THERE is nowhere in Spain like Sotogrande in summertime.
The country’s most exclusive private enclave, this is the go-to destination for the discreetly wealthy and famous.
Even the privileged tourists who come to visit from Marbella or Ibiza, say, are surprised at the difference.
“The golf courses are excellent, the marina is safe and uncongested, there are no piles of traffic and people are generally nice,” explains local businessman Ben Bateman, who has spent his life in the resort.
“It has changed so much in Sotogrande over the last two decades and all for the good,” he continues. “Above all, there is so much more to do here now in terms of eating and going out and you don’t have to worry about your teenagers at night.”
He’s referring to a string of cool spots, including Agora, Trocadero and the After Polo where hundreds of youngsters gather through the warm summer evenings.
Yes, you read that correctly, ‘After Polo’... it’s where your youngsters will be rubbing shoulders with Middle Eastern princes, Made in Chelsea princesses and, of course, Argentinian polo professionals. What is there not to like?
Where wealth meets paradise
With names like Domecq, Cartier and Oppenheimer in the mix, no wonder Sotogrande is the Mediterranean playground of the rich and famous, writes Dilip Kuner and Jon Clarke
With its unbeatable location and near-perfect weather, it’s no wonder this paradise is one of Spain’s most sought-after spots to live.
Lying just 100km west of Malaga, it offers a front-row seat to the ancient world’s ‘Pillars of Hercules’ – that’s the Rock of Gibraltar and Morocco’s Jebel Musa.
It’s where business moguls and A-listers head to relax and enjoy the fruits of their wealth. From yachts and private jets to golf and polo, everyone here seems to be living a lifestyle few could dream of.
But how did this once sleepy agricultural estate turn into a playground for the elite?
The mastermind behind the transformation was one Joseph McMicking, an American-Filipino business tycoon.
McMicking had already made his mark as president of the Ayala Corporation, where he brought the prestigious Forbes Park to life in the Philip-
pines.
Inspired by the success of his previous venture, he set his sights on replicating that exclusivity on the sunny Spanish coast and in 1962, sent his cousin, Alfredo ‘Fredy’ Melian, on a mission to find the perfect plot. Armed with little more than a motorbike and a sense of adventure, Melian scoured the region’s then rugged dirt roads.
His efforts paid off when he discovered a sprawling 1,800-hectare estate near Gibraltar.
PRIVILEGE: From polo to sailing, Sotogrande is in a different class to the Costa del Sol
The farmland had been owned by a succession of the rich and famous – the Duke of Arcos, the Larios gin family and Spain’s then-richest man, Juan March, an arms and tobacco dealer and founder of the eponymous science and arts institution.
It seemed fated for grander use – and it ticked the boxes.
“We bought the land at Sotogrande without having seen it, like a pig in a poke,” said McMicking. “Paid $750,000 down and had to pay another third in six months and the rest in a year.”
He arrived with his nephews, Jaime and
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Summer 2025 10
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Enrique Zobel (the latter had been overseeing his pal, the Sultan of Brunei’s 1,788room palace) and Melian stayed on as ‘director of works’.
The Antigua Venta Toledo served as the first headquarters and, from there, the team somehow muddled along through.
Inspired by Palm Beach and Pebble Beach in the US, McMicking was determined to build the community around a golf club and, in
1963, he hired top course designer, Robert Trent Jones.
The Real Club Sotogrande was his first European venture and the first course in Europe with a new-fangled automated irrigation system.
Spain’s top modernist architect, Luis Gutierrez Soto (of Madrid’s famous Callao Theatre and the fnac building), designed the lowslung clubhouse, which is still very avant-garde today.
Next up the team hired the director of The Ritz hotel in Madrid to run the club.
And Trent Jones would return a decade later to design Valderrama, the setting for Volvo Masters events, the Spanish Open and even the Ryder Cup.
Ultimately it put the Costa del Sol (ED: technically just outside - it’s Cadiz) on the map as one of Europe’s top golfing destinations. Meanwhile, keen polo player, Enrique Zobel
built a polo ground by the beach. La Playa, inaugurated in 1965, wasn’t Spain’s first (the Jerez Polo Club dates back to 1872), but it very much set the social tone. Today, the newer Santa Maria Polo Club is considered one of the best in the world.
The first beach club the Cucurucho (named after its conical-shaped cornet roof) still exists today, though it’s bigger and grander, and called Trocadero.
