A group of Spanish investors has come forward with plans to relaunch Cabopino's marina and port with a 5 million Euro investment to be spent primarily on modernisation. They hope the successful completion of their ambitious plans will allow them to take on the new concession for port and marina. Cabopino is Marbella's smallest marina, the other two being Puerto Banus and La Bajadilla, both of which enjoy a higher international profile than Cabopino.
Built in the 1970s, Cabopino's looking rather tired and dated these days. Its 40-year concession has been in the hands of a Danish entrepreneur. Marina de Cabopino company is no longer in operation due to huge debts, which leaves the field open for new investors, who have jointly presented plans for a project that will modernise port and marina.
As Marina de Cabopino has given consent to the project and has agreed that the new concession should be put to tender, there only remains for the new plans to be shown to the public in a process aiming to gather constructive criticism and comments to be taken into consideration, before the contract is put out to tender.
Adolfo Álvarez, a partner in Marina de Cabopino, explained that according to legislation, as the previous holder of the port concession has applied once more for it, the company has first refusal concerning the choice of bid, if their own bid did not succeed to regain the port concession.
“The plans have been approved by the Junta, but until the concession is put to tender we won’t know whether any other companies are interested in the port,” he added.
Spanish entrepreneurs dismayed by the neglected state of Cabopino's port and marina, not to mention the debts it has accrued under the previous management, took on the concession two years ago and put forward an application for an extension, but this was turned down. In their contract with Marina de Cabopino, the entrepreneurs committed themselves to taking on the harbour's debts, of which 700,000 Euros alone are owed to Junta de Andalucia in unpaid harbour fees.
The project plans for modernisation presented by the Spanish group of entrepreneurs will be used as the basis for whoever ends up getting the concession to run the port. The plan includes coming up with a solution to the seasonal silting of the harbour mouth, which prevents yachts with a greater depth from entering the port and forces the harbour management company to have the harbour entrance dredged on a regular basis – and at great cost.
The proposal therefore includes an extension to the current sea wall by some 450 metres, while the other harbour wall would get a 30-metre submerged extension. Both measures would provide for greater protection from wave action and prevent frequent silting.
Making Cabopino Port and Marina more interesting for Yacht Owners
At present, Cabopino's berths are not even corresponding to those demanded by the Andalucian Ports Authority, so the project plans include enlarging berths to allow larger yachts to moor at Cabopino.
In order to make the marina more interesting for the international sailing fraternity, the project also wants to create up to 68 new berths along a 180-metre stretch. For this purpose, the sea wall needs to be widened. The additional benefit of this work would be the creation of an esplanade at the far end of the marina, which would then allow for a harbour authority building and restaurant to be built in a prominent position.
“We want to increase the average length of the yachts which can enter the port by making the berths at least 15 metres long, because people are buying bigger boats these days,” the group of investors explained.
A new dry dock which meets minimum size requirements is also planned, along with modernisation of the harbour's repair and maintenance facilities and better amenities for yacht owners, such as electricity and water provision, telecommunications and Internet access. Outdated buildings are to be demolished and replaced with modern ones; the marina and port's pedestrian zones are to receive new paving and will be fitted with new furniture to create inviting seating areas.
Living in Cabopino
Cabopino has long been popular with families and holiday home buyers looking for a quieter marina environment than Puerto Banus. Since the economic crisis of 2008, prices have dropped significantly, which means that it is now possible to buy a Cabopino apartment for around 195,000 Euros.
Larger apartments with spacious terraces or their own private gardens naturally cost more, but it's also worth remembering that a 2-bedroomed house can cost as little as 298,000 Euros in this part of Marbella, so why settle for a Cabopino apartment costing 245,000 Euros?
At the luxury end beach front villas with 4 bedrooms start at around 2 million Euros, when in recently renovated condition; older 6-bed villas just a few minutes' walk from the marina and in need of a few cosmetic enhancements can cost as little as 1,450,000 Euros, so are well worth considering, if you are looking to buy property in Marbella, before modernisation of port and marina drive house prices up again.