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Where wealth meets paradise PRIVILEGE: From polo to sailing, Sotogrande is in a different class to the Costa del Sol
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HERE is nowhere in Spain like Sotogrande in summertime. The country’s most exclusive private enclave, this is the go-to destination for the discreetly wealthy and famous. Even the privileged tourists who come to visit from Marbella or Ibiza, say, are surprised at the difference. “The golf courses are excellent, the marina is safe and uncongested, there are no piles of traffic and people are generally nice,” explains local businessman Ben Bateman, who has spent his life in the resort. “It has changed so much in Sotogrande over the last two decades and all for the good,” he continues. “Above all, there is so much more to do here now in terms of eating and going out and you don’t have to worry about your teenagers at night.” He’s referring to a string of cool spots, including Agora, Trocadero and the After Polo where hundreds of youngsters gather through the warm summer evenings. Yes, you read that correctly, ‘After Polo’... it’s where your youngsters will be rubbing shoulders with Middle Eastern princes, Made in Chelsea princesses and, of course, Argentinian polo professionals. What is there not to like?
With names like Domecq, Cartier and Oppenheimer in the mix, no wonder Sotogrande is the Mediterranean playground of the rich and famous, writes Dilip Kuner and Jon Clarke With its unbeatable location and near-perfect weather, it’s no wonder this paradise is one of Spain’s most sought-after spots to live. Lying just 100km west of Malaga, it offers a front-row seat to the ancient world’s ‘Pillars of Hercules’ – that’s the Rock of Gibraltar and Morocco’s Jebel Musa. It’s where business moguls and A-listers head to relax and enjoy the fruits of their wealth. From yachts and private jets to golf and polo, everyone here seems to be living a lifestyle few could dream of. But how did this once sleepy agricultural estate turn into a playground for the elite? The mastermind behind the transformation was one Joseph McMicking, an American-Filipino business tycoon. McMicking had already made his mark as president of the Ayala Corporation, where he brought the prestigious Forbes Park to life in the Philip-
pines. Inspired by the success of his previous venture, he set his sights on replicating that exclusivity on the sunny Spanish coast and in 1962, sent his cousin, Alfredo ‘Fredy’ Melian, on a mission to find the perfect plot. Armed with little more than a motorbike and a sense of adventure, Melian scoured the region’s then rugged dirt roads. His efforts paid off when he discovered a sprawling 1,800-hectare estate near Gibraltar. The farmland had been owned by a succession of the rich and famous – the Duke of Arcos, the Larios gin family and Spain’s then-richest man, Juan March, an arms and tobacco dealer and founder of the eponymous science and arts institution.
It seemed fated for grander use – and it ticked the boxes. “We bought the land at Sotogrande without having seen it, like a pig in a poke,” said McMicking. “Paid $750,000 down and had to pay another third in six months and the rest in a year.” He arrived with his nephews, Jaime and Continues on next page