SOTOGRANDE

Sotogrande is the largest privately owned residential development in Andalusia, Spain. Originally a gated community, it is located in the municipality of San Roque and is composed of a 25-square-kilometre stretch from the Mediterranean Sea 25 km east of Gibraltar, back into the foothills of Sierra Almenara, providing contrasting views of sea, hills, cork forests and green fairways, including the Rock of Gibraltar and Morocco.

To build a city similar to Palm Springs in southern Europe, Sotogrande was developed by the industrialist couple from the Philippines, Joseph McMicking and Mercedes Zóbel, with support from their nephews Jaime Zóbel and Enrique Zóbel. The McMickings, having seen the idyllic coasts in 1962, acquired five neighboring farms with the idea of creating a luxurious residential development by the Mediterranean. In May 2006, Sotogrande was featured in The Times as having the most expensive homes in Europe.[2] There are a number of artificial lakes and five golf courses, including the Valderrama Golf Club created by Jaime Ortiz-Patiño[3] and the San Roque course. The port was established in 1.988.

Sotogrande has varied sporting facilities. It has five golf courses, including Valderrama Golf Club, which was host to the European Tour‘s Volvo Masters and the 1997 Ryder Cup. It also has two tennis and padel clubs, a rugby club, and two beach clubs, a kayak/sailing club, the famous Santa Maria Polo Club, riding stables, and a marina.