RSG/79
Ian Bateman is someone who has played his part in shaping the history of Sotogrande. The Sotogrande Magazine spoke to the owner of Holmes Property Sales about the past of a resort that this enterprising Englishman opened up to the United Kingdom. Anecdotes and curiosities on those early years that tell the story of Sotogrande.
INTERVIEW - IAN BATEMAN
“The opening of the border opened Sotogrande to the world” In 1977 we had planned a trip for a group of 18 people and one of them cancelled. I decided to fill the When and why Sotogrande?
did you come to
I had a travel agency (Holmes Travel) in the United Kingdom and we organised trips to the Costa del Sol. In 1977 we had planned a trip for a group of 18 people and one of them cancelled. I decided to fill the quota myself and came to spend a few days in Spain... We stayed at Hotel Los Monteros and we visited Sotogrande for a day. For 300 pesetas we played on the ‘new’ course (now Valderrama) in the morning and the ‘old’ course (Real
quota myself and came to spend a few days in Spain. Club de Golf de Sotogrande) in the afternoon. I loved it and in 1978 I bought an apartment in the Casas Cortijo. The idea was to come here on holiday and rent it out. The problem was that Sotogrande was very isolated; it took a long time to get here from Malaga Airport IAN BATEMAN / LA REVISTA DE SOTOGRANDE
53