Are Saudi Summers Returning to the Golden Mile?
The Legacy of Mar Mar Palace and the New Era in the Golden Mile
The hair was big, the cars bold and the attitude brash and flash. Saudi summers were the cherry on the cake in the excess of 80s & 90s Marbella. Like a tornado of wealth, the Saudi royalty and its entourage would unleash itself on Marbella adding tens of millions to the local economy, it is reported that for one month's stay in Marbella, the royal family spent up to 80 million euros.
King Fahd and his 3,000 strong entourage would visit every summer in the 80´s and 90´s and of course to accommodate this he needed an estate fit for a king.
It all began in 1979 with a 90-day health retreat at the Incosol Hotel. Captivated by the microclimate beneath La Concha mountain and warmly urged by King Juan Carlos I of Spain, Prince Fahd saw Marbella not just as a temporary holiday spot, but as a land blessed by Allah.
King Juan Carlos I maintained a close personal relationship with Prince Fahd and actively encouraged the Saudi royal family to establish a summer presence in Spain. For both monarchs, this was an opportunity to strengthen diplomatic, cultural, and economic ties between the two kingdoms while establishing an elite sanctuary in Southern Europe.
Even in the very early 2000´s and his death in 2005 King Fahd and his entourage propped up the local economy as documented here in this illustrative Hello Magazine article, read here
And thus, the Mar-Mar Palace was born.
In a prime location on the Golden Mile between 1978 and 1979, the Saudi family started to acquire contiguous land parcels across the elevated shelf of the Las Lomas del Marbella Club, eventually totaling a staggering 189,000 square meters.
Moorish Architecture and the Scaled White House
The elevated location offered the perfect combination: Moorish architecture, European sophistication, and a total free reign paired with Spanish royal encouragement to create a high-perimeter security enclosure where they could live free of paparazzi, security threats, and public intrusion.
The building itself set the scene for one of the flashiest decades of the 20th century. The main marble complex was modelled after a scaled US White House.
Construction of the neighbouring Mezquita del Rey Abdul Aziz was completed in 1981 by architect Juan Mora Urbano, commissioned directly by the royal family as part of the broader enclave project.
Over two decades, the estate continually expanded, adding:
Private medical facilities and specialised clinics
A complete sports centre and private helipad
Luxury villas designed for extended family branches
Extensive staff housing and specialised security infrastructure capable of supporting an entourage of thousands
The interior was opulence defined. Imported Italian Carrara marble, gilded gold trim and fixtures, hand-woven carpets, and crystal chandeliers complemented sweeping marble staircases and grand ballrooms. This was never meant to be a simple drop-in and drop-out holiday home—it was a full-sized operational summer base for the House of Saud.
This was Marbella at its absolute peak.
And then King Fahd died in 2005. And it all went quiet.
Following his passing, the grand public visits ceased. The estate was not quite abandoned—the Royal family has always remained in full legal possession—but it was most certainly neglected and left to decay.
Now, the main palace lies frozen in time, guarded around the clock but largely unused, apart from the occasional urban explorer who manages to penetrate the perimeter security to capture footage of its faded interior gold leaf and quiet courtyards.
Yet, while the complex may be unused and unloved right now, nothing can take away the raw value of this land. The 189,000 square meters of plot remains one of the most valuable private land banks in Southern Europe.
Which is precisely why the House of Saud never sold the land.
And so we enter a new era on the Golden Mile
While many commentators casually declared that Saudi summers in Marbella were over, the reality was far different and much more pragmatic: the royal family was growing, evolving, and operating with a whole new set of modern priorities.
A single 1980s palace structure could no longer accommodate multiple generations of princes, princesses, and extended family branches with wildly different lifestyle expectations.
Rather than abandoning the Golden Mile, the family initiated a massive, multi-year urban planning operation (reparcelación) alongside Marbella Town Hall.
The heady, flash, and public summers of the past no longer fit into the current Saudi royal playbook. The third generation of Gulf royalty prefers high levels of privacy, security, and low-key sophistication over public displays of wealth.
They travel quietly by private jet and are discreetly making their mark on Marbella once again. Rather than renting out whole shopping centers and hotels for a few weeks, the new project injects over 30 million euros directly into master planning, high-end architecture, and municipal infrastructure.
However, contrary to local rumors, the original Palacio Mar-Mar will not be demolished. Instead, the now-historical landmark is designated for full structural restoration and modernization—a colossal architectural undertaking. Meanwhile, the dilapidated staff annexes are being cleared to make room for a private enclave of individual modern villas.
The Secret Costa Del Sol Takeaway
Saudi summers haven't vanished from Marbella—they have matured. What began as a 1970s royal health escape has evolved into a permanent, multi-generational anchor on the Golden Mile.
If the Saudi royal family is still banking on Marbella's land after all this time, then you can rest assured you can too.
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