Luxury brands head to Marbella.
This year promises to be spectacular for Marbella and to mark a new era in which the destination that showcases the Mediterranean lifestyle advances its lead as one of the world’s luxury resort destinations. And, one of the ways that amply demonstrates Marbella’s fortunes is the arrival here of a number of world-famous luxury brands in the past few months. One of the most talked about is undoubtedly the opening of Nobu at the Puente Romano Beach Resort & Spa. Nobu is renowned around the world as a celebrity haunt and a favourite of people like Robert de Niro, Brad Pitt and just about every Hollywood A-lister you can think of. In addition, Nobu has also announced that it is opening a boutique hotel in Marbella this year, adding yet another high end venue to the coast. Top Spanish chef, Dani García, has also reinforced his position in Marbella and the Puente Romano in particular, with the recent opening of El Patio Dani García, to add to his array of restaurants. In the town the latest offering combines his flair for Spanish cuisine with live flamenco. We will also be seeing the arrival of the W luxury hotel chain with a project in the sand dunes of Real de Zaragoza. The project was announced in Singapore, where Marbella’s mayor witnessed the contract agreement between Starwood Group and Platinum Estates. The hotel will not be operational until 2021 but its beach club will undoubtedly open much earlier. Currently, the W chain has just one hotel in Spain, the famous ‘candle hotel’ in Barcelona, but according to its website it will open another in Madrid in 2019 and the Marbella hotel will be its third in the country. Luxury London nightclub brand Mahiki is also arriving in Marbella in May, with the launch of Mahiki Beach. It follows a collaboration between the London-based group whose club is a favourite with young royals and celebrities, and The Sala Group, which has enjoyed great success with every restaurant and beach club it has opened in Marbella. It will serve fabulous cocktails and seafood in the tiki-style that is the trademark of the Mahiki brand internationally. This is just the start of a new luxury profile for Marbella and we feel sure that where the top luxury brands lead, others will follow.
