Camiral Golf & Wellness: Spain’s Best Golf Resort?

The official Atlético Madrid team coach that sits outside the hotel is a good sign; if this is where elite footballers come to relax, then we have to be somewhere special. We are, although World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann and co are not at Camiral Golf & Wellness (not during the season at least) for 18 holes – they’re here to unwind and make use of the extensive health and fitness facilities on offer. Not a bad place to relax ahead of a big game, it must be said. 

Many golfers will know this spectacular 36-hole resort, which is located just over an hour’s drive from Barcelona and only ten minutes from Gironoa-Costa Brava airport, as PGA Catalunya, which was its name for more than two decades. Now, though, the DP World Tour hosting venue has begun a new chapter in its journey, and I’m here to sample an array of experiences that have been brought together under one name: personalised healing (a massage/bodywork), locally grown ingredients (lots of food) and, sadly, exercise (Pilates). 

There will be golf – 36 on the Stadium Course, considered one of the very best golf courses in Spain, and 18 on the slightly less demanding Tour Course – but I won’t be sweating on any vicious, downhill five-footers like the pros would have done during the Final Stage of European Tour Qualifying School.

It’s easy to understand why the likes of Atlético Madrid and Manchester City, as well as a number of other elite athletes and sports teams use Camiral Golf & Wellness as a base to relax and prepare for competition. Let’s start with the $5 million state-of-the-art Wellness Centre, which includes eight single and one double treatment room, a gym with Technogym equipment, yoga studio, outdoor pool, thermal circuit with hydro-massage pool, toning pool, steam bath and sauna, hammam and relaxation room. Even the most demanding of sports performance coaches could want for anything else.