Alan Wentworth-Harley's Marbella Property Insider

    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...

After the huge success of his previous appearance at last year’s event in which he performed to packed audiences he will be returning on August 13 th . Other stars performing at the festival will include Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo, Lenny Kravitz and Laura Pausini to name a few. The festival performances start from the 18 th July through to the 22 nd August 2015. Also there will be parades, exhibitions and gastronomy. There will be a gala night held on 9 th August with Antonio Banderas hosting, raising money for various charities.  

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'.

RECESSION-HIT Andalucia may be struggling with huge debts and record unemployment figures, but the region continues to benefit from its role as a popular destination for golfing holidays.

High end luxury resort resort with a difference, an excellent combination of quality, right down to the last detail.    

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).

NOW is the time to buy a property in Marbella, says Alan Wentworth-Harley the CEO of leading luxury real estate company One Marbella. Although it is impossible to know if property prices will fall further, recent figures suggest the decrease has slowed down nationwide.

The pioneering Don Miguel has been closed for eight years The Mayor of Marbella Angels Muñoz has welcomed the news of the purchase of Marbella’s emblematic Hotel Don Miguel, which has been closed since 2004.