Made up of three incredible loops of 9, that together offer three different par-72 combinations, providing the sort of variety you rarely find in one resort. The gently undulating fairways meander through a striking landscape around the lakes and are bordered by pine, cork and oak trees. Set in the higher area of Sotogrande, the course is less than 500 metres from the legendary Valderrama golf course, host of the Ryder Cup and Volvo Masters.
Almenara is a fantastic resort course, providing a genuine challenge for highly skilled players, but Thomas' considerate design and the multitude of tee boxes ensure that the average golfer will not be overwhelmed.
| Par | 72 |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Robert Trent Jones Snr. (refurbished in 2012) |
| Opened in | 1976 |
| Previoulsy hosted | Spanish European Tour (2015) |
| White | 7,148 yards | SSS 74 |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | 6,897 yards | SSS 72 |
| Red | 5,825 yards | SSS 73 |
Signature Hole: Hole 13, Par 5, 535 metre (585 yards), SI 4
Los Lagos’ signature hole is the 13th, a 535 metre (585 yards) par 5 packed full of hazards. Immediately from the tee the golfer is seriously tested, and a straight drive is required with little margin for error, as bunkers await to both sides of the landing area. The second shot requires a thoughtful club selection in order to lay up before the water, and make for an easier approach shot. However, the water hazard comes up along the left side of the fairway before spreading before the green, so be mindful of this when preparing for your lay up shot. At the back of the green, more bunkers await, waiting to catch any long shots, which may be over-hit due to the lurking water around the front of the hole causing a case of mind over matter in forcing a long shot, rather than possessing any real threat. A fantastic hole, requiring a solid game management, and a concentrated effort throughout.
Perfectly integrated in a natural setting, Sotogrande offers an upscale wide range of leisure and sports facilities like Sotogrande Marina, Beach Clubs, Racquet Center, Polo fields, Golf Academy or an Equestrian Center and Horse Riding School.
Surrounded by some of the most worldwide renowned golf courses like Valderrama or La Reserva and very close to San Roque Golf, The Hotel Almenara is the perfect setting to enjoy an unique Golfing Experience, indulge with a high-end Wellness and Spa facilities and taste the exquisite Andalusian cuisine in an elegant and tranquil atmosphere.
The Hotel Almenara has 145 spacious Rooms, including 9 Junior Suites and 3 Premium Suites, built in a villa style with an exquisite decoration using natural materials that provides a warm and local ambiance some of them with fascinating views over Almenara Golf Course. All rooms are equipped with Minibar, TV, Safety Deposit box, A/C, Terrace, complete Bathroom, bathrobe and slippers.
With its elegant ambiance and an spectacular outside terrace with amazing views over Sotogrande, the Restaurant “ Gaia “ showcases a traditional Andalusian cuisine and an exquisite selection of wines; Club House Restaurant “Veinteeocho” offers Breakfast served in a buffet style and the Apres-Golf experience with a Salads & Snacks as well as healthy options in a more informal interior atmosphere and an impressive 400 sq. meters terrace overlooking the golf course and Sotogrande Skyline.
The Lobby Bar is located in the Hotel´s main lounge and has an adjoining Andalusian Patio, offers a wide selection of teas, premium drinks and classic cocktails. During the summer season the Pool bar service will be available in our impressive outside swimming pool.
Elysium Spa & Wellness Center the maximum expression of health and relaxation experiences in an unique concept with the latest and most innovative beauty treatments and massages. The Spa features a hydrotermal water circuit with heated water, contrasting showers, sauna, Turkish bath and a state of the art Fitness Center with Technogym equipment, Personal Trainners, Colective Clases and Wellness Coach.
Outdoor Swimming Pool, Free Wi Fi, Laundry and Free Shuttle to: the Golf Academy, Sotogrande Golf courses, Beach Club and Marina.
We are a group of 4 mid range handicap golfers who have been away to various parts for the past 12 years. We chose Almenara this year for the value and simplicity of the experience. Flying into Gibraltar on the early Easyjet flight allowed us enough time to pick up our car, get to the hotel in around 30 minutes and have a coffee prior to some much needed putting practice.
You need this as the greens at Almenara are wickedly fast and have some punishing slopes. We all experienced three footers ending up twenty feet away!
We played 2 different sets of 9 each day and found the variety to be such that it really did feel like a different course each time we picked up the sticks. Almenara is not for high handicap golfers due to a lot of narrow fairways and run offs leading to either trouble or out of bounds areas. It’s a thinking man’s course, often with high risk and no reward for anything wayward.
A range finder helps as some of the metre markers are suspect to say the least. You also need buggies unless you are a masochist with little regard for your own health. Having said that, there is no chance of boredom and you always leave the course wanting more and with a tale to tell.
