Puerto Banús
Puerto José Banús, more commonly known simply as Puerto Banús, is a marina located in the area of Nueva Andalucía, to the southwest of Marbella, Spain on the Costa del Sol. It was built in May 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex. It has since become one of the largest entertainment centres in the Costa del Sol, with 5 million annual visitors, and is popular with international celebrities. Developed around a coastal village in the Mediterranean architectural style, Puerto Banús contains high-end shopping malls, restaurants and bars around the marina.
History
The architect Noldi Schreck, who had previously contributed to the design and construction of Beverly Hills, was visited in 1966 by Prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe, who asked him to work on the Hotel Marbella Club. Schreck's first assignment was to meet José Banús—a close associate of Francisco Franco—and convince him that Puerto Banús should not be developed with towering skyscrapers meant to accommodate thousands of wealthy families.Instead, Schreck, together with young Mexican-Spanish architect Marcos Sainz, proposed a design inspired by a traditional Andalusian village with a luxurious marina. Their vision led to the creation of the first port designed entirely by a single architectural team. José Banús adopted the plan, and the port was eventually named after him. He would go on to become the largest developer of residential tourism complexes on the Costa del Sol, gaining notoriety as "the regime's builder."
The lavish opening of the complex in May 1970 was attended by, amongst others, the Aga Khan, film director Roman Polanski, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, Dr. Christiaan Barnard, and Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco. A young Julio Iglesias was hired to sing for the guests for the sum of 125,000 pesetas. Three hundred waiters from Seville served 22 kilos of beluga caviar to 1,700 guests.
In 2011, it was reported that one of the largest-scale developments in Marbella's history was to take place with a 400 million euro investment into La Bajadilla, east of Marbella, by Qatari Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani which included a quay for cruise liners, a five-star hotel on the marina, as well as bars, restaurants, shops and supermarkets to compete with Puerto Banús.
Geography and climate
Puerto Banús is located on the Costa del Sol of southeast Spain, southwest of Marbella, southwest of Málaga and south of Madrid. The climate of the area is protected in its northern part by the Coast Mountain Range of Cordillera Penibética. It has a microclimate that produces a mean annual temperature of.Transportation
The Málaga Airport is away. There is a good network of roads and transport services connecting Puerto Banús with adjacent towns and suburbs.The complex
According to the Municipality of Marbella, Puerto Banús is visited annually by nearly 5 million people. Visitors to the port tend to be mostly tourists from northern Europe and Arabs, along with Spanish and Russian tourists. The focal point of Puerto Banús is the marina. It has berths for 915 boats, including those of the King of Saudi Arabia and several of the world's wealthiest individuals. Behind the harbour lie streets filled with bars, boutiques and nightclubs. The marina has slips for boats and ships from. Its surface area is, and its depth ranges from within the marina, with at its entrance. There is a beach on each side of the marina where boats can be hired.Transport
From Málaga airport, transport options include car rental, taxi, or bus. The main road A-7 also known as the Autovia del Mediterraneo on its way to Puerto Banus has the toll road or the non toll road which has views from the Costa.Shopping
Its streets are lined with expensive luxury boutiques like Christian Dior, Gucci, Bulgari, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Elisabetta Franchi and others. One stretch is known as "The Golden Mile". Apart from the chain of restaurants, boutiques, in the heart of the Antonio Banderas Square is one of the largest El Corte Inglés department stores in Spain, including the up-scale hypermarket, Hipercor.The Boulevard de la Fama de Puerto Banús was created to pay tribute to individuals who have promoted Marbella nationally or internationally through their professional work.