Costa Dorada – ‘A golfing destination on the rise’

Our latest golf blog destination is on Costa Dorada which I had the pleasure of visiting recently. I will give an account of the golf courses in the area & places to stay to help give a better understanding of this gem of a golfing region.

Sun, sea & sands, Costa Dorada means ‘The Golden Coast Line’ and once you have visited you will know why.

Costa Dorada or Costa Daurada as it is locally named is a rapidly growing golfing destination, to put it into context only 2% of golf rounds were played by international golfers as recently as 2011, now that number is at 30% and rising fast, so I had to go and find out why.

I flew into Reus Airport in Barcelona with a flight time of just over 2 hours from Dublin airport to find perfect blue skies and temperatures in the early 20’s. The rainfall level in Costa Dorada is remarkably low with statistics showing only 3 days of rainfall even in February, it’s micro climate all but guarantees a sunny golfing getaway.

Costa Dorada offers really attractive golfing packages to rival many of Europe’s top destinations, with it’s golf courses gaining more and more recognition and many of their hotels being ideal for golfing groups, the rise in popularity becomes an obvious one. One big advantage is how close the golf courses are located to the accommodation on offer making it ideal for transfers to and from courses with minimum travelling time.

The majority of hotels in the region are offering great spa facilities while also being located right on the beach front, this along with an array of bars, restaurants & shops to choose from make any non golfing days enjoyable too.

Costa Dorada

There are a great range of options when choosing where to stay in Costa Dorada. I stayed in Cambrils a traditional fishing town on the sea front packed with eateries with fine food and drinks and overall a very nice place for golfers to go out in, this along with some nice shopping outlets facing the beach make sure of a relaxing and enjoyable stay.

Salou is about 10 minutes from Cambrils by car and provides a number of hotels ideal for golf groups, the impressive Vil.la Romana hotel offers a really good half board option and is in an ideal location for golfing groups seeking a great value half board option. The food on display at the hotel is very extensive with a range of options to keep all taste buds happy.

The same goes for the Estival Park Hotel, a really popular choice for golfers too, it is located in the La Pineda region, right beside Lumine Golf Club. It also has a hugely impressive spa area with a pool and is packed with leisure activities free of charge for hotel goers, an ideal way to wind down after your golfing days.

All the accommodation on offer is within a short distances of the airport & golf courses which means less time travelling and more time playing. The other thing to note was the price for food and drinks in Salou & Cambrils was very good which is allows a big plus.

A great resort option is the Bonmont Villas located on site at Bonmont Golf Club, offering really clean, fresh looking apartments, ideal for golfers who like to rent a car and self cater for the week while staying right at the golf course.

A full range of accommodation Golfbreaks.ie offer in Costa Dorada is available here

Click to expand i-phone pictures 

For me Lumine Golf Club is the pick of the bunch when it came to the golf courses in Costa Dorada – run by Troon golf company which ensures a great service level and operation. Allowing golfers to relax and enjoy their golf as much as possible at their impressive 45 hole grounds. It is made up of the Hills and Lakes 18 hole courses along with a spare 9 called Ruins. The Lakes course is designed by Greg Norman and is maybe the slightly more popular course to play, however I played the Hills course and I was very impressed with the variety of golf holes, the greens and it’s overall look and feel. Lumine Golf Club is certainly a real treat to play.

With such a high level of service & top class courses to rival many it would be easy to expect an expensive green fee at Lumine but this isn’t the case and it is an extremely well priced golf course for what it is.

The Robert Trent Jones-designed Bonmont Golf Club is also a great option,  it lies at the foot of the mountains providing spectacular views from every hole. It is a true championship layout and a very good test of golf. Bonmont has twice hosted tournaments on the European Tour. A big thing for me is the putting surfaces and on both courses they were of a very high standard, rolling true and smooth which makes the round even more enjoyable.

Costa Dorada Golf Club is a more traditional Spanish course. It is an older style venue that has plenty of character, featuring some very tricky tree lined holes with an emphasis on shaping certain tee shots. It is the oldest course in the area but it has been very well kept and gives golfers a feel for a more traditional type Spanish course.

Last but not least is Aigüesverds Golf Club, which offers a nice parkland layout in the beautiful countryside just outside of Reus. The course offers a more playable test, not being overly long and with receptive greens. Not short on picturesque holes either with the par 3 4th hole being a copy of the famous 17th at Sawgrass.

As you can see, Costa Dorada is not lacking in Golf and for me it was very easy to see why it is a destination on the rise given the condition of the golf courses, it’s envious micro climate and the great places to stay.

Our latest special offers on Costa Dorada can be found here

Yours in Golf,
Michael O’Toole,

Sales & Marketing Executive,
Golfbreaks.ie

Thank you for reading & be sure to contact Golfbreaks.ie for your next golf trip. 

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