The clubhouse is excellent with well priced refreshment, good staff, lots of relaxing space and excellent, brand new buggies.
The hotel is superb. The twin rooms have two double beds a piece and a terrace upon which to enjoy a glass of wine whilst looking out over rolling countryside. The bathrooms are modern, clean and fully equipped. We always enjoy the breakfast here as the staff are long serving and know what they are doing. As for the food, tough to find what was not on offer, such was the choice! We had a few drinks in the bar, as you do, but dinner was enjoyed in nearby Duquesa where there is a wide choice of eating experience.
Finally and as always, YGT were superb in their simplicity
and efficiency.
Resort design is satellite buildings, both, accommodations and functional communal spaces; the resort is kept immaculately, clean and beautifully landscaped, but, signage could be improved and the design does not accommodate inclement weather.
The gym and spa facilities are better than the majority of resort gyms I have visited, free weights to 30kg, bar weights and assorted technogym machinery and a studio with 5-6 daily classes included for guests, 20 spin bikes and daily class.
Pool looked great, but, the sun unfortunately did not shine so lounging by the pool was out.
Almenara has 27 holes, an enjoyable challenge for all abilities, lakes being the most demanding, tees 7/10, fairways 6/10, greens 10/10; the greens made the course fast, receptive and true, if you can’t hole out at Almenara, then it may be time to find a new flat stick or stroke. The golf course is set in a mountainous region of Spain and aspect change on the course is not lacking, walking is only for the energetic, the course is designed for carts and again signage could be improved.
Breakfast and food was fine, nothing exceptional but no complaints, the restaurant was buffet both morning and evening, but, bar snacks also available with generous kitchen hours.
Good TV coverage in the rooms and a stable free wifi network
Not much happening at the resort in February, but, if you are looking for peace, quiet, golf, spa and relaxation, Almenara is a great option that won’t break the bank and a short distance from Valderama, San Roque and some other golfing greats. Thanks again for assisting with our Spain golf holiday.
We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend golf break at the Almenara Hotel. The rooms were excellent and the food was great. Playing golf in Spain was sensational...no need for umbrellas and waterproofs here! It’s so much better value for money playing it through Your Golf Travel and will certainly be back for more in the future. We would love to play these golf courses again and having spoken to some fellow Scots out there we wouldn’t be surprised if you get an email from them for their next golf break! The Almenara courses were good and great fun to play but the organisation left a bit to be desired.
I would have no hesitation recommending Your Golf Travel to friends; in fact we have already done so!
Many thanks for organising a fantastic trip; we really couldn’t fault any aspect of the golf holiday.
We stayed at the Hotel Almenara in Spain and it was great. The service was friendly and prompt and the food available in both the on-site restaurants was excellent. We ate in the Veinteeocho for the majority of the golf break and had one meal in the more exclusive Gaia, which was amazing. Pricing wasn’t astronomical and we enjoyed the odd beer for 3.5 Euros a pop. We also enjoyed a bit of the local wine in the Pentegrama Bar. The rooms in the hotel were very well appointed and very spacious.
Apart from the golf our favourite part of the trip was relaxing in the Elysium Spa. We actually hadn’t realised the hotel has its own spa so were pleasantly surprised to find one and needed no persuasion to put it to use after our rounds of golf!
The course was great and the whole group thought the layout was superb. With 27 holes there is real variety on offer as you can pick and choose which combinations of nine hole loops you want to play. One drawback was that they had just finished doing some maintenance work on the greens and we got the impression they weren’t as good as they would usually be. I would guess if we had gone a month later they would have been perfect! We would definitely recommend hiring buggies.
We used the directions from the hotel website and found these to be of great use...the hotel was really easy to find which is always a bonus!
I have been on many golf breaks in Spain and various other golf holiday destinations and this was certainly up there with the best of them. Overall I would give the holiday an 8/10. The hotel was quite quiet so it will be interesting to see if the service is a good when the hotel is full.
We will be going back to find out and I’m sure we will be booking through Your Golf Travel. Your service was great and we have already enquired about our next golf holiday to France in September!
We have just completed our golf holiday at Almenara and I want to thank you for your recommendation. The hotel, rooms, food and golf were all fantastic! It was a bit quiet at the time so the harbor was not really worth visiting, but we had trips to Tarifa and Ronda which was a very good experience. So all in all we are very pleased and will use you on our next golf trip. Thanks for your good service and perfect recommendation. Kind regards,
We have just returned from our trip to Sotogrande which you booked for us. The hotel was very good and the golf courses excellent. We particularly liked La Reserve which we thought was better than San Roque old, we were not impressed with San Roque new but liked the Almenara courses, the two we played were excellent. You needed buggies as they were a long walk. The hotel was good and the food excellent. Overall we had a great time, the weather was okay and we would go back again. Thanks for your help All the best,
