Sotogrande Information

The name Sotogrande comes from one of five farms bought by Alfredo Melian in 1962 at the request of Joseph McMicking who wished to create a luxurious residential development by the Mediterranean.

The reputation of Sotogrande and its appeal to so many nationalities lay initially in the natural beauty of the site. It has developed into a complete community with its own shops, schools, sports facilities, golf clubs, marina, banks, restaurants, hotels and bars.

Sotogrande is world famous for its sport - especially golf and polo. It boasts three golf courses, two of which are among the top five golf courses in Europe. Sotogrande was host to the Ryder Cup in 1997 and the 2002 Volvo Masters.

It is also one of the top venues in the world for polo and the only place in Europe where the sport is played throughout the year while during summer there are many tournaments played. The Santa Maria Club is the hub of Spanish polo and stages an international tournament each August. The club is in a magnificent setting and its fabulous facilities attract top players from all over the world.

Accommodation ranges from luxury hotels and villas in their own grounds to country and beach apartments with communal pools. From some of the beach apartments there are breathtaking views of the Straits of Gibraltar that are particularly beautiful at sunset in winter months.

The marina is the first main leisure harbour on entering the Mediterranean. Here there are waterside apartments with their own moorings. Walks can be enjoyed along the banks of the Guadiaro River which flows into the sea at Sotogrande, and you can visit hides from which migrating flamingos and other birds can be observed.