Luscious La Finca Resort
There is a scene in the classic movie ‘The Gladiator’ where Maximus (Russell Crowe) approaches his Spanish Finca and gallops through a vision of burnished and ombre coloured fields lined with rows of cypress trees. I’m reminded of this emotive landscape when I sit for the first time in the cool breezy terrace at the La Finca Golf Resort’s impressive club house looking out over the arid burnt sienna colours of the farmland where way in the distance tree lined avenues sit against the horizon. In the low valley nestles the La Finca golf course, an oasis of lush verdant green.
The Hotel, low level and of chic modern design, is softened by beautiful ‘Italianate’ style gardens surrounding a sophisticated pool area complete with terrace bar. All very grown up and calming, no screaming kids allowed here!
Many modern hotels can feel their age, but whilst it might be ten years since La Finca Hotel first opened its doors, the hotel still feels fresh. This year a significant renovation exercise has been undertaken with half the rooms and restaurants getting a makeover. The result is modern chic and contemporary.
Accommodation and Dining
We stayed in a comfortable Deluxe room with impressive views across the gardens, pool and far distant hills beyond – some fantastic sunrises! The rooms are very modern in design, well equipped with coffee and tea making facilities. A luxurious and contemporary bathroom with one of the best showers I have used!!
Dining options during my visit were somewhat limited, a temporary situation due to Covid-19. We had a fairly standard breakfast in the buffet area but with very attentive staff. Dinner was in the ‘Hub’, an open plan homage to minimalism, with a cocktail bar and dining area all currently located on the terrace outside. The food was excellent a fresh fusion of modern and traditional Spanish dishes. In September a new restaurant will open to increase the choice in the hotel. ‘Citrus Experience’ this will offer traditional Spanish cuisine with a contemporary twist served up in an ultra-modern all white interior space.
The star of the show, whilst the new restaurants are being completed, is the La Finca Golf clubhouse, a clean contemporary building, modern in style but with design features that introduce a touch of on trend antique chic. (when you look up, the ceiling is full of horizontal hung old Spanish doors) . The view is fantastic, in the distance a quintessential Spanish vista of brown and green farmland stretching for miles with La Finca golf course in the foreground running through the valley. The position of the clubhouse up high above the course makes it cool and inviting to lunch there. The menu presented simple good quality local produce and the service quick and organised. Adjacent to the clubhouse is a new building of traditional style with a mix of modern and old interiors. This building will have a high end Spanish and Paella restaurant called Misto and function space and an impressive Bodega. All planned to be open by October 2020. Below and adjacent to the pro shop will be a state of the art gym and high performance sports facility.
And finally, in this impressive renewal project a contemporary jazzy Mexican/Italian restaurant right next to the first tee opened at the end of August. Just the place to watch the action!
Golf
Onsite is La Finca, one of three courses owned and managed by La Finca Resort, Las Ramblas and Villamartin being also part of the stable, whilst not on the same estate they form a cohesive offering for visitors to the Hotel. Villamartin, which opened in 1972, is the most established and remains a members club as well as open to visitors, Las Ramblas opened in 1991 and La Finca opened in 2002.
La Finca – To reiterate - the clubhouse at La Finca is impressive. Contemporary and chic with amazing views over the course and the distant landscape beyond. I don’t think I have ever had such an impressive view of a whole golf course. The club house terrace bar and restaurant is well positioned on the top of the club house and there was a lovely cooling breeze as we lunched on freshly prepared salads, pre-game. The clubhouse staff were efficient and helpful and fortified and ready for golf we were assigned a buggy with GPS and were ready to start our round.
Clubhouse restaurant
Designed in 2002 by Pepe Gancedo, former Spanish amateur champion, often referred to as the ‘Picasso of Golf’, with his ability to create works of art in his course design, whilst also delivery a sporting challenge, and indeed, La Finca is a feast for the eye from every angle.
Located in a lush shallow valley, it is a green oasis amongst an arid agricultural backdrop with stark stony terrain on the small hill range in the distance (although is apparently a very fertile and productive agricultural area for Spain). From many holes there are stunning views over the plains and to the horizon. Reed beds and streams meander alongside you into formidable lakes all creating a beautiful backdrop for birds and wildlife, whilst the fairways are lined with olive and palm trees.
