The Golden Mile, Marbella

The Golden Mile, one of the most luxurious residential areas in Marbella, lies to the west of the resort along the Mediterranean coast. It stretches for slightly over a mile (2km) from Puerto Banus in the west to the edge of the centre of Marbella in the east.

The best word to describe the Golden Mile in Marbella is luxury. Here you’ll find the best hotels in Marbella, some of the resort’s most expensive properties, lots of tropical gardens and exclusive restaurants and shops. In addition, the Golden Mile has probably the nicest seafront promenade on the Costa del Sol.

High-end tourism in Marbella began on the Golden Mile when Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe opened the Marbella Club Hotel in 1954. As a result, long list of celebrities and royalty began to visit Marbella. And many of them fell in love with the resort and ended up building or buying property in the area around Marbella Club. These glamourous residences gave their name to the Golden Mile. Over 60 years later, the area continues to attract la crème de la crème from high society and some of the world’s rich and famous have homes here.

Although the Golden Mile isn’t particularly big it has several clearly-defined areas, all sharing the common denominator of luxury:-

West-End
The area closest to Puerto Banus is made up of several developments including Rio Verde, home to several new property projects; Urb Ancón where you’ll find Victor’s Beach, one of the most famous beach bars on the Costa del Sol; and El Oasis with several apartment complexes and a shopping centre.

To the north of this section of the Golden Mile is the world-famous Olivia Valere nightclub plus two popular establishments for higher international education – Les Roches International School of Hotel Management and the American College of Marbella.

East-End
The section between El Ancón and Marbella houses some of the most luxurious properties and hotels on the Costa del Sol. The most prestigious of the 5-star hotels in Marbella are located here: Puente Romano and Marbella Club. Both have exceptional facilities including beach clubs, spas and Mediterranean gardens. Puente Romano is also home to the renowned Puente Romano Tennis Club that hosts world-class tournaments and in the summer, concerts and events. Marina Puente Romano offers high-end frontline beach apartments in landscaped Japanese and Persian gardens.

Michelin-star holder Dani García owns two restaurants on the Golden Mile – Leña and Bibo, both at Puente Romano Hotel. There are several other good restaurants here including 13 more at Puente Romano Hotel. Trocadero Playa, one of the best beach restaurants in Marbella, is also located in the area.

Nearer Marbella are several exclusive boutiques and art galleries.

Property on this part of the Golden Mile consists of apartment complexes such as Las Lomas de Marbella Club, built in a Mediterranean pueblo style and luxury villas. Some of them are so large they resemble palaces. Much of the new development on the Golden Mile has recently taken place here. New builds include exclusive apartments at Las Lomas del Rey and La Trinidad, and ultra-modern villas at Concept.

The sloping terrain means that most properties on the Golden Mile have sea views. In addition, many also enjoy panoramic views of the Sierra Blanca mountain range that backs the resort to the north.

North
Several exclusive property developments lie to the north of the Golden Mile. These include Hacienda Nagueles, a development combining apartments, townhouses and villas. Sierra Blanca, slightly further north and in the foothills of La Concha, Marbella’s emblematic mountain peak, has several high-end apartment complexes and large villa properties. The Buchinger-Wilhelmi Clinic, the world-famous fasting clinic is also in Sierra Blanca.