OPINION: Marbella’s Pub Charles being replaced by a Chinese shop is beyond depressing

It’s no secret that finding decent bars and restaurants in Marbella these days can be a struggle. 

If they’re not tourist traps with subpar products, they are ‘luxury’ beach clubs with ridiculous prices.

For those of us who live here or visit regularly, we all have our favourite, reliable spots, and most of the time, they are Spanish-owned and have been running for decades. 

They remember when establishments cared about good service and offered value for money, and when Marbella wasn’t trying to become a Mediterranean knock off of Dubai.

Enter Pub Charles, the emblematic bar of San Pedro de Alcantara that has been serving locals, expats and holidaymakers for almost 40 years. 

That was until this week, when the Spanish Eye revealed it is being turned into a Chinese bazaar or Asian supermarket by its new leaseholders. 

It is truly a depressing blow for the many Pub Charles fans who had hoped it was bracing for a comeback. 

Does San Pedro REALLY need another Chinese store? There are at least two within a stone’s throw of Pub Charles, and at least four in San Pedro itself.

It’s also in a prime location, nestled between high-value restaurants such as Alfredo’s, La Bodega del Cantinero and Bar Guerra – who, I’m sure, are not happy about the inevitable drop in footfall.

For decades, Pub Charles was packed most nights and you would be guaranteed to see local legend and founder Jesus Leal Miguel propping up the bar. 

He ran the place like a well-oiled machine, offering the best cocktails around and five-star service. 

When I first moved to San Pedro full time 10 years ago, there was no other place I would go to start my night. 

I often ended them there too, with the odd lock-in keeping us going until 6am. 

Although I have since moved away, I always loved coming back to see Jesus and support the business.

But a couple of years ago, Jesus decided (quite rightly) to retire and let someone else run the bar, in what quite honestly should have been the simplest job in the world. 

All they had to do was not change a thing and they would have kept the place rammed all year round. 

Instead, they made a litany of rookie errors. First was an overhaul of the interior, removing all the bar’s character and making everything black – i.e soulless. 

Then the cocktail menu was heavily reduced, although they didn’t bother to get new menus. 

‘Oh, we don’t do any “sour” cocktails because we don’t have “sour”’, one waitress told me, after I asked for a Pisco sour.

And while we were once served a rotating snack selection of popcorn, crisps, nuts and sweets, that was soon replaced by just one bowl of stale popcorn. 

I fear the only thing new businesses in Marbella care about is making the most amount of money possible, with the least amount of effort or outlay – but that’s a whole different issue in itself.

What’s more worrying is that San Pedro is losing some of its best establishments. Last year, the family-run El Siete restaurant also closed for good after decades of operating.

It came after the very popular Passion Cafe also closed its doors a few years back, which was only replaced this summer by a bakery.

One hopes this is not a sign of more closures to come in San Pedro, especially after business owners told me they had a difficult summer.

At least three of the most successful restaurants told me they were around 30% down in July, for example.

What is for sure is that the closure of Pub Charles marks the end of an era. Let’s hope it’s the last good business to shut its doors.

Read more Costa del Sol news at the Spanish Eye.