Fans of “The Crown”, did you know that the beautiful luxury villa in Malibu, California, which Dodi Al-Fayed fell in love with and tried to persuade his father to buy him, is actually situated in Spain? More specifically, in La Zagaleta - a resort and country club approximately 20 kilometres from Marbella. It ranks as one of the most exclusive places to live or own a property in Europe. Dodi may not have lived here, but Hans Snook (the founder of Orange Telecom), Jürgen Bartels (former president of the Starwood Hotels chain), Lord Stanley Fink (former treasurer of the British Conservative Party), David Heinemeier Hansson (computer scientist and Silicon Valley guru), Rod Stewart and Hugh Grant are all thought to have homes on the development.
Unfortunately, La Zagaleta is reserved for residents only, so you can’t just drop by and check the villa out. The area is guarded 24 hours a day and can't be entered without prior authorization. The compound boasts that they wouldn't even permit entry to the Google Maps cars.
The area has a fascinating non-cinematographic history of its own, involving some of the most colourful personalities of the international jet-set. For ages, these valleys and wooded hills used to be a regal hunting estate. In the late 1960s, Henry Roussell - father to Thierry Roussell, the husband of Christina Onassis - acquired the land. Among his famous guests at the estate were the former Spanish king, Saudi, British and Monegasque royalty, heads of state and international corporations, as well as intellectuals and film stars. In other words, the crème de la crème. And so one day a certain Saudi multi-millionaire became fascinated by the place that he made Roussell an offer he couldn’t refuse. The name of the new owner was Adnan Khashoggi, a businessman and arms dealer famous for his lavish lifestyle. After his arrest in the late 1980s, the land was put up for auction and purchased by a group of investors with a vision of creating one of the finest and secure residential developments within Europe. The development officially started being marketed in 1991 and from then on has been highly regarded and synonymous with absolute luxury. So, eventually it comes as no surprise that one of La Zagaleta villas was chosen by Netflix for this role.
Photo: Christie's International Real Estate
