Costa del Sol

Instead, place names such as Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Marbella and Estepona to the southwest of Málaga stand for a seemingly endless ribbon of tourist urbanizations along the coast. This has been the scene of Andalusian tourism for many years. A mountain range, some of which almost reaches into the sea, protects the 300-kilometre-long coastline from wind and weather, and the subtropical vegetation with palm trees, cypresses and agaves completes the picture-book landscape.

The entire infrastructure, such as hotels, restaurants, bars, stores, discos and golf courses, has taken over large parts of the coast and good weather and beautiful beaches are still the guarantee for a seemingly endless stream of holidaymakers. The tourist resorts hardly have any character of their own, even if places like Marbella and Nerja still have some hidden corners - the latter with the famous stalactite caves near the former white village.

In Marbella, Prince Alfons von Hohenlohe founded the Marbella Club in the 1950s, which was immediately taken over by the jet set. Since then, the town has been a meeting place for the rich and famous, who stop off here once a year on their trip around the world. And indeed, there is no shortage of upmarket accommodation and expensive stores. Nevertheless, a charming old town dating back to Moorish times, which is largely reserved for pedestrians, has been preserved. It is located around the Plaza de los Naranjos with a fountain dating back to 1504 and the town hall with interesting murals from the 16th century as well as the remains of a Moorish fortress.

Golf in the hills around Marbella
The crowd of course designers here is as international as the public. On the 36-hole course of the Atalaya Golf & Country Club between Marbella and Estepona, the German golf architect Bernhard'von Limburger has delivered a masterpiece on the "Golf Coast". In an open park landscape with a view of the Sierra Bermeja, he planned an 18-hole course that is one of the most beautiful in Spain. Or Los Arqueros Golf, which Seve Ballesteros daringly built into the mountains. The young Marbella Club Golf Resort Course is in no way inferior to it. Here, too, playing golf is a real challenge, but one that can hardly be mastered without a golf cart - especially for beginners or older players.

Here it is the mountains, or rather the mountain landscape behind the Costa, that make playing golf on the sunny coast so interesting. This applies in particular to the top-class golf clubs Las Brisas, Los Naranjos, Aloha, Torrequebrada and the luxury resort La Quinta near the fashionable Puerto Banús. And also for the new La Cala Resort with its own three outstanding 18-hole championship courses. Not far from Marbella, in the hinterland of Benahavís, is the La Zagaleta Golf Club, one of the most exclusive clubs on the Costa del Sol, where you can only play if accompanied by members. The 18-hole Flamingos Golf & Resort is located just a few kilometers from Marbella and Malaga airport.

Golf galore on the Costa del Sol
300 kilometers of coastline, from Cabo de Gata near Almería to the southern tip of Spain near Tarifa, plus well over 90 golf courses - this rightly gives the Costa del Sol the name "del Golf". Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get tee times at some clubs - usually only very early or during the hottest time at midday. There is plenty on offer: from night golf at La Dama de Noche and a 36-hole marathon at the top resort of La Cala to the outstanding mountain adventure at Monte Mayor or the new jewel that has risen to become one of the true champions of the Costa's hinterland, the Marbella Club GolfResort. To the east of Málaga, at Aí±oreta Golf, sheep graze next to the greens and fairways, while at El Paraíso Golf Club, close to Estepona, you live in paradise on the course against the magnificent mountain backdrop of Monte Major.

One of the best golf courses in Europe is definitely the Alcaidesa course, the only real links course in Andalusia, with the most beautiful view towards Africa. The associated Moorish-style Aldiana Club also benefits from this course. In its immediate vicinity, three high-ranking golf courses vie for the favor of the best players: the San Roque course, the Real Golf Club de Sotogrande and the Valderrama course, which was built especially for the Ryder Cup. There are now only limited tee times for guests at all of them. A new addition is the "La Reserva" course, a private club with limited playing opportunities for guests. When visibility is good, the mighty cliffs of Gibraltar rise up in the distance, and on some clear days you can even make out the outline of the African coast.

The newest championship course Finca Cortesin between Marbella and Sotogrande, where the Volvo Masters will be held for the first time in 2009, offers an equally beautiful view. It is already rightly described as the ultimate in the Andalusian golf scene. The ambience of the clubhouse, which is a mix of modern, stylish and very cozy, is well worth a visit, as is the Finca Cortesin suite hotel, which is not to be missed for its extraordinary architecture and good food.

Elsa-Maria Honecker (2009) revised 2017

With eternal sunshine, chic hotels, illustrious celebrities and exquisite golf courses, the coast around Marbella has presented itself like a Spanish Monaco for decades.

! Photo: © Waldili / pixelio.de!

Highlights

Connoisseur Circle Tip:
Take a trip to the hinterland
If you have enough time, you should also take a trip away from the coast. In the mountains of the province of Málaga in particular, numerous places bear witness to the eventful history of Andalusia, from the influence of the Romans and Moors to the Christians. These excursions are often highly romantic and spectacular. For starters, you could pay a visit to the small town of Casares. It is located just 14 km from the coast and conveys the original flair of the mountain villages that have miraculously managed to escape modernity.

Info at www.vistitcostadelsol.com

DIPLOMATISCHE VERTRETUNGEN

Spanish Embassy Austria:
Argentinierstraße 34, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43 5055788
Fax: +43 1 5055788125
E-Mail: emb.viena@maec.es
www.botschaft-wien.com/spanische.html

Spanish Embassy Germany:
Lichtensteinallee 1, 10787 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 302540070
Fax: +49 25799557
E-mail: botschaft.spanien@t-online.de
www.spain.info

Lage

Spanien

Fläche

505.9905 km²

Bevölkerung

46,77 Millionen Einwohner

Sprache

Spanisch

Hauptstadt

Madrid

Religion

roman-catholic.

Weather

Das subtropische Klima sorgt ganzjährig für angenehme Temperaturen und die Küste ist zusätzlich durch Bergketten vor Nordwinden geschützt. Seit den 1960er Jahren entwickelte sich die Costa del Sol dank des Klimas und der mehr als 320 Sonnentage pro Jahr zu einem beliebten internationalen Tourismusziel.

Beste Reisezeit

April - Oktober

Klima

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperaturen	16	17	18	21	23	27	29	30	27	23	19	17
Min. Temperaturen	8	9	11	13	16	19	21	22	20	16	12	9
Sonnenstunden	6	5	6	8	10	11	12	11	9	7	6	5
Regentage	5	5	6	6	4	1	0	1	2	6	6	5

Zeitverschiebung

MEZ

Währung

Euro

Visa

nicht EU-Bürger benötigen ein Visum

Vaccinations

Tetanus, diphtheria, polio