The first hotel, the modernist, luxury motel style Tennis Hotel, now the Hotel Encinar, emerged in 1965.
Word spread and the rich, powerful and discreet began moving in. Jaime Ortiz-Patiño of the Bolivian tin mining dynasty, diamond magnate Philip Oppenheimer and Javier Benjumea, the Marquis of Puebla de Cazalla, all became residents.
A series of French dukes, Belgian barons, scions of European business followed, and
PAST OWNERS: McMickling (top), and the Larios family
San Roque golf course, but unless you are a houseguest you are unlikely to see the best of the rest.
American diplomat Nicholas Biddle’s house, built by Javier Carvajal fresh from designing the Spanish Pavilion at the New York 1963 World’s Fair, cost $160,000.
Sadly, prices have gone up: When Joseph Kanoui, head of the syndicate that bought Cartier, put his Casa La Manzana on the market for €26m in 2006, it was the most expensive house for sale in Spain.
McMicking’s plans for Sotogrande extended to the kind of person who came and what they built. “A Sotogrande based on money would be the most horrible society imaginable,” he said. However, it was only when Sotogrande was running out of cash and needed to open up to a new market of buyers that more affordable housing was developed.
Franco had helped the Sotogrande shareholders by waiving the rule that prevented foreigners purchasing land in Spain. But he stuffed them by closing Spain’s border with Gibraltar in 1969. With the N-340 under con-
struction, the trek to Malaga airport was arduous. The jet set couldn’t jet in, and Sotogrande fell into debt.
In the late 70s, the decision was taken to build apartments on the left bank of the Guardiaro. In 1978, to appeal to all-year residents, the International School at Sotogrande (ISS) was set up –initially in the old cattle sheds of one of the farms, Cortijo de Paniagua.
By the time the border reopened in 1985, Sotogrande was a different kind of place, still off the beaten track – it would be another 17 years until the AP-7 motorway hooked it up, but more connected to the real world. Some of the residents even had day jobs!
McMicking’s vision had always included a marina with canals and islands of apartments with yacht views, and the 1980s developments included just that, in shape of the Puerto Deportivo Sotogrande, completed in 1987, three years before his death.
The construction of this mini-Venice was
SOTO GOLD
IT is time to dust off your jodhpurs and head over to the playing fields of Sotogrande as it hosts the prestigious Gold Cup from August 18 to 30.
This annual highlight of the World Polo Tour attracts thousands of spectators to the Ayala Polo Club. As part of the month-long International Polo Tournament – the 54th edition of the event – the Gold Cup showcases the crème de la crème of the sport. With three levels of competition – low, medium, and high handicap – there’s
as good as saying times might change, but the dream of Sotogrande as a beautiful playground, a gorgeous sanctuary, remains intact. As he predicted: “Sooner or later the Costa del Sol is going to be mobbed but Sotogrande will be an island of order in the chaos.” No truer could he have been.
something for every polo aficionado. The action is already in full swing, with the Bronze and Silver Cup events being contested, and is open to all comers to view.
Beyond the thrilling matches, there is a vibrant atmosphere with a variety of activities. You can explore the stylish boutiques, enjoy live music performances, or unwind at the lively ‘After Polo’ tent. Families are well catered for with a dedicated children’s area featuring many exciting attractions. And when hunger strikes, there is no shortage of delicious morsels to tempt you.
So many places to eat!
WHEN I made my first visit to Sotogrande many, many moons ago in March, Sotogrande was completely empty and the only place open for dinner was Hostal Bernardo where you will now find CaixaBank in Pueblo Nuevo.
Driving back to my hotel in Estepona I saw literally no other restaurants open and Puerto Duquesa, for example, didn’t even exist. However, how things have changed now Sotogrande has become a year-round destination.
Despite the fake news merchants who claim there are few places to eat, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
I have just jotted down the names of 50 restaurants within a ten minute drive of my office and I’ve eaten in all of them – except one, the brand new Plaza Blanca, which is meant to be great. I asked my team to pick their two favourite restaurants, with me going first, choosing La Verandah and Fresco. There is nostalgia for me at La Verandah as its owners, Jose and Carlos, worked with me when I was General Manager of Valderrama in the late 1990s. But their restaurant has real consisten-
The Olive Press asked long-established local businessman James Stewart of Savills on his Sotogrande foodie pics
cy providing magnificent Spanish food with a touch of French influence.
