Demand for Marbella’s top location is keen, as can be seen in the fact that it commands the highest values per square metre in the region – some of the highest in all of Spain. Such is the appeal for stylish modern homes in this prized setting between Puerto Banús and Marbella town that many a new villa or boutique development on the Golden Mile is sold out well in advance of completion. This has also been true of Benalús, which offers one of the last opportunities to own a newly built apartment or penthouse so close to one of Marbella’s best beaches, the famous Puente Romano Beach Resort and Spa, and a short walk to Puerto Banús.

The first phase of 28 apartments and penthouses set within greenery and facing a newly created park area within walking distance of the Golden Mile’s beaches and coastal pathway has been sold out in advance of completion, which is scheduled for the end of this year, when the first properties will be handed over to their new owners.

Work on the second phase begins this summer, but already reservations have reached the 50 per cent point and are rising fast. “There is a great deal of demand for this kind of property, and this location,” says Smadar Kahana, CEO of Engel & Völkers Marbella.

The creator of Benalús is a specialist developer from San Sebastian in Northern Spain, which with this project aspires to make a name for itself in Marbella as it has long since done in the north. Expert though the company is, its principals have taken the feedback of Smadar and her team on board and made some changes to the interior distribution of the apartments and penthouses in the second phase. “We have the benefit of direct buyer interaction and feedback, so it is highly valuable to share this with the developer and act upon it to ensure the homes fit the full expectations of today’s buyers.”

Homes Worthy Of The Setting

With coastal and mountain views in a prime Golden Mile setting such as this, Benalús has a lot to live up to, and with its attractive architectural styling, decorative detailing, amenities, landscaping and interior layout and finishing it certainly does not disappoint. The gated entrance offers not just 24-hour manned security but also a very pleasant and elegant sense of arrival, and privacy within a tastefully landscaped environment with large swimming pool, sun deck, chill-out zone, gymnasium and a spa with heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, hot and cold scented showers and full facilities.

“It is a superior standard of home that does this wonderful location full justice,” says Smadar. The complex offers a combination of large ground floor duplex apartments with very spacious lower levels that can be personalised into entertainment spaces, offices, a gym or additional bedrooms. With their spacious gardens, terraces and private 3×6-metre swimming pools, these homes feel like true villas, and the same can also be said of the duplex penthouses, with their panoramic wrap-around terraces and large open-plan living areas.

They too feature expansive terrace space with cosy areas and a spectacularly appointed swimming pool that looks out over the Golden Mile’s shoreline. The second-floor apartments offer the same high standards of finishing and the larger corner ones feature private pools. All the luxurious apartments and penthouses at Benalús are set within low density blocks with private entrances and spacious double parking spaces per property and large storage spaces for the upper floor homes. Here, as everywhere within Benalús, the detailing and choice of materials reflects the quality of the setting and the homes, with tasteful use of stone, plaster as well as glass and quality wood elements.

A variety of interior layouts is available, along with personalised detailing and upgrades possible throughout, building upon a high standard of flooring, beautifully styled bathrooms and kitchens with Miele appliances or similar, and Hansgrohe and Villeroy & Boch taps and ceramics. “The finishing is really superb, as you would expect in a brand-new Golden Mile development of this standing,” says Smadar, who says that few more opportunities of this kind remain in this area.

“Benalús really is a top-grade development that offers ground floor and sky villa living in a setting that is becoming increasingly scarce. Buyers know this and this is why projects here have been selling so well. Our clients buy these homes for personal use and therefore out of lifestyle considerations, but given their characteristics and location the properties at Benalús also represent a great investment driven by quality and scarcity of opportunity.”

Ranging from three to four bedrooms and offering large indoor and also terrace space akin to that of a villa, Benalús is a project that could have rested on the laurels of its top location. The fact that it hasn’t done so, and the developer has endeavoured to create a landmark development here adds further to the appeal of a rather unique real estate opportunity.

This project, as well as many other top developments on the Golden Mile, is exclusive to Engel & Völkers.