Golf World Top 100: Best Golf Resorts in Spain – 10-1

La Cala is one of the best golf resorts in the world

What are the best golf resorts in Spain? The Golf World Top 100 panel ranks and rates them. 

JUMP TO: How we did it | 30-11 | 10-1

Welcome to the Top 10 of our Golf World Top 100 Golf Resorts in Spain, a list we hope will help you make an informed choice the next time you are pondering a nice, warm break.

Head over to our ‘How we did it‘ for more information on the criteria we used to rank the venues.

Before you start planning your trip to Spain, be sure to check out our guides to the country’s best courses, along with our rankings Europe’s best courses, best new golf courses and the continent’s best golf resorts.

Of course, if you’re not much of a traveller (and who has been for the last two years), we’ve also got your covered with rankings of the best courses in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, along with the best links, most fun courses, best courses you can play £60 and less and the best golf resorts in Great Britain and Ireland.

Please do feed back where you feel we’re right and, more likely, where you think we’ve gone wrong. We’d love to hear from you via email, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

But for now, let’s reveal our Top 10 Spanish golf resorts.

Chris Bertram, Golf World Top 100 Editor

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Golf World Top 100: Best Resorts in Spain – 10-1

10. Arabella

Palma, Majorca

Courses 32.1 Accommodation 18.2 Amenities 18.9 Setting 11.3 Total 80.5

Three 18-hole courses and two hotels equal a top-10 slot. The golf doesn’t set the heather on fire but all are very pleasant, and the hotels are terrific. Great for groups/couples.

9. Salobre

Maspolomas, Gran Canaria

Courses 32.0 Accommodation 18.7 Amenities 18.2 Setting 12.9 Total 81.8

We love it here… the Arizona-esque setting really appeals, offering a peaceful yet vibrant atmosphere for a golf break. Two thrilling courses and a really good hotel.

8. La Reserva club

Sotogrande, Andalucia

Courses 32.7 Accommodation 18.4 Amenities 18.5 Setting 12.6 Total 82.2

It’s always had a fine course and fabulous villas, but now has a nearby hotel (formerly Almenara) as part of its package. It’s being renovated and is the perfect base from which to play Valderrama et al.

7. Real Club El Prat

Terrasa, Catalonia

Courses 33.4 Accommodation 18.0 Amenities 19.4 Setting 11.4 Total 82.2

With 54 holes and a hotel on site, seven seems low – but the Spanish resort market is so competitive. This tranquil haven for high-end golf is perfect for those who want golf, golf and more golf.

6. El Saler

Valencia

Course 33.1 Accommodation 18.2 Amenities 18.0 Setting 12.9 Total 82.2

Proof that continental resorts can have pedigree courses attached. El Saler is our No.2 course in Spain and one of our top 20 on the Continent. Happily, there’s a neat hotel attached which overlooks 9 and 18.

5. Villa Padierna

Marbella, Andalucia

Courses 28.5 Accommodation 22.2 Amenities 21.0 Setting 11.5 Total 83.2

We made an error on La Cala (No.3) in 2018 and we made one on Villa Padierna, too. It’s not especially well known to the British market, but its three courses and epic hotel mean it is one of the finest golf resorts in Europe. Flamingos and Alferini courses are backed up by the short Tramores and the hotel is magnificent – one of Europe’s best.

4. La Manga club

Cartagena, Murcia

Courses 31.0 Accommodation 17.4 Amenities 23.4 Setting 11.5 Total 83.3

We have been big supporters of La Manga since we started ranking resorts so a position outside the top three might be a surprise, but the feeling among the panel is that upgrades are required – certainly in the hotel, and also to course presentation. With investment it could rival for No.1, because of its 54 holes and varied non-golf amenities.

3. La Cala

La Cala De Mijas, Andalucia

Courses 33.0 Accommodation 17.8 Amenities 20.1 Setting 12.4 Total 83.3

We try extremely hard to make our rankings accurate, but admit errors when we make them – La Cala is one. We had it in the 50s of our Continental ranking in 2018, but it’s much better than that. Three super courses, a neat hotel, spa and excellent restaurants… our only defence is that it is getting better all the time. A terrific retreat.

2. Finca Cortesin

Sotogrande, Andalucia

Course 30.6 Accommodation 21.5 Amenities 18.5 Setting 12.8 Total 83.4

For a single-course resort to be ranked so highly illustrates how much we rate Finca. The course is one of our top 20 in Spain, but it is only part of the equation. The boutique hotel is effortlessly luxurious and sets Finca apart from almost every resort in Europe. If you don’t mind ‘just’ one course to play on your holiday, Finca is your best option.

1. PGA Catalunya

Girona, Catalonia

Courses 34.9 Accommodation 18.7 Amenities 21.9 Setting 11.9 Total 87.4

Two courses, one of which is a Continental Top 10 fixture and the other in our Spain Top 50. Two hotels, one of which is achingly chic, the other modern and comfortable. Villas to rent. A range of restaurants. Some non-golf amenities. Take all this together and you have the clear winner as Spain’s No.1 resort.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Bertram is the Golf World Top 100 Editor.

He was born and brought up in Dumfriesshire and has been a sports journalist since 1996, initially as a junior writer with National Club Golfer magazine.

Chris then spent four years writing about football and rugby union for the Press Association but returned to be Editor and then Publisher of NCG before joining Golf World and Today’s Golfer as Senior Production Editor.

He has been freelance since 2010 and when he is not playing and writing about the world’s finest golf courses, he works for BBC Sport.

A keen all-round sportsman, Chris plays off 11 – which could be a little better if it wasn’t for hilariously poor lag putting which has to be seen to be believed.