Goodbye to Olivia Valere nightclub, an icon of Marbella nightlife for the past 30 years

The Marbella night has lost one of its greatest icons. Olivia Valere nightclub, a symbol of the party scene on the Costa del Sol and a meeting point for celebrities and the entire international jet set visiting the city, has turned off its lights and silenced its music forever.

The legendary party venue, the epicenter of Marbella glamour for the last 30 years, will be taken over by a Mexican investment group before next summer, who will open a new venue to once again fill the building on Istán road with music and beautiful people.

Olivia Valere nightclub opened its doors on July 25, 1997, with Naomi Campbell as its godmother, and over the past three decades, it has been a global benchmark. Artists of the caliber of Prince (who drank Vega Sicilia through a straw) and Paris Hilton have performed there. Its rooms and private areas have also seen the likes of Luis Miguel, Mariah Carey, Mick Jagger, Prince Albert of Monaco, Eva Longoria, and Bruce Willis, among others, dancing.

Its name became so internationally renowned that its owner, the businesswoman Olivia Valére, used to say that going to Marbella and not visiting Olivia Valere "is like going to Rome and not visiting the Vatican."

Although born in Meknes (Morocco), the nightlife entrepreneur began her business venture in Paris, where she opened her first nightclub. She moved to the Costa del Sol in 1984 and, a year later, opened Gray D'Albion, a nightclub-restaurant where she began to mingle with the cream of the international jet set passing through our country, such as Sean Connery.

Fun and very outgoing, the businesswoman started in Puerto Banús and later moved to Puente Romano, where she stayed for almost a decade. In 1997, with the then mayor, Jesús Gil, she opened the temple of Marbella nightlife in the heart of the Golden Mile.

Beloved by everyone, in her last years she was featured in 'Rich Women', a reality show where millionaire women shared their daily lives, and she participated in shows like "Look Who's Jumping!" and "Come Dine with Me."

On June 9, 2022, she died at her home in Paris at the age of 75, a victim of stomach cancer that she had been battling for just over a year. Since that date, the nightclub had remained open and was run by her relatives, although it was public knowledge that they were looking for someone to relaunch it.

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For Olivia's family, the nightclub has helped put Marbella "at the center of the world's glamour." Nevertheless, after nearly 30 years of existence, they believe the time has come to hand it over to another group that will update and energize it with new energies. They will continue to manage the adjoining restaurant as LOV Olivia Valere (formerly known as Palacio de Babilonia).

The Mexican group Mandala, which will open Bonbonniere Marbella at the end of next May, will be responsible for giving the party venue this new boost. This is an international group that has leased the space for the next ten years and has various venues around the world, including two other Bonbonniere in Tulum (Mexico) and Mykonos (Greece).

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Dinner with a Show at LOV

The family of the businesswoman Olivia Valère will continue to manage LOV Olivia Valere, a restaurant located next to the nightclub that has been conceived as a universe of luxury and glamour where gastronomy, music, and entertainment coexist. This adjoining space will kick off the season on June 13 - although it has already opened its doors exceptionally this Easter.

Located in the former Palacio de Babilonia, it will blend live music, theatrical performances, and French-inspired cuisine by chef Gregory Loubaresse. Additionally, this season they will launch L'Exclusive Valere, a new space located on the upper floor designed to offer a more intimate and exclusive experience through three private boxes, each with a capacity for ten people and a privileged view of the show.