This secret estate houses Europe’s most luxurious and costly villas

In the middle of the foothills of the Serranía de Ronda, overlooking the Mediterranean, and 10 minutes from Marbella, you’ll find the “Zagaleta” estate.

Known as the most exclusive resort in Europe, no one can cross the development’s threshold without prior authorization.

Before it came to be known as La Zagaleta, the land there was a village that went by the name of “La Baraka”, and was owned by tycoon and arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.

After the Saudi billionaire’s arrest, the land was put up for auction in 1989, which led to a group of investors led by Enrique Pérez Flores to buy the 900 hectares of land.

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Today, La Zagaleta comprises 230 of the 420 houses Flores had set out to build, all surrounded by fir trees and century-old oaks, and offers amenities that include an equestrian center, golf courses, and a helipad.

The compound, which is guarded 24 hours a day, can’t be entered without prior authorization — the compound boasts that they wouldn’t even permit entry to the Google Maps cars. The estate has released some images from inside the estate and the homes within it, to give a glimpse into this playground for the rich and famous in the foothills of the Spanish mountains.