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SUMMER 2025
Where wealth meets paradise
SOTOGRANDE GLISTENS
Discover the jewel tucked away on the Andalucian coast in our supplement
to sailing, PRIVILEGE: From polo class to Sotogrande is in a different the Costa del Sol
T
like Sotogrande HERE is nowhere in Spain in summertime. private enThe country’s most exclusive destination for the clave, this is the go-to discreetly wealthy and famous.who come to visit Even the privileged tourists say, are surprised at the from Marbella or Ibiza,
Cartier and With names like Domecq,no wonder Sotogrande Oppenheimer in the mix, of the rich and is the Mediterranean playground and Jon Clarke famous, writes Dilip Kuner
pines. of his previlocation and near-perfect Inspired by the success is With its unbeatable difference. this paradise is one of ous venture, he set his sights on repexcellent, the marina “The golf courses are there are no piles of traf- weather, it’s no wonder spots to live. on the sunny most sought-after a licating that exclusivity safe and uncongested, nice,” explains local Spain’s west of Malaga, it offers of Spanish coast and in 1962, sent hisa fic and people are generally who has spent his Lying just 100km Melian, on world’s ‘Pillars cousin, Alfredo ‘Fredy’ front-row seat to the ancient businessman Ben Bateman, of Gibraltar and Mo- mission to find the perfect plot. Hercules’ – that’s the Rock life in the resort. more than a moin Sotogrande over the rocco’s Jebel Musa. to Armed with little “It has changed so much for the good,” he cona sense of adventure, moguls and A-listers head last two decades and all is so much more to do It’s where business fruits of their wealth. From torbike and then Melian scoured the region’s and enjoy the tinues. “Above all, there and going out and relax and private jets to golf and polo, every- rugged dirt roads. yachts here now in terms of eating about your teenagers at one here seems to be living a lifestyle few could His efforts paid off when he discovGiyou don’t have to worry 1,800-hectare estate near sprawling a of. ered dream night.” sleepy agricultural estate braltar. of cool spots, including He’s referring to a string After Polo where hun- But how did this once for the elite? owned by a succession The farmland had been the into a playground Agora, Trocadero and the through the warm turn mastermind behind the transformation was of the rich and famous – the Duke of Arcos,man, The dreds of youngsters gather then-richest American-Filipino Larios gin family and Spain’s Joseph McMicking, an and summer evenings. ‘After Polo’... it’s one arms and tobacco dealer business tycoon. presi- Juan March, aneponymous science and arts inYes, you read that correctly, will be rubbing shoulders McMicking had already made his mark as of the where your youngsters where he brought founder Made in Chelsea of the Ayala Corporation,to life in the Philip- stitution. dent with Middle Eastern princes, propolo Park Argentinian the prestigious Forbes princesses and, of course, not to like? fessionals. What is there
See Page 7
It seemed fated for the boxes. grander use – and it ticked Sotogrande without hav“We bought the land at a poke,” said McMicking. ing seen it, like a pig in and had to pay another “Paid $750,000 down the rest in a year.” third in six months and He arrived with his Continues on next page nephews, Jaime and
OLIVE PRESS MALLORCA
How a hard-working team of workers saved their famous hotel from certain destruction after a wildfire came within four metres of its walls See Page 2
Tragic toll DROWNINGS in Spain have hit their highest level in a decade, with 303 deaths in the first seven months of 2025 – the most since records began in 2015 – and older men on beaches making up the biggest share of victims. Figures from the Spanish Lifesaving Federation show 92 people died in July alone, making it the fourth deadliest July on record. The May–July period saw 209 fatalities, surpassing the worst previous quarters in 2017 (194) and 2024 (187). Andalucia leads the death toll this year with 52 drownings, followed by the Canary Islands and Valencia (39 each), Catalunya (36) and Galicia (34). Only Extremadura and Ceuta have reported no deaths so far in 2025. The typical victim is a Spanish man over 45, often over 65, with many deaths linked to sudden health problems in the water such as heart attacks or dizzy spells. But younger swimmers are also dying in greater numbers – 66 victims aged 18 to 44 so far this year, making up almost 22% of the total.
