|
History of James Family & The Experience Group in Spain for the last years or more.
Bena Vista , Benamara and El Paraiso.
Situated just 7 Kilometres west of Puerto Banus this delightful area has been developed by The James Family and others since 1970 to the standard of services now offered which are as complete as anywhere on the coast.
Fronting the main road the area has, a thriving Commercial Centre with over 50 Bars, Restaurants, Supermarket, Butchers, Souvenir shops, Medical Services, Car Hire, Offices, and numerous Real Estate companies. CENTRO COMERCIAL BENA VISTA is the hub in the centre of 10 urbanisations that have been built over the last 30 years. A footbridge links the commercial centre with the beachside of the road.
Sporting facilities include Bena Vista Bowls Club, Bena Vista Tennis Club, and of course the Gary Player designed El Paraiso Golf Club.
In 1970 when Alan James first came to the coast the main road was only 2 lanes , the border with Gibraltar closed, and Puerto Banus and Nueva Andalucia in their infancy. San Pedro Alcantara the nearby village now a town, was a small hamlet fishing port.
At that time there was no development a El Paraiso/Benamara other than 5 villas on the beach., Bena Vista had not yet been conceived.
The first project with the James family involvement in the early seventies was Benamara Pueblo, 100 houses and apartments on the beach side of the road, These were marketed in UK and Belgium and proved a huge success followed by Benamara Gardens, and Jasmin Villas another 100 apartments and 15 villas next to The Pueblo. Later on the beach side would follow Dos Hermanas a further 100 apartments and 100 villas.
During this period it is important to remember that the Real Estate Market on the Costa Del Sol was just beginning to emerge, and of the 10 or so international companies operating on the coast at that time they all new one another and in general covered specific areas. A far cry from the thousands of companies now servicing a massive international market with sophistication. In the seventies there were no fax machines , or computers, and international telephone calls had to be pre-booked with sometimes a three hour wait for the operator to call you back with a connection..
In 1974 Alan James formed Bena Travel, a travel and tour operating company with 17 flights a week into Malaga Airport at its peak which was the vehicle for the expansion of the Benamara/Bana Vista area and many other areas along the coast. This company became the main supplier to owners all along the coast for their flights to Malaga and at the same time expanded the marketing potential for The James Group of companies, which by the end of the seventies had grown to 10 with some 200 employees, and by the eighties 17 companies and 600 employees in UK, Spain, and Brussels.
With the coming of the eighties the Bena Travel Company formed Bena Golf, specifically to serve the north European Golf Market . This proved a huge success both in terms of numbers of golfers visiting the coast on Bena Golfing Weeks, but also in increasing the Real Estate Marketing potential for the Group.
Plans were drawn up for Bena Vista 100 apartments on the north side of the road, followed by Las Palmeras de Bena Vista 400 more apartments and town houses. The Bowls Club and Tennis Club were laid down and Centro Comercial Bena Vista Complex was built.
In 1983 The James Family Group bought the El Paraiso Golf Club and restructured it for the benefit of members and guests. A number of structural changes were made to the course adding 15 more bunkers and rebuilding tees etc. The Golf Course is now owned by the members.
The marketing of the new developments during the eighties was obviously facilitated by the other companies in The Group offering, Air Flights, Inclusive Holidays, Management, Furnishing, Sports facilities, and any other service that would compliment the Real Estate Companies. Electronics España was formed in 1984 to serve the whole coast from Nerja to Sotogrande for home entertainment and specialised satellite installations, with a team of 12 professionals. Décor Directo the contract furnishing company is still offering their unique full home packages serving Real Estate Bena Vista Clients and others.
Into the 90s and now into the 21st century the initial concept first conceived in the early 1970s, and the services offered in one area, have stood the changes in the market and the ravages of time well.
The influx of businesses to the area including some of the most advanced Real Estate Companies on the coast , backed up by the numerous services available for potential clients has made the Benamara / Bena Vista area one of the success stories of Real Estate and travel and tourism on the Costa Del Sol, and the area is well equipped to face the new century with pride and pleasant anticipation.
Visitors to Benamara/Bena Vista can book accommodation though one of the Group Companies HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE Tel 00 34 952 883168 or email contact@experiencegroupspain.com.
Or view Bena Vista Web page on Benavista Real Estate for more information on property for sale in Marbella, Estepona and on the Costa del Sol
Thanks are offered to all of those intrepid travellers and buyers that dared to be part of this success story during those early days in the seventies, and to those businesses, travellers and Real Estate Clients who are still enjoying the fruits of a true success story at Bena Vista on our Costa Del Sol.
Print page
| 
