As a spacious master-planned luxury residential development overlooking Marbella, Palo Alto offers style, sustainability and extensive amenities in a natural setting just minutes from the centre of town.
The 50-hectare estate of Palo Alto, set just below the white mountain village of Ojén, first came to notice in 2016, when the initial phase of 75 luxurious apartments and penthouses was launched. With few units remaining and delivery due in the second quarter of 2019, the second phase has started as part of a project that will create an exclusive contemporary residential development in beautiful scenery just outside Marbella.
Villarroel & Torrico, the architects for Palo Alto, live up to a name that has a special ring in the world of architecture, for like the founder, Melvin Villarroel, the firm now belongs to a new generation giving shape to Marbella and its surroundings. Contemporary architecture that offers comfort, style and modern amenities is the aim, along with a desire to create homes whose design stands the test of time. For Villarroel & Torrico this has always meant paying special attention to space, light, dimensions and architectural features that enhance the aesthetics and quality of life a property offers, but as specialists in landscaping, the gardens and external setting of the properties form an integral part of the process too. At Palo Alto the communal grounds and natural greenery add to a sense of arrival, a sense of community and a sense of style and sophistication.
A Successful Mix
Palo Alto has proven to be very popular among mid to high-end buyers from a very wide range of countries and regions, including the UK, the Benelux, Scandinavia, France, the Middle East and German-speaking parts of Europe. There is also keen interest from a revived Spanish market, but above all it is the demanding German and Belgian buyers who have adopted this luxury development.
The properties are being finished in collaboration with design brands such as Gunni & Trentino, Pedro Peña and Eric Kuster, with Siematic kitchens also part of the top-spec detailing. Breeam certification, meanwhile, is very much the aim for Palo Alto, and with it comes a very demanding set of requirements as part of which the homes must be energy-efficient, and built and finished with certified materials, with the development as a whole also committing itself to an almost 90 per cent reduction in air pollution and a green ethos in the choice of drought-resistant plants and the management of resources.
As part of this, the gated community will provide electric bicycles and electric charging facilities for e-cars and bikes, as well as a regular farmer’s market selling the organic produce grown within Palo Alto as well as from local farmers. This fresh produce, along with other daily necessities, will be available at the entrance to the development, where there is not only a security gate but also a convenience shop, a full-service concierge, property management office, postal services and a kids’ club run by professional staff. Like the Los Almendros apartments, which are being customised to their new owners’ specifications, the second phase developments of Los Pinsapos, Las Jacarandas and Los Eucaliptos are located in the upper section of the estate, with later development to follow in the lower section.
“Palo Alto is far more than just a collection of properties,” says Marketing Director Ailse Warriner, “the developer, Horizon Homes, part of Round Hill Capital is creating a ‘new lifestyle destination’ covering 50 hectares of natural land just above Marbella. As a result, the surroundings are rustic and the scenery beautiful, with Ojén nearby and the views over the mountains, valleys, the coastline and the sea simply unbeatable.” The project is being developed according to a detailed master plan, which includes first-class infrastructure and facilities as well as a commitment to quality of life and the environment that is reflected in the fact that the apartment complexes mentioned above are named after eucalyptus, pinsapo, jacaranda and almond trees.
Palo Alto plans to feature its own equestrian centre, as well as a health and wellness club with spa, gym and tennis, a social club, a Vivali co-living and working centre and a village surrounding a lagoon, where a parkland setting with areas made for jogging, walking and yoga will be created. “It’s luxury Marbella living but in a quintessentially Andalusian country setting, surrounded by nature but looking out over the town and coast, which are little more than five minutes away,” says Ailse.
“Palo Alto is indeed unique in terms of its setting, and everything from the master plan and amenities to the architectural design, landscaping and quality of the luxury apartments and penthouses being built here aims to make the most of this privileged location and offer a truly superlative way of life.”
WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF PALO ALTO
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