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SOTOGRANDE
Discover the jewel tucked away on the Andalucian coast in our special supplement See page 13
STILL SPARKLING
in to design the course. was Trent Jones’ The Real Club Sotogrande and the first course in first European venture location. automated irrigation that shows no a suitable mostly dirt roads back then on a moEurope with a new-fangled OTOGRANDE is a gem Travelling around Andalucia and system. sign of losing its glitter. owned residen- torbike, Melian traipsedhe found a 1,800-hecttop modernist archiNone other than Spain’s del Sol until It’s the largest privately (Callao Theatre and the home to the Costa comprising a cluster of farms at the tect, Luis Gutierrez Soto designed the low-slung tial development in Andalucia, of are estate his nephews, Jaime and close to Gibraltar’s infamous, and a beacon well as McMicking arrived with had overseen work on Fnac building, Madrid), mouth of the Guadiaro, the discreetly rich and avant-garde today, as Enrique Zobel (EnriqueBrunei’s 1788-room pal- clubhouse – still course-side bungalows. ternational airport, El Peñon. luxury on the coast of Cadiz. of owned by a succession the ultra des-res of The The farmland had been– the Duke of Arcos, the his friend the Sultan Sixty years ago it was farmland. on as director of works. poached the director Joseph McMicking had rich and famous ace) and Melian stayed for miles, the Antigua McMicking then That was until American to run the club. Zobel de Ayala of the family and then financier Juan March, As it was the only bar an early HQ. The team Ritz hotel in Madrid return a decade later to Larios eponya vision. Married to Mercedes the the of empire, as family served dealer, founder Jones would and president of the wealthy (the Philippines), arms and tobacco arts institution and once the Venta Toledo but, best of all, Trent the world famous course Valderrama, design had experience, connections Volvo Masmous science and Ayala Corporation in Manila became the setting for seemed fated for grandbeen responsible for a patience and plans. richest man in Spain. It boxes. like Palm which later the Spanish Open and even the McMicking had already Forbes Park. by golfing communities ters events, er use – and it ticked the luxury property development, without hav- Inspired in the US, McMicking about creating a similarly bought the land at Sotograndesaid McMick- Beach and Pebble Beachthe community around Ryder Cup. Now he was dreaming in the Mediter- “We a poke,” to build Continues on page 14 ing seen it, like a pig in “Paid $750,000 down was determined in 1963, the world’s top golf exclusive residential community and, 1967. in club golf a speaking flown ling, was and ranean. Trent Jones, third in six months ‘Fredy’ Melian used his course designer, Robert When his cousin Alfredoticket for a trip to Spain, and had to pay another Swiss Air frequent flyer keep his eyes peeled for the rest in a year.” McMicking told him to
60 years on, Sotogrande has not forgotten its founding values
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Life in the laid-back East (of the Costa del Sol) has never seemed more appealing, writes ‘West End Boy’ Laurence Dollimore
‘
WELCOME to the most beautiful town in Spain,’ Jorge, who has lived here toothless local Jorge calls out in broken his entire life. “We have a English great local community, amazing as I wipe the sweat from my brow. food and sunshine, look like a tourist, despite four years(OK, so I still what more do you need?” in Spain.) Some of the views inland I had just hiked up to the top of Frigiliana which has in Jurassic Park - minus wouldn’t look out of place indeed been crowned one of the the dinosaurs - and hidden country’s most in that jaw-dropping picturesque pueblos, as plaques through the village stunning mountain landscape is a whole world of will tell you at every turn. villages, underground caves and beautiful, unspoilt A 10-minute drive up from the coast from Nerja, Jorge recommends hidden coves. it’s the pearl in a string of white-washed a visit to the outer walls of villages this old Moorish glistening in the hills of the Axarquia and its nearby friend’s tapas bar,fortress town, and a break at his Granada neighbour, the Costa Tropical. but it’s 300 metres back down the ancient cobbled street. Either way, this is the very laid-back the Costa del Sol, and boy, take it eastern end of I opt for the closer Las Chinas, having just toiled ie’ based near Marbella, it really is from me a ‘west- up the Everest-steep slope in searing heat, the car a breath of fresh parked a good air. kilometre down the road. “This is our little paradise,” beams grandfather Continues
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Vol. 17 Issue 425 www.theolivepress.es August 9th - August 22nd 2023
TOWEL COP
A COSTA del Sol hotel has taken the extreme measure of hiring a bouncer to stop tourists tussling during the morning stampede for sunbeds. Sunset Beach Club, in Benalmadena, made the decision as Spain’s roaring summer has seen hordes of Brits and other northern European tourists competing for plum poolside positions. The drastic measure was implemented after a manager spotted rows of sunbeds reserved with beach towels but with no occupants in sight. But now the situation has become ‘probably worse’ as hundreds of
‘Some people are wearing trainers so they can get to the sunbeds faster’: Leading Costa hotel hires bouncer to stop tourists fighting over sunbeds
scrum or face losing out. “We’ve had to get down there shortly after 8am to guarantee a spot as there are just not enough pool chairs and beds. “Incredibly as soon as the door opens people start pushing as well as running and jumping over the sunbeds to get to the best spots.” A Scottish family staying at the resort, that caters for around 2000 guests a week in summer, had a similar experience. “My daughter was first in the queue but grown men started jumping over the fence, behaving as if they were the kids,” the Glaswegian grandma, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Olive Press. “Some people wear trainers so they can run faster,” her husband explained. Irishman Michael Fitzpatrick said the ‘mad rush’ at 9am could end in tears. “It’s dangerous because the pool surface is slippery,” the 47-yearold explained. Meanwhile Wendy Brown, 44, from Essex, revealed that getting to the beds was more important to
By Alberto Lejarraga
people are now sprinting for their favourite sunbeds at 9am. “There is literally a queue of over 100 people waiting to access the pool in the morning and, at 9am, when the gate opens,” holidaymaker Katherine Green, 35, told the Olive Press. “And some people even just jump over the fence to get the best beds,” added the Yorkshire mum, who admitted her family had been forced to join the
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‘never seen anything like this before,’ in the 20 years they have been visiting. “We don’t go to the pool anymore, it is just unbearable as they’re adults behaving like kids.” They estimate around 150 people are gathering around the fence just before 9am. “They are slaves of the sunbeds,” insisted Enrique. And Miguel, a 73-year-old Spaniard who has also been coming to the resort for two decades, said he had seen guests queuing even before 7am, a full two hours before the pool opens. However, not everyone seems bothered by the situation, as Belfast man Kev Armstrong told the Olive Press the morning routine is ‘part of the holiday experience’. “We’ve been queuing from 7.45am, it’s not too bad,” said Armstrong, who is staying for a week with his wife Jaqueline. Matt Lanigan, from Ireland, concurred: “It’s alright. There is no need to panic, there are enough See page 5 sunbeds for everyone,” he said calmly. When contacted, the director of the Sunset Beach Club declined to comment.
one guest than his phone, which fell out on the way. “He decided to leave it behind and carry on running, deciding the bed was more valuable,” she insisted. “You can’t hesitate. You need to know exactly where you are going because that second of doubt could cost you your bed,” she added. But it is not just foreigners affected, with some Spanish holidaymakers refusing to spend time at the pool anymore due to the behaviour of other guests. One couple, Victoria and Enrique, from Cordoba, revealed they had
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THE POOL: with beds reserved by towels. Kev Armstrong (right) gets up at 7.45am while Victoria and Enrique have given up
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