Alan Wentworth-Harley's Marbella Property Insider

In recent years, the housing market in Marbella, Spain, has undergone a tumultuous period, with prices plummeting due to the global economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in 2023, the Marbella housing market has shown signs of recovery, with prices and demand for properties on the rise once again. One of the primary drivers of the recovery in Marbella's housing market is the resurgence of the Spanish economy. Following a period of stagnation and recession, the Spanish economy has seen a significant uptick in growth, driven by a combination of increased investment, stronger exports, and rising consumer confidence. As the economy improves, so too does the demand for property in Marbella, as buyers look to take advantage of the improving market conditions. Another factor contributing to the recovery of the housing market in Marbella is the increased interest from foreign investors, particularly those from outside the European Union. As political and economic insta...

Torre del Mar beach regains the prestigious blue flag. It comes after it lost the title four years ago.   The lovely beach has an area of over 2,000 meters where you enjoy a wonderful day in the sun and is ideal for visiting with family, because it has all types of services.  It is also hosting a weekend beach festival from the 5-8 July 2017 which will include a line up of  rock, indie, rap, reggae, house, techno and more as European and international acts combine for a diverse musical fiesta . It joins fellow Axarquia beaches Benajarafe, Caleta de Velez and El Morche, which also have the prestigious title. The area boasts five in total that carry the flag. The stamp of honour is reserved for beaches with exceptional water quality, safety, hygiene, accessibility, services, information and lifeguards.

After the great success this valentine’s day  la sala restaurant /bar on Gibraltar’s sunborn yacht hotel is proving to be  popular amongst the stars including premiership footballers and wags , maybe that’s because its part owned by a string of former players in the premier league. La Sala is already the place to be seen and mingle with the stars in Nueva Andalucia, since the show the only way is Essex or life on Marbs was broadcast on ITV Be it seems to have attracted even more customers hoping to catch a glimpse of famous faces. Special offers to stay on the Sunborn Gibralta start from £225 a night which includes a 3 course dinner, 1 nights’ accommodation and buffet breakfast, not bad for those looking for a great place to celebrate a special occasion.

This new development is set to become one of the most exclusive golf projects in Europe. The luxurious project called Valderrama 2 of over 200 hectares , in the Castellar municipality will consist of a  hotel and possibly some residential homes built to the standard in La Zagaleta’s, where homes start from around €3 million. Zagaleta, just outside Marbella, is Spain’s most luxurious residential development with many celebrity residents, while Valderrama’s golf course has known international prestige since it hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup. The Valderrama purchase itself is reported to be €40 million, while the total investment, building another Championship golf complex ‘of the highest level’ is set to reach around €240 million. The project will unfold over the next decade, and La Zagaleta group has expressed its cooperation with the Real Club Valderrama, to preserve the exclusivity that the brand has built up over many years to become a European landmark.

A consortium involving a Chinese investment fund, the Spanish construction company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC) and the holding company Credit Suisse have presented an offer for the licence for Puerto Banús, according to SUR. The proposed  offer of 200 million has been linked to the possible expansion of the area and according to sources consulted by SUR the deal could be made by the end of the year. Puerto Banus was built in 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury shopping complex and marina. It has since become one of the world’s most famous marinas attracting over 5 million visitors a year and becoming a local haunt for celebrities and the well heeled. The marina has 870 berths and is one of the most expensive marinas in the Mediterranean; the current king of Saudi Arabia, Salman, moors one of his boats permanently there. Puerto Banus is highly ranked alongside some of Italy’s most luxury Marinas such as Marina Grande in Ca...

       H ollywood actor Kevin Bacon has recently taken a short break on the Costa del Sol. The Apollo 13 star found a luxury Mijas villa to bring together his family from around the world. The Bacon family arrived for two weeks of sunshine in a luxury Villa in El Chaparral , costing around €20,000 per week. The 56-year-old father-of-two and his stunning actress wife Kyra Sedgwick, 49, managed to keep a low profile throughout the entire trip, staying in most of the time due to Bacon’s father-in-law being unwell. The Villa has been used by other celebrities, including Jermaine Jackson, earlier this year.

With roads, airports and housing set for a billion-euro makeover. Up 23% on the previous year’s investment, Minister for infrastructure, transport and housing, Julio Gomez-Pomar, has identified Andalucia as an integral cog in the country’s economic recovery. “Andalucian construction companies are to stay tuned,” he said. “They must contribute to economic growth in Spain, it is integral to the nationwide recovery. “Andalucia is one of the places where most investment has been undertaken in quantitative terms and in relative terms of growth, we have made a strong investment.” A total of €456 million will be used for road works, €730 million on rail and €239 million on airports. Meanwhile €111 million will be allocated to housing in the region.

    For the first time, Fuengirola’s beaches have been awarded Q for Quality flags by the ICTE Spanish Touristic Quality Institute.   The flags were raised on Friday 8, in a special ceremony on San Francisco beach, attended by the Mayor Ana Mula Athas.   Well-known swimmer David Mecca and local swimmers Pablo Mira, Maria de Valdes and Salvador Cano will be diving from a yacht 200 metres out to sea and swimming to shore with the flags, which have been awarded for the 7.5 kilometres of beaches between the Castle and Carvajal.   Colour was provided at the event by 200 local school children wearing special t-shirts and carrying banners, who were brought to the beach on the tourist train.   The mayor explained that this was the first time the town had applied for the prestigious flags and expressed her pride that the strict tests had been passed.   “I’d like to stress the hard work put in...

