Marbella Club Anniversary Trivia
So you think you know the Marbella Club? Throughout its now 68-year-old illustrious history, the Marbella Club has been host to dozens of memories and events that haven’t exactly made headlines but are, nonetheless, interesting tidbits in our timeline.
The first hotel brochure was a Disney affair
Jimmy Bodrero was not only one of the Marbella Club’s early guests and fans, he was also a celebrated illustrator and animator for Walt Disney studios, having penned classics like ‘Dumbo’ or ‘Fantasia’. His sojourns to southern Spain – and love for the Marbella Club way of life – led to our first ever brochure.
Bodrero depicted poolside carefree days, excursions to Ronda and flamenco nights. Fun fact: the font found in the brochure served as inspiration for the creation of El Patio’s branding and menu.
Spain’s first padel court was at the Marbella Club
Architecture and plants were not the only things that Prince Alfonso Hohenlohe brought from Mexico to Marbella. One day in 1974 workers arrived at the Marbella Club’s tennis court, uprooted the net and erected cement walls at either end with, what Victor Dial, a regular guest at the hotel since 1964, described as ‘a sort of chicken wire along both sides’.
Alfonso, never one for understatement, proclaimed it was a brand new game called padel tennis that would one day be played all over the world. A Mexican friend, Enrique Corcuera, had built a court at his house, inventing a game played with wooden paddles and tennis balls with rules like those of squash. Corcuera eventually consolidated his place in sporting history by publishing a pamphlet called The Corcuera Rules, and they are still in effect today.
Alfonso’s courts disappeared in 1995 when they gave way to one of the periodic expansions of the Marbella Club. All that remains is a bronze plaque embedded in a large rock commemorating the spot, just in front of the hotel’s Herb Garden. (Excerpt from ‘The Marbella Club’, a 60th anniversary memoir written by Nicholas Foulkes.)
The Grill’s chef is a second-generation grillmaster
If you’ve been lucky enough to experience the legendary, romantic silver-service found at the Grill, you’ll likely have seen a dashing grillmaster gracefully handling every order behind the ceramic-covered embers. Roque takes over after his father, the original Roque, who joined the Marbella Club as the first grillmaster, resplendent in his traditional gaucho dress to honor his Argentine heritage. Now Roque Jr has spent more than 25 years using the same cutting board his father once did and keeps his father’s knives as a collector’s item (he’s afraid they’ll get all used up, Roque Jr says).
As we once overheard a guest say, “Find someone that looks at you the same way Roque looks at a Chateaubriand.”
Count Rudi Turns 90
The Marbella Club and wider community raises a glass to the hotel's first general manager, Count Rudi von Schönburg, a key figure in developing the highest standards of hospitality.
Stuart Cantor Returns to the Marbella Club
Meet Stuart Cantor, Melbourne-based photographer whose signature style portrays the timeless glamour of the Mediterranean’s most elegant beach playgrounds.
Love Brand & Co x Marbella Club
After several years having British swimwear brand, Love Brand & Co, graze the racks at our beach boutiques, it was only natural that we'd join forces to add yet another layer to our seahorse rewilding project.
Summer at the Marbella Club
From vibrant pop-ups to beachside facelifts of beloved classics, the Marbella Club summer promises to be a good one.
Seahorse Conservation
We partner with local marine wildlife conservation association, Aula del Mar, to spearhead a four-year-long seahorse rewilding project.
Wellness Conversations
Dip inside our joyful living Q&A with Ivana Gligoric, PhD.s, our in-residence advisor on self-awareness and powerful transformational change.
A Lesson Of Life, An Interview With Count Rudi
Rudolf Graf von Schönburg, popularly known as Count Rudi, is one of the key figures in the history of Marbella Club Hotel and the town of Marbella.
The Marbella Club Boutique
Just a short walk from Reception and with enviable views of the Mediterranean Sea, is our Boutique.
Celebrate The Wedding Of Your Dreams At Marbella Club Hotel
If there is one event which marks a true milestone in your life for its significance and symbolism, a day for all your dreams to be fulfilled and for true happiness to reign free...
Our Private Botanical Gardens In Marbella
How many luxury resorts – even in Spain – can say they have such an extensive gallery of flowers? Exotic leaves of every shape and size and richly perfumed double-size blooms...
El Lodge, Our Cosy Chalet In The Sierra Nevada Mountains
Here in Marbella, we love our balmy winter days and bright blue skies! But, at El Lodge (our recently opened chalet in Sierra Nevada), we couldn’t wait for cooler temperatures...
Herb-inspired Cocktails
Nearly every turn at the resort is met with an unforgettable scent, a mix of orange blossom, jasmine, salt and aromatic herbs. Thanks to the more than 320 varieties of plants...
Holiday Home Decor, Naturally
It’s never too early to begin to decorate your home for the holidays. At the Marbella Club, we’ve already added our special touches.
Beyond Tailor-made Interiors: Femont Galvan Designers
Femont Galvan Designers are the most sophisticated bespoke interior experts in Marbella. For almost 20 years they have developed an extensive international portfolio...
Pitching In During Tough Times
We’ve already told you about our initiatives to help the local community. Now, we want to continue doing our part during tough times as part of our ongoing responsibility goals… despite the situation.
Mc X Spanish Red Cross
The Marbella Club x Cruz Roja Española initiative was launched to help Marbella’s local community stay afloat during such difficult and uncertain times.
Marbella Club Reopens
The Marbella Club Hotel · Golf Resort & Spa will come alive again on 2nd July, 2020 and we can’t wait to welcome back all of our guests.
DIY: Exfoliating Facial
#Stayhome Series
As lockdown restrictions begin to loosen, we’re slowly thinking again about putting our best foot (or in this case – face) forward.
Spruce Up Your Water
#Stayhome Series
Drinking the recommended two litres of water per day can get, well, boring. There, we said it.
The Sounds of (Part 1)
#Stayhome Series
Just like looking at old photographs, there’s something about music’s ability to trigger the deepest of emotions...
Thank a Hero!
#Stayhome Series
It’s time to Thank a Hero and win a stay at the Marbella Club! We know you’ve been applauding from home for all of those heroes...
Earth Day 2020: Climate Action
#Stayhome Series
On Earth Day 2020, the Marbella Club’s head of sustainability projects, Leigh Barrett, shares a personal reflection on what nature is so vividly trying to tell us...
DIY: Another Kind of Mask
#Stayhome Series Silvia Gámez, a facialist and therapist at our Thalasso Spa shares her corporal exfoliation mask, inspired by one of the most commonly found fruits in the Marbella Club gardens, the lemon.