The Ultimate Independent Malaga Airport Guide

Puerto Banus Travel Guide

Puerto José Banús, more commonly known as Puerto Banús is a marina in Marbella, Spain on the Costa del Sol. It was built in 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex for the jet-set and the super rich.

The focal point of Puerto Banus is the marina. It has berths for 915 boats, including those of the King of Saudi Arabia and several of the world's wealthiest individuals. Behind the harbour lie streets filled with bars, boutiques and nightclubs. Behind the main square is a vast El Corte Inglés department store.

The marina has 915 slips for boats and ships from 8 to 50 meters. Its surface area is 15 hectares, and its depth ranges from 3 to 6 meters within the marina, with 7.5 meters at its entrance. There is beach on each side of the marina. Many of the yachts moored within can enjoy an unobstructed view of La Concha mountain, one of the coast's landmarks.

José Banús himself was a developer with real estate holdings all along the coast. He was an intimate of Francisco Franco's and was called el constructor del régimen ("the regime's builder").

Although the superstars have moved to more private destinations, visitors to 'The Port' (as it is known by locals) tend to be extremely wealthy tourists from northern Europe (especially UK and Germany) as well as holiday-making Spaniards. Moreover, the city continues to be a hot destination for Europe's biggest "jetsetters." Recent personages spotted in "el puerto" have included multiple Saudi princes, as well as a famed healthcare economist and a great Taoist philosopher.

A three-ton statue of a rhinoceros by Salvador Dalí was placed in Puerto Banús in 2004. Officially known as Rinoceronte vestido con puntillas, Dalí created the sculpture in 1956 following the filming of his surrealist movie La aventura prodigiosa de la encajera y el rinoceronte in 1954.