Modern hoteliers owe a lot to Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe-Langenburg. The Spanish prince, playboy and businessman was responsible for bringing to life the Marbella Club, a legendary hotel that continues to serve as the blueprint for beach resorts the world over. The first hotel to grace the shores of the Golden Mile, its arrival in 1954 prompted the transformation of Marbella from a sleepy fishing town into one of 20th-century Europe’s most exclusive holiday destinations.

But its story began slightly earlier – in 1947, when Prince Alfonso purchased what was then an old farmhouse, Finca Santa Margarita, to convert into a Mediterranean retreat for his family. Having spent his twenties working in the US and rubbing shoulders with the who’s who of Hollywood, the well-connected bachelor returned to Marbella to welcome floods of high-society guests to the finca, before his enterprising instincts spurred him to transform his private home into an elegantly understated boutique hotel.

The Marbella Club opened its doors in the summer of 1954 with 20 bedrooms, a drawing room, a dining room and a bar. It was the very definition of barefoot luxury, before such a term even existed. But the prince’s goals were loftier. To help kick things into gear, he enlisted the expertise of his cousin Count Rudi, a graduate of the celebrated University of Hotel Management in Lausanne, whose professional guidance would see the hotel become a veritable playground for the rich and famous.

The Marbella Club soon rivalled the resorts of Côte d’Azur and Saint-Tropez, attracting an avalanche of aristocrats, oil tycoons and A-list actors. Audrey Hepburn had a house in Marbella and frequented the club’s parties; Gunter Sachs and Brigitte Bardot were doyens of its dancefloor; Ava Gardner and Kim Novak (both among Prince Alfonso’s many girlfriends) considered the club something of a second home. One story that particularly tickled Prince Alfonso involved a dinner that was thrown in the 

’s honour. Despite the event’s ‘informal’ dress code, guests endeavoured to impress the Duke – who was never seen without a tie – by dressing in their finest formalwear. When the Duke entered the beach club, he was wearing a bold Hawaiian shirt, complete with open collar. He bashfully ducked back to his room and returned wearing a suit, but by that point all the other guests had taken off their jack- ets and ties. It was then that the Duke pulled off his tie and threw it into the pool, to great applause.	

The Marbella Club’s secluded location amid peaceful pine groves on the southernmost part of Spain was part of its appeal: this was a resort of self-containment, a cocoon where high-profile guests could escape reality and let their hair down away from prying eyes. In fact, so remote was the Marbella Club that during the Cuban Missile Crisis its guests partied on, blissfully oblivious to impending nuclear Armageddon.		

Today, 71 years since its inception, the Marbella Club has evolved from its rustic origins. It now encompasses 130 rooms, including 14 luxury villas, as well as three pools and 12 treatment rooms. But while it may have grown up, it certainly hasn’t lost its essence. In an increasingly troubled world, it remains a sanctuary to many. And to think it’s all thanks to the whims of a playboy prince.

This feature was taken from the summer 2024 issue of Gentleman's Journal. Read more about the issue 

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