Why go
The low-rise setting has a specific design history. Architect Noldi Schreck argued for an Andalusian village and marina in place of the large towers initially envisaged. That decision helps explain the scale of the buildings around the harbour and gives the waterfront an architectural story beyond the boats moored there.
The full story
The project grew out of the resort development taking place around Marbella in the 1960s. In 1966, Prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe approached architect Noldi Schreck about work at the Marbella Club. Schreck then met José Banús, the developer whose name the new port would carry. The opening in May 1970 placed the marina within an international social circle. Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco were among the guests, alongside the Aga Khan, film director Roman Polanski and heart-transplant pioneer Christiaan Barnard. Julio Iglesias, then a young singer, performed at the celebration. The guest list shows how closely the launch tied the development to entertainment, royalty and international celebrity. The public image of Puerto Banús was therefore being established from its opening, alongside the physical construction of a harbour and its surrounding buildings.