Spain’s Costa de la Luz, or Coast of Lights, has always been popular among Spaniards seeking sun and sand. Increasingly, though, this little section of the Andalusian coast is becoming a prime location for holidaymakers from all over Europe. Its proximity to Portugal’s Algarve has led tourist initiatives to focus on golf. Happily, this means there’s a good number of outstanding golfing hotels in Costa de la Luz – read on for an in-depth look at two of the best.
The Islantilla Golf Resort
Islantilla is a small but growing town located in between the picturesque port city of Isla Cristina and the marshes of the Piedra River. In addition to blessing the resort with natural beauty, this location also allows guests to take advantage of the surroundings – for example, there are a variety of nature tours on offer, including bird-watching.
Rooms range from cosy one- and two-person accommodation all the way up to the spacious ‘superior room’ and ‘suite villa’ options. All accommodation is well-furnished, and guests can enjoy a variety of amenities including a spa, a sauna and a swimming pool. The Islantilla also offers a beach club, where oceanside massages provide the perfect way to relax after a day on the course or a workout at the on-site gym.
The Islantilla prides itself on catering to sport lovers, offering three football pitches in addition to its excellent 27-hole golf course. The course was designed to offer players of all abilities a good chance to challenge themselves and have fun. Its three nine-hole loops can be combined in several ways to give diverse 18-hole experiences. The loops are helpfully colour-coded, with the blue catering to low-handicap players, the yellow to high and the green to those in the middle.
All this is more than enough to make the Islantilla one of the very best golfing hotels in Costa de la Luz.
Hotel Barcelo Costa Ballenna Golf & Spa
The second hotel on our list, the Barcelo, takes similar care to provide for sport-loving guests. Just 100m from the hotel itself sits the Costa Ballena Ocean Golf Club. Designed by famous architect Jose Maria Olazabal, the Ocean is made up of 27 competition-level holes and an additional nine par three practice holes.
The main course is a respectable par 72, with holes varying in difficulty, providing a playing experience that is challenging but not impossible. After a round, guests are also welcome to relax in the resort’s wonderful spa.
The Barcelo takes care to set itself apart from other golfing hotels. In Costa de la Luz, the thriving tourist business makes great efforts to work with local and traditional industries, and the Barcelo is especially keen to live up to this. Its a la carte restaurant, Hierro Sie7e, offers tapas and other national Spanish dishes. There is a particular focus on cuisine and produce from the nearby port city of Cadiz, and it offers locally-sourced fruit and snacks to guests.
Portugal’s nearby Algarve may have more of a reputation for great golfing holidays, but Costa de la Luz is quickly making a name for itself with the help of excellent hotels like the Barcelo and the Islantilla. Booking a stay at one of these four-star golfing hotels in Costa de la Luz is the perfect way to get in early on what may be European golf’s next big thing.
Steve Frewin is the Managing Director of A Golfing Experience, a company with more than 29 years experience organising bespoke golf holidays and escapes throughout Europe for individuals, societies and groups. If you're looking for the best golfing hotels in Costa de la Luz, we can help. We also operate in all the other major European golf destinations and, if you'd like to explore options further afield, we can arrange holidays to the world's greatest golf courses in The Caribbean, Mauritius, Bermuda and USA.
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