Fresco has a great variety of choice and Guillermo, the Head Chef, is an award winner. I often have lunch there on Sundays on the terrace before dipping inside to watch a sporting event.
Rita, meanwhile, loves El Trocadero (for the ‘location particularly on a sunny day in winter’) and Brosco in Pueblo Nuevo where the sushi is the ‘best in town’.
Siobhean likes the newly opened Hincha which has ‘real quality food’ as well as the Argentinian grill, La Reunion, which has a great informal atmosphere.
Gloria’s picks are Rio Seco serving excellent fresh fish and classic Andalusian fare and Cancha I which overlooks the San Enrique polo fields. “I love the quiet country location and the steaks are always perfect,” she says.
LESS KITE FLYERS, LOWER OFFERS
IT has certainly been anything but an easy market for property sales in Sotogrande this year.
The heavy rains in March and a ‘very late Easter’ delayed many potential buyers’ planned trips to view properties, explains one of the resort’s leading estate agents.
“But thankfully May picked up and June and July too,” Ben Bateman, boss of Holmes Sotogrande told the Olive Press.
“It also helped that the majority of unrealistically high listings from last year have now reduced in price this year.
“Many developers also launched new projects with more realistic price expectations, despite the sharp increase in costs of construction.,” explains the boss of the resort’s longest-running agency.
“Now as we get to the delivery phase there is some price flexibility partic u larly for buyers who have the funds in place and are pre pared to act decisively.”
Problems began when the market ‘turned bullish’ to wards the end of 2023.
“It meant many vendors got over-exuberant and start ed to fly kites, after being persuaded by less experienced agents,” he continues.
“The issue was, when they eventually got realistic and started reducing prices having not sold after nine months, it was like spilling blood.”
With the scent of blood in the air, the vultures,
After a slow start to 2025, the property market in Sotogrande is picking up again, explains Ben Bateman of Holmes
wolves and sharks started to circle.
“It meant the market in the second half of 2024 simply got over confident.
“The sudden increase in pricing was too high and supply was short. There weren’t enough properties for sale,” he continued.
In addition, new developments were being priced too high and too many agents were going out ‘knocking on doors’ to canvas for listings.
“They were agreeing to whatever price the owners wanted and, if it doesn’t sell, who cares,” he quips. “It was great for their window dressing, but they simply weren’t selling.”
Fortunately, prices have now come down a little and there are more listings than a year ago.
Holmes has 300 listings now, which was down to
“Sellers are now being a little more realistic and this year has been strong for apartments and there has been a spike in demand for two-bed-
“This is for people who want a holiday home again and they are still relatively good value at around €450,000 to €580,000,” he continues.
Americans, Eastern Europeans and Latin Americans
There is also a larger cross-section of
buyers moving into Sotogrande, which has an-all year population of about 6,000 people.
While the Spanish market is still strong, the British market has been coming back with the Labour party getting into power and taxes set to rise.
“There are also more Americans, post-Trump, and GREEN SPACE: Sotogrande is surrounded by protected coastal and mountain areas
a high percentage of Eastern Europeans, particularly Czechs and Poles, and more Latin Americans, particularly those who have been resident around Europe for a while,” explains Bateman, a father-of-five, who started school in Sotogrande, before university in the UK.
He has also seen a steady drift of buyers from Marbella, as have other agents, who the Olive Press spoke to.
“The agents in Marbella used to say it was boring in Sotogrande, all dust devils and nothing going on, but things have really changed.
“Now there is so much more going on and Sotogrande is a big pull. We have got so
many agents now coming to us from Marbella with their clients.
“In particular it is the crowd who bought in their thirties in Marbella 30 years ago who are now coming to Sotogrande to buy in their sixties.
“Sotogrande is so much calmer and safer. You can let your kids out here and not worry about your teenagers,” he continues.
“There are no traffic jams and much less crime.
“And since the commercial rents in the marina came down there are so many more shops and restaurants and that has created more footfall and a much busier, more buzzing place.”
SURF AND TURF
SITTING in pole position in Sotogrande port, right beside the water, Don Diego takes some beating.
Opened by local businessman Juan Moncayo it has gone from strength to strength and is now one of the go-to joints for anyone in the know.
A true family restaurant Juan and wife Maria run two restaurants in the resort, the other being Casa Moncayo, set up by his father, Diego, in Pueblo nuevo.
