Marbella’s €200 Million Marina Project Could Reshape the City’s Eastern Side

One of Marbella’s most significant infrastructure projects is finally moving forward.

After years of delays, Puerto de La Bajadilla, located just east of Marbella’s Old Town, is set for a major transformation backed by more than €200 million of investment.

The existing marina is planned to expand from 268 to around 750 berths, with capacity for yachts of up to 70 metres, as well as cruise vessels.

But this is not simply a marina expansion.

The project includes a new 1.13-kilometre breakwater, new commercial areas, upgraded port services, a shipyard, improved fishing facilities and around 1,000 parking spaces. The surrounding waterfront is also expected to be significantly redeveloped.

The new concessionaire is due to take over management of the port in January 2027, marking the start of the next phase of the project.

Why this matters for property buyers

The real significance of the project reaches well beyond the harbour itself.

Major infrastructure investments have the ability to reshape how an area is perceived, how people move through it and, over time, where demand begins to concentrate.

La Bajadilla occupies a particularly interesting position. It sits between central Marbella and the established residential areas to the east, including Río Real, Los Monteros and Las Chapas.

A modern international marina could bring a new flow of visitors, yacht owners, restaurants, services, commercial activity and high-spending tourism to a part of Marbella that has historically received less attention than Puerto Banús and the Golden Mile.

For buyers and investors, that makes the eastern side of Marbella increasingly interesting.

Marbella is already one of the strongest residential markets on the Costa del Sol. A €200 million waterfront investment does not automatically translate into higher property prices, but it adds an important long-term factor when evaluating locations, future demand and the wider development of the city.

And in real estate, timing often matters.

For investors, the opportunity may not be in waiting for the marina to be completed. It may be in identifying the right properties and locations while the surrounding area is still evolving.

More than a second Puerto Banús

Comparisons with Puerto Banús are inevitable, but La Bajadilla does not need to become another version of it.

Puerto Banús has its own identity, international reputation and established luxury ecosystem.

La Bajadilla has the potential to develop in a different way: closer to Marbella’s historic centre, connected to the traditional fishing port and integrated into a wider transformation of the eastern waterfront.

If the project is delivered as planned, Marbella could eventually have two very different high-end maritime destinations, each serving a different part of the city and attracting a different type of visitor.

For property buyers, that makes eastern Marbella one of the areas worth watching particularly closely over the coming years.

We believe the most interesting opportunities are often found not only in places that are already established, but in areas where the next stage of development is becoming visible.