New Laguna Village sign in July 2022 |
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Laguna Village sign in June 2022 with burned palm trees |
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Laguna Village
Sadly the Laguna village complex was distroyed by fire on the afternoon of Saturday 29-08-2020. The bush fire started 500m away on the mountain side of the coast road in the area of the derilect amusement park called Prado world. It was atributed to an electric fault in a small house in which squatters had run a cable over the grassland 100m from another dwelling. A couple were arrested and later relaeased on bail. The strong wind that afternoon carried burning embers over the coast road landed on the tile roof of Kimpinski Hotel and on the thatched roofs of the Laguna Village buildings. The thatch roof quickly caught fire and there being no tile supporting under-structure, quickly fell in and distroyed the interior shops. The Estepona Mayor visited the site and declared Laguna Village would be reopened for Summer 2021. Demolition and cleaning up of the site was carried out in November 2020. Reconstruction work started in late September 2022 and the steel framed structure and roof was complete by June 2023 .
Laguna Village 2.0
However on the 15th July 2022 the foundation stone was layed for the Laguna Village 2.0 project. Pablo Alberca (Director of Operations) and Rosauro Varo (President) of GAT inversiones the owners of the Puro Beach Club that was within the original Laguna Village. Together with Josep Antoni Escandell (General Manager) of Groupo Pachá and José Maria García Urbano (Mayor of Estepona) and Elías Bendodo (Junta de Andalucia) signed a letter which together with newspapers of the day was sealed within the first or foundation stone. The Mayor explained that although there had been a delay in laying the foundation stone, the project was well advanced and unlike other development the second stone would be laid on Monday. He was obviously speaking figuratively as construction did not start until late Septemeber 2022. The constructor is B SOLIS.
On 29th December 2021 the Spanish digital newspaper 'El Confidential' published that Trilantic the Venture Capital fund and owners of The Pachá Group, have formed a joint venture with GAT Inversiones owned by the Seville businessman Rosauro Varo (about Rosauro Varo in Spanish) to develop a luxury tourism macro-project at the old Laguna Village site. Rosauro Varo was the owner of the Puro Beach Club that was located at Laguna Village. According to El Confidencial, the Triantic/GAC joint venture has already acquired the land from the Swiss/German developer SAUER. The idea proposed by the new owners is to invest 25 million euros in order to transform it into "the largest luxury club in Spain". With an area of 13,000 square meters and 1,200 square metre of beach concession it will be divided into six zones: yacht club, beach club, kid paradise, restaurant-club, retail, entertainment or shopping with complementary experiences. It stated it is expected that it could open its doors in 2023. The joint venture was formed and Laguna Village site was aparently adquired before the Spanish Government anounced on the 23 December 2021 that it had given Pacha Group a 18 million € bail out needed due to the Coronavirus pandemic crisis in the entertainment industry. (Source in Spanish)
Laguna Village - as it was
Beach Clubs
The complex is mainly known for the Puro Beach beach club with large swimming pool and chill out music and sun beds, both bythe pool and on the beach.
There are two other beach areas Camuri restaurant has more reasonably priced sun beds and Claro Restaurant and Beach Club has and "Earthy Chic" style restaurant and cocktails on the Chill out Terrace.
Restaurants
There were about ten restaurants:
Carmen
Amigos Grill
La Pappardella Sul Mar
Palapa
Terra Sana Express
Top Thai
and in the beach clubs there are restaurants as well.
Claro Beach Club
Puro Beach Marbella.
Fashion Boutiques
La Boutique
Deha
Chilly
Dreamsgirl
Elle Morgan Boutique
Elle Morgan Beach
Enrico
Justy
Sonia Troyano
Saint Tropez
Viva La Moda
Other shops include
Newsagent, Real-estate, Dentist, Boats
PARKING
There was ample parking in the winter but in the summer the parking situation was impossible due to the number of people that visit the popular El Padron beach. In 2017 a barrier was introduced. There were now 51 free parking places in the entrance area and a barrier system operates in the summer for another 171 parking spaces. There was also a hand car wash vallet service. There was also a Valet parking service in the high summer.  
There is also a 200 vehicle terrain parking area behind the Cruseo Chiringuito on El Padron Beach.
Coastal Path
The Malaga coastal path joined Laguna Village with the Kempinski Hotel by a wooden bridge constructed in 2016. This provides for a nice stroll from Laguna Village westwards to Estepona La Rada seafront and beyond. Eastwards the path is complete as far as River Guadalmansa.
Opening Hours were
Restaurants 10.00 (summer) or 13.00 (winter) to 24.00
Shops 11.00 to 20.00
Location
Coast Road A-7 km 159