Golfing Along the Costa del Sol Coast of Southern Spain
In late 2019 I was doing “research” on the feasibility of adding “Golf Getaways” to our list of offerings at Sandbanks Vacations.
My first (and only) “research” trip took me to the Costa del Sol coast of Spain. This area consists of 185 kilometers of precious Mediterranean Sea shoreline along the southernmost tip of Spain.
Immediately following this trip, I was ready to tell the world what a great golf destination Costa del Sol was. Then the big bad COVID-19 Pandemic hit. Needless to say, my plans to offer golf getaways were put on the back burner and remain there to this day.
The funny thing is, I cannot get my golf trip to the Costa del Sol coast of Spain out of my head. I had a blast and have fond memories of that trip to this day.
Without a doubt, I want to go back in November of 2023. But this time, I want to share the experience with some friends and fellow golf lovers.
Here is the golf blog that I wrote just before the pandemic began. It was never posted until now. I hope that you enjoy my trip.
__________________________________________________________
Golfing in the Costa del Sol in November 2019
In late November 2019, I flew to the Costa del Sol region of southern Spain to play the last 5 rounds of 2019 and they were very special rounds that I will not soon forget. I played Alferini, La Reserva Club, Los Narangos GC, La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa, and the Asia course at La Cala Golf Hotel Spa.
My golf and accommodations were booked for me by Dimas Romero and Marta Casanova, co-founders of Casanova Golf Travel Experts in Madrid, Spain. My trip was designed so that I could jump from place to place every 2 nights, allowing me to experience different accommodations and courses in this region. I rented a car and a set of Taylor-Made M6 (irons and woods) at the Malaga Airport and off I went to discover what golf was all about in Spain’s famous Costa del Sol region.
First Stop — Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Resort
On nights 1 and 2, I stayed at the Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Resort. This place was beyond amazing. I had a deluxe room in the main building they called “the palace”. They also had one- and two-bedroom villas next to the palace. One of the villas was called “Villa Obama” ever since Michelle & the kids vacationed there a few years back. Included in the nightly rate was an extensive breakfast buffet fit for a king (or queen). When I was there it was warm and sunny so I could enjoy breakfast on the open-air terrace overlooking the Flamingos golf course with the Mediterranean Sea off in the distance.
Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Resort is in Golf Valley, in the heart of the golden triangle of Marbella, Benahavis, and Estepona. There are full spa services on site so if there is a non-golfer in the crowd, a day at the spa is certainly justified payback if your partner is out enjoying a round of golf.
There are three golf courses on the resort grounds — Alferini, Flamingos, and Tramores. (Tramores is a shorter executive course) I was supposed to play both Flamingos and Alferini but my late arrival meant that I could only play Alferini. It was a beautiful course that meandered through the valleys of this mountainous area with very tight fairways in a few places. The views of the Mediterranean Sea from the elevated tees were amazing.
On nights 3 and 4, I stayed at Hotel Fuerte, a well-established beachfront hotel in the heart of Marbella just a few metres from the Plaza de los Naranjos (the old town) which provided a vast selection of great places to enjoy some fantastic food, drink, and shopping. My room overlooked the beach along the Mediterranean Sea, and I loved being able to sleep with my balcony door open and listen to the waves crashing in. After a fantastic breakfast buffet at Hotel Fuerte, I jumped into my rental and headed south along the Mediterranean coast to Sotogrande to play La Reserva Club.
Before I even got out of my car, I could see that La Reserva Club was a very special place. Once inside the clubhouse, I was greeted by Tomas Ortiz, Golf Sales Manager. Tomas and I enjoyed a morning tea on the patio overlooking the course before I headed over to the practice area to prepare for my round.
La Reserva Club is a very special place indeed, golf heaven if you will. The fairways are wide and meticulously groomed. The greens are large, fast, and very tricky. Course management and correct club selection is critical to safely navigate around while avoiding water hazards and strategically placed sand traps. Amazing views of the Andalusian Hills and the Mediterranean Sea and even the rock of Gibraltar from several tees. Tomas told me that, on a clear day, you can see the northern tip of Africa across the Adriatic Straight. La Reserva Club is a definite “MUST PLAY” when visiting this area.
My next golf course was Los Naranjos GC. I had the pleasure of enjoying the round with Pirkko and Pekka, a retired couple from Helsinki, Finland. They love the Costa del Sol area and go there to golf on an annual basis.
Los Naranjos was a flatter course than the others on this trip, but it was still tons of fun to play. Lots of water hazards that you have to navigate around. Beautiful scenery and beautiful homes line many of the holes along the way. The staff were super friendly, and the baguettes at the snack bar were fantastic.
The next day, I played La Quinta. The young guy at the pro shop suggested that I walk since most of their members walked. I took him up on his suggestion and walked the front nine (course C) and it just about killed me. Hilliest course I have ever played. Much hillier than Shelter Valley Pines. Stopped for a nice lunch at the turn and got a buggie for the back nine (course B). About the same number of hills but ok with a buggie.
For my final two nights, nights 5 & 6, I stayed at La Cala Golf Resort Spa, which is just 20 minutes outside of Marbella and 30 minutes from the Malaga airport. I played La Cala’s Campo Asia today. Supposed to take the day off and play Campo America the next day, but there was rain in the forecast, so wanted to get it done that day. By far, the hilliest course played to date. Not good for golfers with bad knees. It was so crazy hilly that it was quite fun. Greens were fast and tough. Starter told me that Americana was the most popular course, followed by Asia and then Europa. Americana is as hilly as Asia is, but the fairways are wider. Europa is the hilliest, toughest, and longest. You can drive your buggy from the parking lot of the hotel to their three courses and visa versa for getting and dropping off clubs. It was a busy place, but Asia was wide open, so it could handle lots of golfers. Beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea were available from some holes.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
So there you have it. Two nights at three different golf resorts and five rounds of golf.
Not mentioned in my story about golfing along the Costa del Sol coast of Spain was that I flew into Barcelona and spent a few nights there before flying down to Malaga Airport. Visiting Barcelona was a wonderful part of the trip that I would like to repeat as well.
Stay Well Everyone.
If you are a golfer, chin up, eyes down, and put a smoothy on it.
