Information about Sotogrande

Sotogrande has set the standard for property developers along the Costa del Sol and is considered one of the most prestigious and beautiful estates in Europe. The intention is to offer the best in everything it does and much credit is due to the vision of the original founders in realising the potential of the site which only had dirt tracks leading to it back in 1962. Sotogrande Old Course and Valderrama (host to the 1997 Ryder Cup and 2002 Volvo Masters) are two of the *top five golf courses in Europe with Almenara, San Roque (home to the European PGA qualifying school) and several others close by to choose from offering golf that is second to none. The Santa Maria polo fields play host to some of the best players in the world culminating in the great tournament on the last weekend of August and for sailors the marina offers the unusual possibility of purchasing a property with their own berth for those that want the best of both worlds.

Location is always important and Sotogrande has the huge advantage of its proximity to Gibraltar providing an international airport only twenty minutes drive away. Malaga Airport is just over an hour away and is busier but offers flights to more destinations in the UK. Looking across the Mediterranean the not so distant Atlas Mountains of North Africa remind you just how far south you are with a climate to match tempered by the sea breeze.

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The Costa del Sol has never been more popular and all along the coast it seems there are new golf courses and developments being built around them. Many seek to emulate Sotogrande with its lush boulevards and mature golf courses, busy marina and a wide range of property options to suit all buyers but there is no substitute for nearly forty years head start in which the estate has evolved not only in terms of infrastructure and vegetation but also in terms of developing a social fabric. For many property owners and their families Sotogrande provides a genuine second home and social life revolving around the beach clubs, golf clubs and bars and restaurants of the marina. Sotogrande attracts an almost even mixture of Spanish and English owners with about 5% of owners coming from other countries. We feel this has helped to retain a more authentic Spanish feel while being very welcoming to English owners and visitors. The new International School with its state of the art technology and facilities already has a waiting list to gain entry. Sotogrande is now a place to live as well as to escape to from the outside world.

Sotogrande was divided into three parts concentrating development in one third at a time, each centered around a top quality golf course. The estate has discouraged people buying plots just as an investment (although there are a few that haven't been built on) so that there is relatively little building going on in the original areas of Sotogrande. This also means that new development causes very little disruption to existing residents. The last third is ready to begin so there will be the option to purchase plots to build the house of your choice for those that prefer it, all of which will be in close proximity to the two new courses that will form one prestigous new club, La Reserva, with a maximum of 750 members per course.

There are new properties for sale which range from apartments around the marina to semi-detached properties sharing a pool such as the dramatic new development Las Terraces near to Valderrama to private villas of different sizes.

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Sotogrande also offers the opportunity for resale properties unlike many developments. These may be apartments or villas and are often in the best locations as earlier purchasers took their pick of the prime sites. Their gardens are mature and all the villas have a minimum of 1,000 square metres (approximately quarter of an acre) and some are set on double plots.

The choice of property and variety of location within Sotogrande is huge as you might expect of an estate that is 4,400 acres and we highly recommend that you make a visit to see what is on offer.

Holmes Property was established by Ian Bateman in 1979 and is the longest established agency in Sotogrande. Ian and his wife, Jackie, know Sotogrande as well as anyone having lived and worked there for 21 years and brought up a family there too. They are in an ideal position to advise on all aspects of life in Sotogrande and the process of buying anything from plots of land to apartments and villas along with other aspects such as shares in the beach clubs and golf clubs which many owners wish to do.

Property prices in Sotogrande are bouyant at the moment and it is difficult to give guideline prices for potential buyers. Instead please call us and we can then provide a selection of properties that are available at the current time. If you want any information about Sotogrande please call us here at Holmes Travel and ask for John or Martin. We both know Sotogrande very well including the golf courses! If you want to arrange a visit we can organise flights, accommodation and car hire which we do for many residents and visitors to Sotogrande and the area. We have an allocation of discounted seats on British Airways to Gibraltar and Malaga from both Gatwick and Heathrow which means we can usually get you a better price than most agents on those routes. If you do buy a property you'll hopefully become a regular customer of ours too!