They focus on great local fish and, particularly tuna, while the steaks are mostly from Galicia (rubia gallega) and are aged to perfection.
“Minhota gourmet is the best steak you can eat in Europe right
Fabulous
sushi and steaks are order of the day at Don Diego in Sotogrande port
now,” insists Juan, who acquires them himself from northern Portugal and Galicia. It’s hard to disagree when it comes out rare alongside a hot stone over which you cook it to your perfect level.
I particularly liked his rib eye steak that was thinly sliced and served with great home
You must also have a go at the new Japanese section which has amazing cuts of the best bluefin tuna from nearby When coupled with the amazing qual -
WATERFRONT: Watch the boats come in while dining
ity avocados from the nearby Guadiaro valley you’ve got some special tuna California rolls.
And then when you couple these super fresh avocados with cuts of ‘pez mantequilla’ (butterfish) and scallops for a tartare you’re on for a surefire winner!
I really liked the baos (right) as a starter, while gambas pil pil and his mother’s own
croquette recipe are also recommended.
Juan is a true globetrotter spending much of his year in South America (his wife’s from Bolivia) or northern Spain, so he’s always on the lookout for great quality new dishes.
CASA MONCAYO
Also why not check out Juan’s other restaurant Casa Moncayo in nearby Pueblo nuevo which is highly rated particularly for its quality of food and service.
In particular it is known for its fusion of traditional Andalucia fare with international flavours.
VARIETY: From delicious fish and sushi to the best Galician steaks
So stylish
IT’S not just the marina of Sotogrande that’s busy during summertime.
The resort’s top hotel, five star So/ Sotogrande Spa & Golf resort, is the place to find a range of excellent restaurants, as well as things to do. Apart from flamenco live music there are DJ sessions most nights of the week. Things really start heating up
The opulent, fecund grounds of Sotogrande’s top five star hotel have many hidden gems and plenty to see and do, writes Jon Clarke
come mid-July when the world descends on the resort and hotel, which is surrounded by a series of Spain’s best golf courses. And it doesn’t generally quieten down until mid-October when the holidaymakers have mostly gone
One of the most exciting launches of last summer was its amazing MarXa Chringuito restaurant, when a troupe of high society guests were treated to a splendid night.
The chiringuito has gathered steam this year and has become a wonderful standalone joint, complimenting the hotel’s more formal restaurants.
It specialises in great quality meats and organic local fish cooked on a cool five-metre long grill. And the ambience is a real cut above most
CORTIJO MAGIC
JOURNEYS are so often adventures in themselves.
To take a drive up to Cortijo Santa Maria 1962 in the hills above Sotogrande is magical from the moment you turn off the motorway and drive through the security gates.
As you take in some of Spain’s most expensive villas, and glimpses of its most exclusive golf course, Valderrama, you just sense you are in for something special.
The tree-lined avenues and perfectly clipped lawns give an overriding sense of privilege and, while the arrival at the resorts’s top five star hotel, SO/ Sotogrande, is a little underwhelming, once inside you’re back on track.
With interesting, yet unfussy, architecture and clever use of planting and water, you are in another world, a fecund paradise full of cascading levels and subtle colours and furniture.
You are also certainly a few steps closer to heaven at Cortijo 1962, a top floor restaurant with one of the most extraordinary dining terraces I’ve eaten on.
Overlooking an amazing backdrop of mountains right down to the sea, from here you take in the Serrania de Ronda, Sierra Bermeja and even La Concha above Marbella. Squint and you’ll also see Africa, even on a grubby day, while you look down across the
Cortijo-style roofs of the hotel.
I am firstly thrust a glass of bubbly, just €12 a pop, from Laurent Perrier and by royal appointment to the Prince of Wales, don’t you know. There’s cava by the glass, of course, as well, but champagne seems appropriate for €4 more.
Before you can blink, scallop tartare ‘eclairs’ and mussels in a Peruana tiger sauce are brought to the
places in Sotogrande and from Thursday to Sunday, you’ll love the music from DJ Hondo.
But there are three exciting new places to visit at the hip hotel, which went through a total refit and upgrade three years ago, under the watchful eye of Corsican manager Stephane Menou.
He has really shaken things up and this shows taking a stroll round its opulent grounds.
Brilliantly landscaped, it drops down on various levels to a series of giant swimming pools, and the planting has really come into its own.