The course is being constantly upgraded by the current owners, who are keen golfers themselves, to ensure well-maintained fairways, smart bunkers, excellent greens, wide fairways, kind rough and consistent greens, albeit a little slow for me. The wide fairways lull one into a false hope that this will be an easy course but well placed and numerous bunkers, together with undulating ground and steep slopes create a challenge not too crushing but enough to make one want to take on the course again. So, to the first tee, elevated to give a bird’s eye view of the first fairway, it creates an inviting beginning to the round. I have to say that many of the holes have a degree of similarity, which is not to say not enjoyable but wide fairways are the norm with strategically placed bunkers being the challenge. Unusually the two most difficult holes are the 17th and 18th (stroke index 1 and 2), I was just noting that there had not been a ‘freak out’ hole until we faced the Par 4, 17th. A whopping 280 yard carry of water from the Men’s’ tee box to the fairway, to what then looked like a handkerchief of a green. The only other option a narrow route to the right, where the risk of water is if you overshoot, and if you take that route there is a green side bunker to contend with!! The 18this then a long beautiful par 5 up toward to the clubhouse, challenging more for its length and incline rather than hazards, albeit a stream splits the fairway in two.
La Finca
An enjoyable course to play – if one was being really picky you would say it is a ‘resort’ course – wide fairways and easy rough – but the bunkers seemed to capture many good balls and the wide fairways can lead to trouble as it undulates in all directions. I didn’t play my best golf so feel there is still a challenge there for me and would definitely like to play again.
Las Ramblas and Villamartin are a 20 to 30 minute drive from the resort either under your own steam as we did or the hotel provides a complimentary minibus. Unfortunately due to our time restrictions we didn’t have time to play Villamartin but we did have the pleasure of playing Las Ramblas, where the clubhouse offers great views of the golf course and driving range.
Las Ramblas - The reviews of Las Ramblas suggested that the course was going to be an interesting challenge with lots of recommendations to stock up on balls before starting the round!
Indeed, Las Ramblas is quite an unusual course and long hitters might decide to leave their driver at home, also designed by Pepe Gancedo, it is laid out over very steep dramatic terrain surrounded by water, and densely populated with pine trees, thankfully providing shade as well as hazards! The reviews suggested the course to be very tight with blind holes; sharp dog legs and long carry’s over ravines and that one should have low expectations of scoring well.
Las Ramblas - 4th hole
So to our round - we were asked to begin on 10th tee, a short par 3 that requires the accuracy of ‘passing a camel through the eye of a needle’, on the right side of the green a sharp drop to a ravine and the left a line of pine trees. A wobbly start that set the tone for the next few holes, with a second challenging par 3 at the 12th hole, which required carrying the total distance to a raised green, and then a third par 3 at the 14th requiring exacting calculation of distance or your ball was gone. The longer holes are full of interest and danger and hitting the right distance is the key to understanding how to play this course, its very interesting and challenging but equally very enjoyable. The front 9 are a little more forgiving except perhaps the 6th and the 7th. The 6th requires pinpoint accuracy to hit the green and avoid the gorge on the right whilst the 7th is a right angle dogleg over a ravine, which requires carry all the way. Despite the challenge of this course we both played quite well. This course is a thinkers course and suits those with shorter games who are used to plotting their way round, my playing partner is a long hitter and on the day his accuracy was on game and as a consequence he really enjoyed the challenge of choosing how to play his longer clubs – however be warned, if you are a long hitters with less accuracy then leave the woods in the bag!
Other Facilities
My short trip didn’t allow time for a visit to the Spa, but from a quick tour it was clear that this is of the highest standard. Impressed to note that some thought had been given to its location and the indoor pool area had fabulous views to the gardens beyond rather than being located in the basement, as so many spas seem to be. A full range of treatments are available, featuring the excellent Spanish range Natura Bisse. There is also a well-equipped gym, tennis courts and of course golf practice area.
