Ernesto Palanco is a noted Marbella architect, also known for not taking every job he is offered but rather carefully selecting the ones that enthuse and inspire him. “I have to believe in a project to feel connected with it,” says the man himself, “as I believe it is under such circumstances that you produce your best work.” He didn’t hesitate when he was approached to work on the creation of 15 private villas at La Fuente.

There are many luxurious contemporary villa developments in the greater Marbella area, but very few on the Golden Mile and near the centre of Marbella town. “In fact, the Golden Mile is one location where we have a lot of demand but very little to offer our clients in terms of the kind of modern design, luxury amenities and private setting they desire,” says Smadar Kahana, owner of Engel & Völkers in Marbella.

What makes La Fuente special is the fact that it combines all of the above factors – including being walking distance from the beaches of the Golden Mile and the Marbella downtown area. “It is a private domain of greenery on the edge of the Golden Mile that borders a park within walking distance of town and beaches,” says Smadar. In location as well as lifestyle offering, this gated community of modern villas is unique indeed.

A Private Oasis In Marbella

Situated a few hundred metres from the beach and close to the many amenities and diversions of the Golden Mile, Marbella’s historic quarter and the downtown area, La Fuente is discreetly tucked away amid greenery in what is a very private and secure location. “You wouldn’t have known it was here in the first place, and when the gated villa community is completed and ready to move into, this won’t change,” says Smadar, whose agency is the commercial agent for what is one of Marbella’s most unique and enticing new projects.

Such a special location deserves nothing but the best in terms of design, build quality and amenities, which is why it and architect Ernesto Palanco are such a natural match. “La Fuente is a concept, a lifestyle brand in its own right that is almost impossible to replicate, for its charm is predicated on a uniquely privileged location that blends the finest elements of resort and urban living, access to amenities and privacy,” says Ernesto. “Doing this unique offering justice through design is a challenge and an inspiration, for La Fuente is a pure lifestyle proposition.”

Though you’re close to town, Puerto Banús, Nueva Andalucía and at the crossroads of easy access routes to the various parts of the Costa del Sol, once you turn off the Golden Mile, slip into a peaceful, leafy residential street and pass the 24-hour security gate, you enter a personal domain enveloped in the greenery of landscaped mature gardens. Peace and privacy reign here, where tall trees create a buffer with the outside world, with on one side a park that feels like an extension of La Fuente’s own grounds.

Urban Villas In A Parkland Setting

Ernesto Palanco and his team have worked hard to create a villa community worthy of such a special place to call home, also taking in the first-hand buyer feedback provided by Engel & Völkers. “Our clients want contemporary homes that offer all the latest style and conveniences,” says Smadar, “but combined with Mediterranean charm and architectural references in a setting designed around lifestyle enjoyment and a location close to amenities such as restaurants, cafés, shops and beaches. These days, being able to walk to them is a true luxury indeed.”

Taking this on board, the emphasis has been laid upon creating privacy within a community, combining modern luxuries with traditional character, and blending style with homeliness. The architect has eschewed stark white minimalism in favour of modern architecture that incorporates local, vernacular design elements.

For this reason, the geometry is not rectangular, but with volumes broken and detail added without forsaking clean lines. Natural materials such as stone and wood are incorporated in the exterior design as well as in the interior, where they are employed in the form of large-format tiles and wooden detailing that helps to make the open-plan interior spaces intimate and cosy.

Natural elements are a common part of the design of La Fuente, with each of the villas featuring a central chimney structure in stone, which, together with the wooden decking and latticed balustrades and dividers, softens the modern Mediterranean geometry.

The result is a harmonising of styles that takes contemporary architecture away from stark white cubism and is further beautified by infinity edge swimming pools, sleekly styled water features and Mediterranean greenery and flowering plants. Being indigenous, the latter are low-maintenance and drought-resistant, offering a profusion of verdant tones with splashes of lavender and cherry rose.

All of this is set within the established greenery of a mature garden, complete with tall trees that delineate the community and frame its views. Stone and wood detailing also feature in the rooftop solarium, the ultimate lifestyle space with its step-up plunge pool or hot tub, from which you can take in wonderful views over Marbella, La Concha Mountain, and the sea as you luxuriate in its soothing water.

The area is made for private relaxation and entertaining, fitted with a lounge and dining area, sunbathing and cooking spaces. “A high degree of personal detailing is built into the concept,” says Smadar, “allowing owners to create a living environment customised to their tastes and needs.”

“We have created three different choices of design and layout, with a broad range of personal detailing options,” says Ernesto of the four-bedroom villas designed on two to three levels. “We anticipated different preferences among different groups of buyers, and have sought to provide as wide a range of options as possible within the overall lifestyle concept of La Fuente, whose modern Mediterranean entrance gate with elegant design and modern water features provides a suitably engaging sense of arrival.

“For us, the task was to take this fantastic location and create domiciles here which discerning buyers would want to call home.” Though some of the villas will be bought as second homes, they have been designed from the outset to be luxurious modern residences – or as Ernesto says: “actually too nice to only spend holidays in.”

Manicured gardens with private swimming pools and large terraces, additional exterior parking spaces for staff and guests, 24-hour security and concierge, and bespoke architectural design and finishing mark La Fuente – 21st century urban villas in a parkland setting off the Golden Mile.

Engel & Völkers Marbella Golden Mile Tel: (+34) 952 868 406.  www.engelvoelkers.com/Marbella

WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ENGEL & VÖLKERS MARBELLA

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