Princess Grace, Antonio Banderas…and Bikinis
They were just like any other couple visiting the Costa del Sol (well, kind of) and they came to the same conclusion that millions of tourists have been making every since. Great climate, exquisite cuisine and genuinely amicable locals…
Prince Rainier and Princess Grace visited the Costa del Sol in 1956, staying on the Deo Juvante II yacht in Málaga port for the duration of their stay. Recalling this memorable event six decades ago, the Diario Sur newspaper reported that the royal couple dined on the boat that night and, the next day after a formal reception by the authorities, they lunched at a Costa restaurant on lobster, prawns, sardines (“espeto” style) and whitebait (“chanquetes”), accompanied by Málaga wine. They then adjourned for coffee to the Monaco consul’s residence, returned to the yacht until the following afternoon, dined that evening in Torremolinos, and concluded their visit the next day with lunch at the Gibralfaro hotel restaurant. Before leaving, according to Sur, they praised the benign Costa climate and the kind and friendly treatment they had received.
Another notable date in history being celebrated at the moment is the “invention” of the modern-day bikini. French engineer Louis Réard introduced a bikini modelled by Micheline Bernardini 70 years ago, in July 1946, having (for some reason) borrowed the name for his design from the Bikini Atoll, site of post-war testing on the atomic bomb.
It took another decade or so for the first bikinis to be seen on the Costa del Sol’s beaches. Spain was still ruled by General Franco and the tourism industry was in a fledgling state, so the first bikini-clad women on the Coast were not Spanish but Swedish and other northern tourists. The authorities tolerated this liberal intrusion into what was still a tightly censored and strict Catholic-influenced society, acutely aware of the importance of opening up the country to tourism and generating much-needed revenue. Reportedly, young (and not so young) lads would travel from throughout Andalucía to Torremolinos to ogle at the blonde visitors.
These days, it is just as likely to be women travelling hundreds of kilometres to catch a glimpse of Málaga-born Antonio Banderas during one of his regular visits home from Hollywood.
Last week we reported that the actor was in Chile filming his latest movie, Salty. Now he has updated us on social media about his latest exploits, joking that it’s all about “sex, laughs and rock-and-roll”. Banderas plays an ageing rock star and reformed sex addict married to a supermodel who is abducted by pirates, and he is required to wear a flowing wig, black make-up on his eyes and faux tattoos to exemplify his “heavy” persona.
Finally, back on the Coast, the Starlite Marbella festival began on Thursday night, and really heats up over the weekend with a performance by Robert Plant and his band The Sensational Space Shifters. Plant will no doubt be in a mood to celebrate and party in Marbella, as he and former Led Zeppelin colleague Jimmy Page have just won a court case dealing with allegations they had plagiarised the opening rift of classic rock anthem Stairway to Heaven from a Spirit song.
[caption id="attachment_4449" align="alignright" width="300"]
"Heavy" Banderas filming Salty[/caption]
Luxury Living
In the meantime, as former fishing villages along the coast hold processions and other celebrations on Saturday (16 July) to honour their “Virgen del Carmen” patron saint, we also head to the sea, to San Pedro de Alcántara, for our featured home of the week: a magnificent beachfront duplex penthouse – with the price reduced to €850,000.
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