Philippe Roger Valère, widower of the legendary businesswoman based on the Costa del Sol Olivia Valère, firmly believes that being in love prolongs life. Two years after the death of the “Marbellí night diva”, He has smiled at the hand of the young Jasmine, a Brazilian captivating who has not only returned the desire to livebut also the necessary impulse to relaunch the business he built with Olivia: the iconic disco that bears his name and has his place again in the Costasolaño nightly leisure.
At 84, Valère is serene, even bright, while talking with reason. «Olivia would be happy seeing how we took the businesses forward, and how I have rebelled my life with Jasmine. My new partner would have liked: It is young, it is full of life, and that energy spreads me ». The brightness in his eyes reminds that of that businessman who, in the 80s, opened his first place in Puerto Banús. The Olivia Valère disco, opened in 2000, became an epicenter of glamor and the night in a Marbella that then lived his golden age. Today, the veteran entrepreneur faces a new stage, with the illusion of who reinvents himself without losing his roots. «We opened in Holy Week and had a very good audience. Although Russian tourism has descended – they were most spent, along with the visitors of Arab Emirates – now we have English, Belgian, French and Dutch clientele. They do not spend so much, but continue to enjoy the experience.
To adapt to these new times, Valère has opted to diversify. «The space attached to the disco is Lov, a different concept that we fill every night with a Moulin Rouge type showwhich includes singers, comedians, dancers and circus artists. As I always say: the magic of the old days has returned ».
A judicial victory
Olivia’s death was a point of inflection not only emotional, but also business. The succession was convulsed: his daughter Karen initially assumed the management, but the results were not expected. Family disputes took the case to court and the business staggered. However, Olivia had left everything in writing. In 2011 he wrote a manuscript will in which he gave the usufruct of his apartment in the XVI district of Paris and his part of the El Chaparral Villa-in the privileged Guadalmina one step away from the residences of José María Aznar, the Bárcenas, Los Matos, Los González-Cavero, among others-to her husband, Philippe. He also left the furniture and personal objects of both residences. The rest of his assets – including land in Santo Domingo, jewelry and debts – was divided into four parts: one for Philippe, another for Xavier, the son they had in common, and the remaining two for Karen and Arnaud, children to whom Philippe always considered his own.
Karen and Arnaud did not accept the cast and began a litigation that lasted until, a year ago, a judicial ruling forced them to comply with their mother’s will. “It has been a very unpleasant process,” says Philippe, “Justice is slow, but the matter has been resolved. Karen and Arnaud are out of business. Now it is my son Xavier who supports us in everythingorganizes the performances of international DJs and respects his mother’s legacy. Our goal is to offer unforgettable nights, full of glamor, good music and positive energy, ”he says happy for the future of events.
The Villa de Guadalmina
Philippe has barely changed his life since Olivia died. It resides with Jasmine in the Villa de Guadalmina, the area to which many call the “Andalusian Neguri”, which he shared for almost five decades with which he was public relations of the French Senate. There, in the old residence of a Swedish ambassador, children, grandchildren and close friends meet in summer. Among them, Virginia – his eldest daughter, sculptor and photographer – who has also begun to get involved in the management of the discoespecially on the terrace, frequented by Arab clientele.
Olivia’s name is still a banner. Since he arrived in Marbella in 1984, he became an undisputed queen of the night. His figure, unmistakable and eternal, will not disappear from the collective memory of the city. Now, his legacy will also have a physical presence: an avenue will bear his namenext to the roundabout that gives access to his beloved disco. «They told us that, at the end of the works, Olivia would have his own avenue. We will all be there. May his name be recorded forever: that of the woman of my life, ”ditch with a conquering smile.
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