At night it is particularly seductively lit
Jon Clarke is mesmerised by the location, views and quality of the Cortijo Santa Maria 1962 restaurant in Sotogrande
table, along with three types of local bread from Malaga with Cordoba olive oil.
The wine list is carefully laid out over one page, unlike many of the long, complicated lists one expects of five star hotels these days. Handily, there are at least ten of them by the glass, and it was good to see some local wines, such as Iceni, a red from nearby Arcos de la Frontera.
The menu itself is a trawl of Andalucian classics, things like suckling pig and grilled octopus, thankfully added to with the Conil tomato tartare, as well as an interesting sounding beef tiradito with blood orange and cucumber essence, at just €15. Obviously there was Jamon Iberico ‘Belloterra’, as well as a good num-
with tables spread out under the stars.
It is hard to believe there are 152 rooms and 36 suites scattered around the grounds it is so low density and spacious.
As well as an exclusive 3,500m2 wellness sanctuary also open for visitors by pre-booking, there is a kid’s club if you need a few hours to relax alone.
Above all, make sure to check the menu at the formal restaurant, Cortijo Santa Maria 1962, (see Olive Press re-
ber of vegetarian dishes including roasted cauliflower and vegetable ravioli.
Just as I was licking my lips over the odd-sounding ‘transparent asparagus veil’ which apparently came with prawn tartare and dashi, I was entirely sold on the special summer tuna menu, with a decent number of classic blue fin tuna cuts from nearby Barbate.
It is curated by France’s Michelin-star chef Nicolas Isnard, who has been overseeing the restaurant for a couple of years, alongside hotel executive chef Leandro Caballero, from Cordoba.
The Tuna Festival Asian Menu, as it’s called, is modelled on Japanese market dishes and comes in three sizes with the longest coming in at a reasonable €115.
The first dish for all three is ‘Tuna and Takuan rose’ - a subtle starter of thin strips of tender tuna belly wrapped in an envelope of an oriental vegetable, called takuan.
Coming in the shape of a rose, it sits on a bed of apple gel with dashi broth and needed a tiny touch of wasabi to really bring it to life.
Next up was a tuna tartare with a citrus and kumquat sorbet and ‘kalamansi’ aroma. It rocked with flavours, but didn’t come near to the next dish, a tuna belly tartaki with a sprinkle of caviar on top and with mint pesto, sweetcorn and Thai pomelo as garnish. We were now onto the pudding courses, including the intriguing ‘Green tea, tamarind and cinnamon’ which was rather like having tea at granny’s - a real creamy treat.
There was also a rich rice pudding, but in no way did it compare to the wonderful cheese course.
Billed as ‘Andalucian cheese - a journey’, it even had its own well presented menu that explained the five cheeses from Sevilla, Cordoba, Cadiz and Malaga.
“We’ve been given a free reign to really push on,” explained chef Leandro, who comes from Pozoblanco, and one suspects can chew the cud for hours about Rabo de Toro and Salmorejo.
“Since joining a decade ago when it was the old Almenara it’s got better and better. These days I can really concentrate a lot more on quality and being experimental.”
The journey over, I got home with a big smile on the face.
view left) as well as the IXO Tapas & Bar.
Cortijo Santa Maria 1962 has now got a great reputation for its traditional Andalucian cuisine, with a range of contemporary touches, as well as its tasty tuna
menu thanks to the help of Michelin star chef Nicolas Isnard, now leading the Tuna Festival, with a trio of set menus.
Meanwhile, IXO has dozens of signature cocktails, beside some delicious avant-garde tapas.
There is also live music going on, in particular flamenco vibes (covers, guitar and dance) from Thursday to Saturday. The SO/ brand is renowned for its fashion collaborations, partnering with famous designers from Christian Lacroix to Viktor & Rolf.
It was set up by leading hospitality and lifestyle group Ennismore with the company Accor and has hotels in many major cities, including Vienna, Paris, Dubai, Berlin and the Maldives. With bespoke spaces, signature tailoring and experiences, each hotel reflects the local culture it is found in.
Visit www.so-hotels.com/en/sotogrande/ for more information
● 14/08 DINNER AND FLAMENCO SHOW with bailaor Jose Franco at the beach, La Reserva Club ( www.sotogrande.com/ whats-on/dinner-and-flamenco-show-withjose-franco-at-the-beach)