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RUN FOR IT! FRIGHTENING: Fire fighting service Infoca issued this dramatic photo of people running from flames at El Burgillo
Concern
Children remain a major concern. Nine died in July and 11 in June, bringing the annual total to 23 – many unsupervised in home or inflatable pools. Lifesaving expert Professor Roberto Barcala warns: “These deaths are quick and silent – around 90 seconds.There’s no shouting or splashing.” Beaches are the deadliest setting, with 50 fatalities in July, followed by 13 in pools, 10 in rivers and 19 in other inland waters. The RFESS warns of the high number of deaths in unguarded spots: in 45 cases there were no lifeguards present, and in 33 there was no patrol service at all due to the nature of the location.
Catastrophic
“This is a catastrophic summer,” says RFESS president Samuel Gomez Mayor. “We need immediate action – extending lifeguard coverage beyond the high season and protecting inland natural environments. Prevention must start young, with school-based training in water safety.” Campaigners are calling for national safety drives, pool fencing laws, and consistent professional training for lifeguards. Safety chiefs urge swimmers to stay calm in rip currents, never swim alone, and appoint an adult ‘water guardian’to watch children at all times. As veteran safety campaigner Sebastian Quintana puts it: “The best lifejacket is information.”
AT least two people have been killed in wildfires that are devastating large tracts of the country. Arsonists are likely behind at least three of the eight major blazes that have so far razed hundreds of thousands of hectares this month, including a UNESCO world heritage zone. One person died near Madrid trying to save horses while a 35-year-old volunteer firefighter became trapped while cutting firebreaks near Nogarejas. Police are now probing the fires that have seen thousands of people evacuated from the suburbs of Madrid to the protected coastline of Cadiz. The second fire in a week between Tarifa and Zahara de los Atunes was ‘definitely’ started deliberately, according to authorities. The blaze that has seen 2,000 people evacuated as it ripped through over 300 hectares of protected woodland in the Parque Natural del Estrecho, is no doubt arson. Fire investigators discovered it had been ignited in a hidden spot behind a rock, a location chosen to make detection difficult. Andalucia minister Antonio Sanz branded the act ‘malicious’ and warned those responsible will face the full weight of the law. Drones have now been put up all
Arson, death and mass evacuations as wildfires rage across the nation – 98,784 hectares destroyed and counting along the stunning Costa de la Luz coastline in an unprecedented effort to catch the culprits before any more harm is done. The horror deepened 600km away in Avila, where a firefighter has extraordinarily confessed to sparking a massive blaze ‘to give himself more work’. That inferno destroyed 2,200 hectares, forced two towns into total lockdown and put hundreds at risk, before the man who lit it joined efforts to extinguish it. In Leon, the historic Roman gold mines of the UNESCO-protected Las Medulas area were engulfed in another suspected arson attack. The fire forced the evacuation of 1,400 people as fierce heat and winds created ‘fire whirls’ that even seasoned firefighters struggled to contain. Meanwhile, entire towns in Ourense province were emptied as flames devoured more than 7,000 hectares of forest, while other blazes continue to rage in Zamora, Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid’s outskirts. More than 8,000 people have spent nights in shelters, unable to
return home. The scale of the destruction is staggering. So far this year, 199 forest fires have burned 98,784 hectares - more than double the 42,615 hectares lost during the same period last year, when 219 blazes were recorded. This year’s figure is already higher than the totals for 2023 and 2024. The worst recent year came in 2022, when a catastrophic 306,000 hect-
ares burned. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called the situation ‘serious’ and appealed for extreme caution, as forecasters warn that high winds and blistering temperatures will make the coming days even more dangerous. Officials say arsonists could face lengthy prison terms and multi-million-euro compensation claims for the environmental destruction and the massive emergency response costs. The crisis is part of a wider European firestorm, with neighbouring Portugal enduring its worst wildfire season since 2022 and southern France hit by its largest blaze since World War II.
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