Puerto José Banús, more commonly known 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.

A clever businessman, Banus was initially attracted to the area after buying a large estate designed for breeding bullfighting cattle, in the area now known as Nueva Andalucia. It was also around this time that Marbella had undergone a spectacular boom as a tourist destination.

After first being discovered in the second half of the 1940s by the likes of Ricardo Soriano, the marquis of Ivanrei, the marquis of Salamanca and Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, the stars of the day flocked to the resort. Banus saw an opportunity.

He developed an idea to provide Marbella's international elite with a glamorous exclusive marina where they could shy away from prying eyes.

The wheels were set in motion in 1966 when Prince Alfonso Hohenlohe introduced Banus to two architects, Noldi Schreck, who had helped design and build Beverley Hills, and Marcos Sainz, who had both been hired to design the Hotel Marbella Club.

Banus shared his idea with them and it was from these initial meetings that the first blueprint of what would later become Puerto Banus began to emerge.

Under the influence of Schreck and Sainz, Banus moved away from his original designs of spectacular skyscrapers in favour of more traditional Mediterranean architectural style.

Schreck and Sainz travelled around the region for inspiration, making notes of typical Andalucia features which could be incorporated into a more modern design.

What they eventually came up with was a glamorous marina that still had the quaint feel of an Andalucian fishing village.

Banus approved, and the port facilities and part of the apartments and service areas were officially opened in May 1970 in a lavish ceremony attended by a host of stars including film director Roman Polanski, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.

A young Julio Iglesias was also hired to sing for the 1,700 guests.

Puerto Banus quickly became a favourite with the jet-set. And going hand in hand with this businesses were soon vying to set up here.

Banus became the largest developer of residential tourism complexes on the Costa del Sol.

And the port, which still holds his name, was transformed from just two roads and a marina into a millionaire’s playground.

To this day its growth has proved unstoppable. The port now houses some 900 boats including a number of luxury super yachts belonging to the world’s wealthiest people.

Terra Meridiana