Not only is Sotogrande a paradise for golfers and water sports fans, but it’s also one of the most important polo destinations in Spain.
On the golf front, among its internationally renowned golf courses are Valderrama, Real Club de Golf, Club de Golf La Cañada, San Roque Club, La Reserva de Sotogrande and Club de Golf Almenara. Just a little further afield are the courses of the Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort, La Duquesa Golf & Country Club, Doña Julia, Casares Costa Golf, Valle Romano Golf & Resort and Club de Golf Finca Cortesin.
While most of the courses feature clubhouses with good restaurants and facilities, the unmistakable social hub of Sotogrande remains its pretty marina, where shops, cafés and restaurants enjoy the views over the yachts. The marina is also home to an active yacht club with a sailing school, power boating, scuba diving, rowing and kayaking. The latter can be practiced in the wide Guadiaro River, which reaches the sea here.
Another important social and sporting activity in Sotogrande is polo, for which it’s an internationally renowned centre. The verdant grounds of the Santa Maria Polo Club provide the scene for major international competitions where spectators enjoy champagne and strawberries as they rub shoulders with celebrities and royalty.
Inland, Sotogrande opens up to some fantastic horse riding, hiking trails, cycling and bird watching, as it lies surrounded by protected nature and finds itself on the path of the annual bird migrations between Europe and Africa.