In 1962, American entrepreneur Joseph McMicking had a dream. Its ingredients: lots of verdant pastures, sandy beaches, ocean and river views, communication and transportation friendly, far enough from the urban bustle but close enough to be luxuriously comfortable. East of the legendary rock of Gibraltar, in San Roque municipality, province of Cadiz, he found 2,500 hectares of landed estate with but a few country houses and breathed life into his dream. Sotogrande the infant was born. It grew to be the finest luxurious residential development resort in the world, the realization of McMiking’s visions of infrastructure within beautiful wide open spaces, buildings in strict traditional Spanish architecture, serious respect for the natural beauty of its surrounds, leafy villa suburbs, riverside properties, polo clubs, golf courses, country estates, marvelous marina, deluxe apartments and yacht hubs. It is now 40 years young.
World-renowned golf and polo mecca, Sotogrande is so close to the tranquil beaches of the Straits of Gibraltar, a unique geographic situation that views both Atlantic’s dramatic beaches and the Mediterranean’s placid coves, plus pine and cork forests, rolling hills, green fairways, awesome Gibraltar and the nearby North Africa. What’s more, it’s just a 15-minute drive to Gibraltar Airport, less than an hour away from Malaga International Airport, Marbella in 20 minutes, a few scenic hours away from Jerez, Cadiz and Seville.
Sotogrande shares the same Mediterranean climate of its surrounds—soft and warm, promising no less than 300 days of sunshine a year. It can get to a biting 8ºC-9ºC in the winter (January-February), while summer sizzles to 30ºC, and with the ubiquitous climate change, occasionally escalates to 40ºC. It is hottest from June to August. Gentle rains start inundating the soils from November till February.
Sotogrande Golf Courses (http://www.sundream-estate.com/golfcourse.php) are reportedly the best in Europe. There are nine. Drive 30 -45 minutes from Sotogrande, you’ll find many other choices as well. Below are a few of the most notable:
Valderrama Golf Club
Officially rated Europe’s no. 1 golf course, host of the Ryder Cup in 1997 and Volvo Master 2002.
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande
Rated no. 5 in Europe, designed by Robert Trent Jones
Almenara Golf Course
In San Roque next to Valderrama.
La Cañada Golf Club
Guadiaro Estuary - on the west bank of the estuary at the mouth of the River Guadiaro is this 27 hectare of marshland, a protected natural area, a perfect site for a quiet stroll and birdwatching.
Unlike many beaches along the Costa del Sol, the beaches in Sotogrande that cover more than 20 km of coastline quiet and sheltered. In most of its beaches views of Gibraltar and the African coast will astound you. These are two most outstanding beach clubs:
El Octogono Beach Club
Lots of shopping to be had in Sotogrande and the nearby areas.
Annual celebrations in Jimena de la Frontera are:
- Carnival in February
- Agricultural Fair in the second week in May
- Annual Village Fair in the second week of August
- Devotion to the Reina de los Angeles in the first week of September
- Annual Music Festival (second week in July), featuring Classic, Jazz, Flamenco, Celtic and Ethnic music
Sotogrande is not a borough, not a town, not even a village. It has no history of its own. Well, perhaps a little. When the British invaded Gibraltar 300 years ago, those who fled ended up in this secluded, privileged place in the borough of San Roque. It shares the same history as the Campo de Gibraltar: Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and Arabs traversed these lands before recapturing the soils in the 15th Century.
