If there were only 2 things that made Marbella one of the best destinations for golf trips it would have to be the choice of high quality golf courses and the vibrant nightlife that the town has to offer.
Marbella is a little under an hour from Malaga airport and is a destination served by low cost airlines from most UK airports with a typical flight time of under 3 hours.
In the town centre our preferred hotel partner is The Amare Beach Hotel Marbella. Set on the beachfront, in the centre of Marbella’s old town, this adults-only hotel offers a spa and outdoor swimming pool. Amare Marbella Beach Hotel – Adults Only features free WiFi throughout the property and at the Beach Club. Room rates start at around £75 per person per night rising to £140 per person per night in high season.
Rio Real Golf Hotel is about 10 minutes from The Old Town and features an 18-hole golf course, a wellness centre and outdoor swimming pool. The base rate packages include play at the host course. A 3 night 2 round package starts at around £11o per person per night rising to around £160 per person per night in high season.
Hotel Guadalmina Spa & Golf Resort is about 20 minutes from The Old Town but less than 10 minutes from the lively Puerto Banus. and is located on the beachfront and surrounded by the 2 golf courses of Guadalmina. South Guadalmina, the first 18 holes of the 45 that make up the golf course of Guadalmina, was opened in 1959 and is the second oldest in the Costa del Sol. The base rate package includes play at the resorts 2 golf courses. A 3 night 2 round package starts at around £70 per person per night rising to around £100 per person per night in high season.
For guests that prefer life’s little luxuries we feature the ultra luxury Anantara Villa Padierna. Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Resort boasts three world-class golf courses, offering some of the finest play in the Costa del Sol. Wake up to views of the green, then tee off at sunrise. The base rate package includes play at the resorts 3 golf courses. A 3 night 2 round package starts at around £130 per person per night rising to around £275 per person per night in high season.
All of our featured golf courses sit within 30 minutes transfer from The Old Town of Marbella. As always it can be very subjective to say which is best but here is our attempt at ranking the 17 golf courses that we feature.
Los Naranjos a typical Robert Trent Jones Sr. design with generous fairways and strategically placed bunkers and water hazards. Since the opening in 1977, Los Naranjos has been the host of several major competitions, including the Spanish Open, and is ranked one of the best golf courses in Spain. Rack rate green fees start at around £75 rising to around £100 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Alferini is designes to hold competitions and big tournaments, and also for enjoying a pleasant, relaxing day. Well ensconced in the landscape, exceptional care is taken to preserve the natural surroundings. 18 holes, 6,641 metres, par 73 and 4 tee-offs for each. Rack rate green fees start at around £115 rising to around £150 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Alcaidesa Links is the only links course in southern Europe, being an 18 hole, Par 72 course, inaugurated in 1992 and designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark. The topography of the land at Alcaidesa is formed by gentle slopes descending towards the sea, finishing on a beautiful beach, creating a front of nearly 2 km. meaning that most of the holes are alongside the beach. Rack rate green fees start at around £65 rising to around £90 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Flamingos Golf has hosted prestigious golf tournaments such as the 2002, 2003 and 2004 European Seniors and the Women’s Spanish Open in 2010. The greens are generous in size, but the fairways are slender on the first half of the course, where more precision is needed than on the second half. The bunkers contain white marble chips. Rack rate green fees start at around £100 rising to around £135 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Valle Romano Golf, in Estepona, is an outstanding 18-hole course, fitted out to play host to the most demanding and prestigious tournaments. Its design guarantees the enjoyment of amateur golfers, while being transformed into a challenging circuit for professionals. Rack rate green fees start at around £50 rising to around £75 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked
Chaparral Golf Club is an 18-hole “Parkland Forest” course, surrounded by a Mediterranean forest. The protected area enhances the typical beauty of the region, where the mountains meet the sea. Rack rate green fees start at around £45 rising to around £60 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked
Designed by the three-time World Champion and Ryder Cup champion Manuel Piñero, La Quinta Golf is one of the most attractive golf clubs in the area and is suitable for all levels of play. La Quinta Golf Club has 27 holes divided into 3 courses of nine holes each. Rack rate green fees start at around £85 rising to around £115 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked
Designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Senior, and located just 5 minutes drive from Marbella city centre, Marbella Golf Country Club provides one of the best and most challenging golfing experiences on the Costa Del Sol. Rack rate green fees start at around £80 rising to around £95 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Ideal for walking, the Atalaya Old course offers magnificent views of La Concha and the Mediterranean, as well as lakes and streams populated by many species of water birds, including our two resident pairs of swans. Rack rate green fees start at around £60 rising to around £100 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Guadalmina South is famous for its hardness and difficulty, making it ideal for experienced golfers. The fairways of Guadalmina South are narrow and well protected by large trees, which in addition to providing pleasant shade in summer, it forces the player to shape their shots with fast and moving greens. Rack rate green fees start at around £130 all year round. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Cabopino Golf is located at the easternmost end of Marbella facing the Cabopino yachting marina. The 18 holes course was designed by the architect Juan Ligués Creus and has spectacular views of the Mediterranean, as well as beautiful vegetation with a profusion of magnificent wide crowned pines. Rack rate green fees start at around £45 rising to around £60 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
The Rio Real golf course was designed by the legendary Javier Arana, considered to be the best Spanish designer of all time. Located in the most prestigious area of Marbella, just 5 minutes from the city centre, this golf course opened in 1965. Rack rate green fees start at around £50 rising to around £130 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Alcaidesa Heathland, consists of 18 holes par 72, designed by the renowned former Ryder Cup player and author of numerous internationally renowned layouts, Dave Thomas. Rack rate green fees start at around £55 rising to around £65 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Situated 14 Km from Marbella in a valley surrounded by hills with magnificent views of the coast, it was designed with great attention to detail by Gary Player and Kirby. The El Paraiso golf club’s designers laid out the course to take advantage of the slope of a hill which runs down to the sea. Rack rate green fees start at around £55 rising to around £85 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Santa Clara Golf Club Marbella presents a technically challenging but straightforward and pleasant round, wide fairways with limited rough and open greens without pronounced slope. The golf course is highlighted by the “Santa Clara Corner” formed by the 12th, 13th and 14th holes. Rack rate green fees start at around £60 rising to around £75 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Guadalmina North is shorter and hillier than the south course and has more water obstacles. The course requires straight drives down the middle of the fairways as failure to do so may have one ending up in one of the numerous water hazards hidden in the rough. Rack rate green fees start at around £60 rising to around £100 in peak season. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.
Opened in 1990, the championship Atalaya New Course is a crown jewel of world-class golf course architect Paul Krings. Spectacular views of the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and the African dominate the horizon. The course meanders through a tranquil, countryside setting abounding with wildlife. Rack rate green fees start at around £80 all year round. We can secure discount green fees depending on the package booked.