peculiar environments in the world.
