Famous Hotels: Finca Cortesin, Casares, Malaga
A five-star hotel, spa and golf resort, Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol is considered by many to be one of the finest hotels in Spain.
Most of Andalucia's landmark hotels - ones which are well known for their unusual or visually stunning buildings - are housed in historic buildings: old convents, castles or palaces. But a few are in cleverly designed modern structures - though you'd never know it. Finca Cortesin, with its vegetation-covered white walls, cobbled courtyard, flower-filled patios, tiled fountains and tall, graceful palm trees, looks like it's been there for generations. In fact, it was finished just three years ago.
One of the hotel's interior designers used flooring from period buildings, including an 18th-century Portuguese convent, to give its public areas a "lived-in" feel, as well as donating religious antiquities, ceramics and furniture of his own. Tapestries and paintings adorn the walls, so you feel like you're in a private home. The setting is peaceful and privileged: in rolling countryside, you have views of the Mediterranean, and are overlooked by the peaks of the Sierra Bermeja.
The hotel has 67 luxurious rooms and suites, but they are laid out over such a large area, with some around the two-storey patio and others near one of the two outdoor swimming pools, that it feels very private. The rooms themselves are extremely spacious and light (38m2-79m2, plus outside space, with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies or terraces looking over the mountains or sea. Décor is in neutral tones with splashes of bright colour - understatedly classy and chic. They have large bathrooms, with huge tubs, his and hers sinks, and separate walk-in showers big enough to fit a small family. Some suites have their own plunge pools. Well-equipped minibars offer champagne, sherry and wine, as well as snacks such as chocolate-covered fruit. Exquisite home-made sweets are left in each room to welcome the guest, a thoughtful detail which will delight adults as much as children. There is free WIFI throughout the hotel.
You can eat in two restaurants - the Spanish one, decorated with old Portuguese dishes and tiles, which has a beautiful terrace by the lawn with sea view; and an avant-garde Arabic-Asian fusion restaurant with open kitchen. This restaurant is overseen by world-famous Michelin-starred Dutch chef Schilo Van Coevorden; the space feels so intimate that it is more like a private dining room. In summer, there is also an Italian restaurant.
The bar has an elegant, country house feel, with high ceilings, wood parquet floor (reclaimed from a Venetian palazzo) and handmade blue wallpaper decorated with birds, which looks antique but was made to order in China. English portraits, glass-fronted mahogany cabinets and tastefully worn chairs and rugs add to the ambience - clubby without being stuffy. As well as the outdoor section of the bar, there's a Moroccan chill-out area decorated in rich reds.
The hotel has won numerous awards, including from Conde Nast Traveller, featuring on their Gold List of the best hotels in the world.
What is there to do?
You can swim all year round in the spa's magnificent indoor pool, surrounded by soft creamy stone floor and walls. With tall, arched windows looking onto the garden, potted palms, lounger chairs and columns, it has a colonial feel. Spa treatments include a full selection of massages from the expert Thai therapist, as well as body and facial experiences. In addition to the Turkish bath, Jacuzzi and sauna, you can also try the snow cabin.
In the warmer months, there are two enormous outdoor pools - one for families, which has a restaurant serving light meals, and one for adults only. A beach club, which you are taken to by shuttle bus, offers another huge pool, surrounded by palm trees, with a restaurant and bar, and a private area reserved for hotel guests only.
Golfers will be in their seventh heaven, as the estate has its own Championship Golf Course, which hosts the Volvo World Match Play Championship. The Club House has its own restaurant. You can also go horse-riding, play paddle or tennis, and the hotel has a well-equipped gym. Activities which can be arranged for guests include scuba diving, sailing and helicopter rides.
How do I get there?
Finca Cortesin is located south of Estepona on the Costa del Sol. You leave the AP7 motorway at Exit 153, then take the A7 road towards Manilva and Algeciras. Before Manilva, turn off on the MA8300 heading inland towards Casares. Finca Cortesin is about 1km up this road, with its own roundabout.
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Photos by Hotel Essence Photography
Finca Cortesin
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