Hotel villa Padierna, Marbella
Marbella's international crowd gathers many tastes when it comes to building and decorating a luxury home. But when we talk about the ultimate sign of pomp and power, one should look no further than the palaces in Marbella. Here, we focus on the little empire that the Saudi Royal Family calls their home away from home.
The playground of the rich and richer has been a magnet for multicultural crowds that, along with their love for Marbella, bring new ideas for the way a luxury lifestyle should be pursued.
New architectural styles and decoration ideas allow for the progression and evolution of the mansions and villas that line the coast, but sometimes, the grandeur of a palace is enough to remember why Marbella is the pioneer location for living large.
Likely the most recognized palace in Marbella is Mar-Mar, the humble abode of the former King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, which hangs with a golden glow above a good part of the coveted Milla de Oro and only a few meters away from the mosque Abdulaziz al Saud, named after the monarch’s father.
Mar-Mar is a marble and gold copy of the White House and is the only property formerly classified as “Royal Palace” on the Costa del Sol.
In 2002, the refurbishing of the palace ended with a final price tag of an estimated €108 million (think golden faucets and manicured garden creations). The palace, of course includes numerous swimming pools, its own mosque, a hospital and several luxury villas.
The late King Fahd's Palace, Marbella
It’s fairly safe to say that Marbella notices when the King (and his entourage made of hundreds of servants, hundreds of Mercedes and bodyguards) arrives. Days in advance the palace gates are surrounded by the most distinguished crowd of international journalists intent to mark the King’s every move, not to mention gardeners, cooks, electricians and caretakers that patiently wait for a chance to serve his majesty during however long his visit may be.
The last time King Fahd visited Marbella before his death in 2005, El País reported that cleaning ladies and drivers would earn up to €3.600 a month; the bakery Goyo in downtown Marbella was producing 25 cakes and 15 trays of bonbons daily for Mar-Mar and the commercial centre El Corte Inglés – a great benefactor of the royal family’s visit – made deliveries of hundreds of pairs of shoes and Spanish press.
These days, the king’s successor and brother Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud continues to visit Marbella, almost always arriving in a private jet; his megayacht, Shaf London, waiting in the Puerto Banús harbour. His own palace in Marbella, Al-Riyad, is just a short walk away from Mar-Mar.
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A designer who does a lot of work for the royals has a photo link of an 'Andulusian villa' .. which could very well be a palace for the royals in Marbella.
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The Saudi Royals can be seen frequently along the Golden Mile and in Puerto Banus, where they are welcomed by shopkeepers and restaurateurs due to their extravagant purchasing and generous tips.
Their yacht, the ‘Shaf London’ can be seen in an area of the port reserved for large ships.
His palace is just a short walk away from King Fahd’s El Rocio Palace and from the Abdulaziz Al Saud mosque, which Prince Salman erected in honour of his father and where he prays every Friday. King Fahd last visited Marbella in 2002 and had a room equipped specially for him at the Costa del Sol Hospital. He died in 2005 but his widow and children continue to enjoy their holidays in the Marbella Palace.
It is believed Prince Salman will stay in Marbella until the end of August and return home for Ramadan, which starts on September 2.
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King Fahd was probably the most illustrious person to take up residence on the Spanish coast during the summer.
His death is a big blow to the local economy. The King built his own palace there - a marble and gold copy of the White House in Washington DC.
And not just a palace: the Saudi ruler's Marbella property includes two mosques, a hospital, numerous swimming-pools and several massive villas.
The King would arrive in spectacular fashion with private jets, helicopters, a fleet of Mercedes-Benz cars, several trucks full of personal belongings and van-loads of flowers to fill his palace.
Large donations
Hundreds of local people would form queues at his palace door, hoping to find lucrative employment in the King's service.
Nahda Palace
King Fahd's palace was a complex of mosques, pools and villas
Apart from hundreds employed as part of the royal entourage, thousands of others benefited indirectly.
At local bars, restaurants, jewellery shops and a sailing club, King Fahd is reported to have spent around $40,000 (32,692 euros or £22,555) per day.
The lavish spending coupled with big donations, put him on very good terms with the local authorities. In 2002, the King contributed nearly $2.5m (2.m euros or £1.4m) towards a low-cost housing project.
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Did I read there will be NO photo opps ??? Yeah sure .. and we know why. God bless and protect Israel, and sink "The Audacity of Hope" Gaza renegade vessel.