The rise of residential resorts in Marbella
There used to be resorts and urbanisations of homes on the Costa del Sol – now the two are increasingly merging into one.
The Costa del Sol used to have a very clearly defined difference between hotels and resorts on the one hand, and private properties on the other. Naturally there were certain overlaps, such as villa swimming pools and pools in communities of apartments and townhouses, but that is about as close as the two got. Over the years, however, the two concepts have begun to merge more or more, until now many a high-quality residential community shares a large number of the amenities and even services of a luxury resort.
We arrived at this position through the gradual growth of amenities both in private luxury villas and their equally exclusive apartment complex equivalents. From the addition of a swimming pool to a garden area came additional features such as tennis courts, then padel tennis, and eventually even heated indoor swimming pools, gymnasiums, entire spas and sometimes even a poolside chiringuito bar. The finest of these (by now gated) communities also boast manned receptions and even concierge services, but is there yet more to come?
Many a top end villa now also has its own home cinema, entertainment area, modern wine cellar and outdoor chill-out area complete with exterior cooking facilities and fire pit. Keen not to fall behind, luxurious apartment complexes now match this in their own way, with co-working spaces and clubhouses complete with restaurants, not to mention children’s lagoon pools, playgrounds and also jogging tracks and doggie parks. Facilities of this kind take living to a whole new level – blending hotel amenities with the privacy and comfort of home.
However, they require a high level of maintenance and staffing, and this is reflected in increasingly high community fees, leading many a holiday home owner to offer their ‘resort’ properties for rent to not just offset costs but actually earn good returns on their investment. And if your holiday home stands empty for a good part of the year this makes more than good sense, especially if the property is managed by a professional specialist in the field that offers security, a quality service to guests and also insurance against damage.
For many, it is the ultimate way to own a resort-style holiday home, use it whenever they like and also earn significant income without having to worry about managing the process personally from abroad. Key in all of this is working with a professionally recognised and respected company – and if they are already on-site managing the community’s wonderful amenities it becomes something of a no-brainer.