In the 1946, German Prince Maximilian de Hohenlohe-Langenburg and his son, Alfonso, were driving near the fishing village of Marbella (pop: 900) when they had a problem with their Rolls-Royce. Alfonso liked the place, so he bought some land, built a house for himself, and sold plots to his Rothschild and Thyssen friends. His own residence, Finca Santa Margarita, became so popular with visitors that he turned it into the Marbella Club in 1954, the Costa del Sol's first luxury hotel. Alfonso's mother was a Spanish marquesa, giving him access to Europe's ruling elite.