Lord Alan Sugar cashing in on the upturn of the Marbella property market. He has just sold his villa in Marbella for 11 million euros which was put on the market earlier this year for 12 million. The Apprentice star – who has an estimated wealth of more than £1 billion, according to the Sunday Times rich list – is set to double his money. He has owned the property for the past 15 years and once the sale completes he is expected to make a profit of around 5 million euros. It is understood that he is looking to downsize to a penthouse possibly in Spain or the U S. The three-story villa includes a 200m2 underground car park, pool and gymnasium. There is also access to the beach and one of Marbella’s top tennis clubs. Lord Sugar sits 101st in the Sunday Times list of wealthiest Brits, announced last month. If you are looking for a luxury property on the Costa del Sol then click here to go to the One Marbella website which has thousands of proper...

New 12 episode series on Marbella Living ITV has announced that “Life on Marbs”, a brand new reality series will be aired this summer on ITVBe. The show will follow the glamorous lives of some of Marbella’s most fabulous residents. Characters will include Club’ owners to designer-clad housewives, from millionaire bachelors to entrepreneurs; ITV says Life on Marbs will reveal what life is really like living in Marbella – Europe’s most luxurious resort. It is being produced by Lime Picture’s who have had previous shows in and around Marbella which have been extremely successful including “The only way is marbs” part of the TOWIE series. Head of Non-Scripted, Derek McLean said: “Having just skimmed the surface of the luxury life that exists in Marbs for previous shows, Lime are delighted finally to be able to dive right into the incredible world of wealth and aspiration that exists in this millionaires playground. Marbella is an unmissable destinat...

The Fair in Marbella, will be held at a new location this year. There are promises that they will have more attractions, more space for horses and concerts and a free bus, which will be held on 100,000 square metres of land in the La Cañada area. This will only be a temporary site until the new one which is under construction is finished in La Serrania, which will be used in 2016. Starting at the  beginning  of June  with a week long fair. The Marbella féria includes all the traditional elements of an Andalusian fair: food, drink, dancing, entertainment and of course, the trademark “casetas” that are set up just for the fair. The fairs new site is due to the many complaints from local neighbours who are fed up with the noise. The plans for the new site include more space for casetas, separated into those aimed at youths and those for families, more space for horses and riders and more attractions, including two Ferris wh...

In spite of the fall in UK visitors to the Costa del Sol there has been a marked increase from Asian visitors. The number of visits to the Costa del Sol has risen quicker than anywhere else in Spain. This is according to March’s figures which have just been released by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism. More than 500,000 foreign tourists came to Andalucía last month – up 14 per cent of all those who came to Spain. This is close to the pre-crisis level recorded in February 2008. The rise in foreign visitors to the region is up 12 per cent compared to the national average rise of 5.8 per cent, even though the number of British tourists has fallen. This has been compensated for by a rise in visitor numbers from Asia, Germany, France and Scandinavia. Figures from Turismo Costa del Sol show that three international tourist markets have risen by 20 per cent or more - Belgium, Italy and Sweden . Additionally Spain announced a record high ...

With 300 days of sunshine a year, 26km of sunny Mediterranean beaches, stunning views, and an expat community of over 300,000, it is no wonder that Marbella is the place where so many Britons aspire to own property. And ever since The Only Way Is Essex shipped it's gang of fake-tanoholics from Sugar Hut to the Ocean Club for the series special of The Only Way is Marbs, Marbella became the hottest holiday destination faster than Joey Essex said 'reem'.

PROPERTY FOR SALE MARBELLA: Luxury complex consisting of 25.000 m2 of landscaped gardens - Breathtaking views of the Mediterranean sea - 2 and 3 bedroom apartments and penthouse duplex.

Modern Luxury Villa - Unique, modern style, high quality construction, floor heating, 60mm insulation throughout the house.    

The cheapest day to fly out of UK is a Tuesday. This was revealed in a survey by Which?of 1,174 flights within Europe with Ryanair,EasyJet and British Airways, some Sunday flight costs soared 175% compared to two days later.

Photo: Olive Press ANDALUCIA is promoting itself as a birdwatcher’s paradise after tourism chiefs travelled to the UK to highlight what the region has to offer, The Olive Press reports . The delegation attended the British Birdwatching Fair in Rutland, the largest of its kind in the world and often described as the birdwatchers’ Glastonbury.

I found this excellent article about Marbella in the Sur in English this week: The sun goes down over the Golden Mile and there is hardly any room to walk through the streets because of the number of relaxed visitors who are doing the same. Their casual clothes make it impossible to guess how much these people spend on holiday. The middle class tourists are a melting-pot of nationalities and many of them resist spending more than they need to and are happy to wander round the town centre or toast themselves under the sun of Marbella, but some parts of the tourism sector are rubbing their hands in glee at the forthcoming arrival of others who are much less reserved about spending.

Creamfields, brought to you by Alan Wentworth-Harley JUST a couple of hours drive from Marbella, the electronic music festival Creamfields Andalucia 2012 attracted more than 32,000 people this year. The festival used to take place every year in Almeria since 2005, debuted its new home at the Jerez de la Frontera (Cadiz) race circuit during the last edition with a more than 51,000 people audience.

Feria fun in Malaga The annual Malaga Fair officially starts tomorrow (Saturday) and millions are expected to attend from around the Costa del Sol and the rest of Spain. Tonight (Friday) there will be the traditional fireworks display in La Malagueta and concert in the Paseo del Parque featuring 'Efecto Mariposa'. As usual the fair will be split between the daytime activities in the city centre, primarily along Calle Larios, all the way up to the Plaza de la Merced, and the evening fairground festivities which traditionally attracts the younger crowds take place at the Recinto Ferial (municipad fairground).