Recommendations by Néstor Pérez Pérez, Golf Concierge at the Kempinski Hotel Kempinski Bahía in Estepona.
With more than 70 golf courses, the Costa del Sol is one of the top European destinations for golf lovers. It is the perfect place for a golf vacation with friends or family due to its combination of excellent golfing facilities, the wide range of activities on offer and an excellent climate that will allow you to play golf all year round.
The western Costa del Sol in particular is an excellent choice with 12 great courses in a relatively small area stretching from Estepona to Sotogrande. We spoke to Nestor Perez Perez, Golf Concierge at the Kempinski Hotel Bahia de Estepona, to find out what his favorite courses are and what recommendations he usually gives to suit different budgets and abilities.
-How did you become a Golf Concierge at the Kempinski?
-I love sports, I played a lot of golf in my youth and won several tournaments back then. I also played tennis professionally and then moved into reception, working in the reservations department at the Kempinski. When they found out about my love of golf, they moved me to the Golf Desk and it’s great to be able to share my passion and knowledge with our clients.
-What is a Golf Concierge?
-Our job is to give an honest opinion on the best courses for our guests to play, depending on their handicap and preferences. We have agreements with 25 courses and have negotiated special rates for our guests, plus we make reservations on their behalf to make it easier for them. It can be difficult to play some of the more popular courses if you are not a member, but thanks to our agreements with them, these courses go out of their way for our guests so that they can play more often than if they were not members.
-In your opinion, what are the best courses on the Western Costa del Sol?
-We are lucky to have a lot of courses to choose from here, the best of which might be what we call the championship courses. These are the creme de la creme in Europe and there are four that really stand out above the rest.
Valderrama is the most famous, with a long history of hosting tournaments and has been named the best course in Europe. It is an impressive course and many golfers want to cross it off their bucket list, however, I would say the best is La Reserva de Sotogrande. I prefer it because it is always in perfect condition, is very well designed and is priced lower than Valderrama, so if you only have time to play one, I would recommend La Reserva.
My other two top two recommendations for championship courses are Finca Cortesin in Casares and San Roque Club Old Course. Finca Cortesin is a fantastic course and the staff will take great care of you, making you feel really at home. San Roque Club is very popular with our guests because of the high quality of the course and its design.
-Which fields would you say offer the best value for money?
There are two courses that combine excellent facilities with very affordable prices and are very popular with our guests – Los Flamencos at Villa Padierna, which has both 18-hole and 9-hole courses, and El Paraiso in Estepona, just a 10-minute drive from the Kempinski Hotel.
-Why do golfers like the Costa del Sol so much?
-It’s really simple: the concentration of fantastic courses so close to each other and also the weather, which means they can play all year round. Groups and families like it too, because it offers so much more than just golf, there are great restaurants and nightlife, as well as culture and beaches, so everyone is happy – it’s very hard to beat as a golf vacation destination!
-What is the best time of the year to play golf?
-The best thing about this area is that you can play all year round, but the months with more demand are October, November, February, March and April. Personally my favorite months to play are March and October, as the weather is perfect. You can also complete the course in the summer without any problems, just make sure you have a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water, because it is very hot!
-Does the hotel offer golf packages?
-The hotel is very popular with golfers due to its intermediate location between The Golf Valley in Nueva Andalucía and the large concentration of courses around Sotogrande. To make it easier for our guests, we have two packages that can allow them to play several courses in one trip. From March to December we have the “Golf for a lifetime” package, where guests can play four incredible championship courses during their trip – Valderrama, Sotogrande, Finca Cortesin and San Roque Old. For those on a smaller budget, we also have the “Keep Calm and Play Golf” package, which includes four excellent courses, including La Alcaidesa (the only links golf course on the Costa del Sol), Almenara, San Roque Nuevo and Valle Romano, for less than 300€.
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