La Mairena
La Mairena is a private residential urbanisation in the Sierra de las Nieves foothills above Marbella, developed by the Massoud family through Sarena, S.L. since 1987.
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About
La Mairena
Founded in 1987 by the Massoud family, La Mairena was conceived as a long-term private residential community rather than a speculative development. The founding principle — building on only 5% of the land — has been maintained for nearly four decades, ensuring that the majority of the 400+ hectare site remains as protected cork oak and pine woodland.
Gabriel Massoud, who led the development for over 20 years, described the vision directly: "For over 20 years I have worked on creating a community that has a commitment to quality within one of the most beautiful natural settings in the world. With an international clientele we have diversified the La Mairena community by offering apartments, villas, plots and country homes. Our long term outlook has allowed us to build an infrastructure that will create exceptional value for our current and future residents."
La Mairena sits at elevations between 350 and 500 metres above sea level, on the hillside between Ojén and Marbella. The urbanisation is maintained to high standards by the same family company — Sarena, S.L. — that developed it, which gives the community an unusual degree of coherence and continuity compared to developments managed by rotating ownership structures.
The product range within La Mairena covers the full residential spectrum: individually designed detached villas, modern apartment complexes, buildable plots, and rural country homes. The international buyer base includes Northern European, British, Russian, and broader international clientele, many of whom use the properties as primary residences as well as second homes.
Properties in La Mairena benefit from the urbanisation's own infrastructure, maintained roads, green zones, and proximity to La Mairena Golf — located within the enclave — as well as easy access to Marbella, Puerto Banús, and Málaga International Airport. The combination of altitude, protected natural surroundings, and a long-standing management structure makes La Mairena one of the most consistently sought-after private residential addresses on the Costa del Sol.
Developments /
Villa Navarra, La Mairena
Villa Cantabria
Villa La Mairena with Three Building Plots
Frequently Asked Questions
La Mairena was founded in 1987 by the Massoud family and is operated through their company Sarena, S.L. The same family has managed and maintained the urbanisation for nearly four decades, ensuring consistent standards across infrastructure, landscaping, and property development. Gabriel Massoud led the project for over 20 years.
La Mairena offers individually designed detached villas, modern apartments, buildable plots, and rural country homes. Properties range from resale and move-in-ready homes to new-build and off-plan construction, across a range of price points within the same low-density private enclave.
La Mairena is located in the Sierra de las Nieves foothills at elevations between 350 and 500 metres above sea level, between the municipalities of Ojén and Marbella on the eastern Costa del Sol. Marbella town centre is approximately 15 minutes by car, beaches approximately 7 minutes, and Puerto Banús approximately 20 minutes.
La Mairena operates under a founding commitment to build on only 5% of the total land, preserving the remaining 95% as protected cork oak and pine woodland. This is not a planning aspiration — it has been in practice for nearly 40 years under single-family management. The result is a low-density enclave with panoramic sea and mountain views that cannot be replicated at lower altitudes on the same coastline.
La Mairena properties are available directly through Sarena, S.L. at mairena.com, by phone at +34 95285 2222, or by email at mairena@mairena.com. The La Mairena office is located at Calle Madrid 2, Ojén. Selected listings are also presented through Brightwill Luxury.
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