Costa del sol, very visited and with motives
The Costa del Sol is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe for many reasons: Its climate, its beaches, its landscapes, its hotels, its wide range of leisure activities, its good air and land communications, its marinas, its history, its cultural and artistic heritage, the friendliness of its people, its rich gastronomy… and, of course, your golf.
Costa del Sol, a golfer’s paradise
Enjoying the sun and golf on the Costa del Sol is a reality during the twelve months of the year, something that the millions of golfers who live in the center and north of the continent cannot do in their countries of origin. Andalusia is the Spanish region with the most golf courses (more than a hundred), and the Costa del Sol, in the coastal strip that goes from Nerja to Sotogrande, has 70, including the one that has been repeatedly chosen as the best on the continent, Valderrama, and several others ranked among the best in Europe.
The most renowned international tournaments have been played on the Costa del Sol, also known as the Costa del Golf, home of the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, LIV Golf Andalucía, Volvo Masters, AmEx World Championships, Volvo World Match Play World Cup, World Cup, Open de España and Andalucía Masters.
Facilities and reasons to visit Costa del Sol
The most prestigious designers in the world have expressed their wisdom in Costa Rican courses. Examples include the American Robert Trent Jones, author of Real Club Valderrama, Real Club de Sotogrande, Las Brisas and Los Naranjos, among other Costa del Sol courses, Javier Arana, Tom Simpson, Perry Dye, Dave Thomas and Cabell B. Robinson. Legendary players such as Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros have also left their design mark on the Costa del Sol.
For the hundreds of thousands of golf enthusiasts who visit the Costa del Sol every year –Europe’s leading destination in this segment – to enjoy their favorite sport, there is a wide range of accommodations, of all categories and prices, highlighting the increasing variety of hotels specialized in golf, with specific services to make the golfer’s stay more comfortable and pleasant. There are also resorts with golf courses and their own hotels, some with prestigious luxury hotels, such as Villa Padierna Palace or Finca Cortesín.
Malaga, the capital of Costa del Sol, Picasso and Golf
Marbella, Mijas, Benahavís and Estepona are the municipalities with the most golf courses in the province of Málaga, a sport that can also be practiced in many other enclaves in Málaga, both on the coast and inland.
PICASSO’S HOMETOWN
The provincial capital, Malaga, birthplace of Pablo Picasso and home to the museum dedicated to the author of Guernica, offers, apart from its beaches and bustling nightlife, an attractive monumental offer, among which the Cathedral and the Alcazaba stand out. In the municipality of Malaga, is the Parador Malaga del Golf (formerly Club de Campo de Malaga), pioneer of the Costa del Sol and one of the oldest in Spain, since it was founded in 1925.
The cosmopolitan Marbella is a must-see tourist destination, especially for golfers. Not in vain, it is the municipality in Spain with the largest number of golf courses: sixteen. In Puerto Banús it is easy to run into national and international personalities and well-known faces.
Marbella has earned its reputation as a quality tourist destination worldwide. Apart from its hotel infrastructure, which has an unparalleled concentration of four and five-star establishments, the town has a privileged natural environment and, above all, a unique microclimate. The 27 kilometers of Marbella’s coastline are punctuated by four marinas.
Costa del sol, all its municipalities have golf history
Marbella, destination to visit in Costa del Sol
Its golf facilities include three courses designed by Javier Arana (Guadalamina Sur, Aloha and Rio Real) and two by Robert Trent Jones Sr. (RCG Las Brisas and Marbella Golf). Guadalmina Sur is the pioneer golf course in Marbella (1959) and the second to be built on the Costa del Sol, after the Club de Campo de Málaga, which dates back to the end of the 1920s.
Mijas, the destination of golf courses
Mijas is the second municipality of Málaga in volume of golf courses, with thirteen. In the area of Mijas Costa there are important residential urbanizations, among which it is worth mentioning those of Miraflores and Calahonda, two mini-cities with two golf courses. Also noteworthy is La Cala Resort, one of the largest hotel and residential golf complexes in Spain with its three 18-hole courses plus 6 par 3 courses.
Benahavís, the beautiful place where Los Arqueros resides in Puerta del Sol
Benahavís is a beautiful mountain village very appreciated, among other things, for its magnificent gastronomy, which can be tasted in one of its numerous catering establishments. Not in vain, the village is known as the “Restaurant of the Coast”. Despite being a small town in inhabitants (about 10,000), this municipality is very large in extension and accommodates eight golf courses -one of them, Los Arqueros, designed by Seve Ballesteros- and a municipal golf school with magnificent facilities.
The spectacular Villa Padierna resort is located in Benahavís, with its luxurious hotel and spa and its three golf courses plus the academy directed by Michael Campbell, champion of the 2005 US Open, in which he defeated Tiger Woods himself by two strokes. Benahavís is the Spanish municipality with the highest number of golf courses per inhabitant.
Estepona, the golf market of Puerta del Sol
Estepona is another town with a wide range of golf courses, with eight courses, including El Paraíso, designed by the legendary South African player Gary Player. Atalaya Golf has two courses, the Old Course and the New Course, and Valle Romano was the last course to open in Estepona in 2010. Tradition and modernity are perfectly combined in this small town, with an old town that retains the charm of the Andalusian villages, with its narrow streets, whitewashed houses and balconies full of flowers. One of the focal points of entertainment in the town is its marina, with more than 400 berths and a lively day and night life.
THE GADITANA COSTA DEL SOL
The Cádiz area of the Costa del Sol includes the municipality of San Roque, with its macro-urbanization Sotogrande, where the world famous Valderrama is located, venue of the historic 1997 Ryder Cup, the first European Ryder Cup played outside the British Isles, on continental soil. In the aforementioned urbanization there are other renowned golf courses such as Real Club, San Roque Golf & Resort and La Reserva.
In the aforementioned municipality are also located Almenara and the first course of the Costa del Sol: La Cañada, whose first nine holes were designed by Robert Trent Jones and the second, by Dave Thomas, former Ryder Cup player and designer of The Belfry along with Peter Allis. Also on the Gibraltar course is La Hacienda Links Golf Resort, with two 18-hole courses: the Links and the Heathland.
EASTERN COSTA DEL SOL
In the eastern part of the Costa del Sol, in the Axarquia region, there are two golf courses: Añoreta and Baviera, both designed by José Cañizares, two-time World Cup winner. Located in the easternmost part of the province, it is the Malaga region with the largest number of municipalities. The Axarquia is characterized by large natural areas of mountains, hills, slopes, cliffs and extensive beaches, as well as a native gastronomic offer and a magnificent artistic heritage. Its villages are picturesque places that have managed to keep, in a place of light and color, the beauty of its streets and squares, its monuments and popular festivals.
In the center of the Costa del Sol, golf is also important
Golf is also found in the interior of the province of Malaga, as for example in Antequera, a city with a magnificent monumental ensemble as a result of its historical past that is reflected in more than fifty buildings of religious and civil architecture, dating from the Bronze Age to the eighteenth century.
Many centuries of history contemplate dolmens, collegiate churches, churches, convents, palaces, arches, gates, citadels, chapels, chapels, chapels, manor houses, mansions and even the urban fabric itself. Antequera stands out not only for its monumental attractions, but also for its natural attractions, with splendid landscapes such as the fertile Vega or El Torcal, a surprisingly rich landscape that takes us back millions of years in the history of the planet. Very close to the city center is the 18-hole course of the Antequera Golf resort.
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