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It is not a normal hotel.

It is known as soon as one steps on the cobblestone floor of the patio that the visitor receives the visitor repeating the pattern of a

traditional Andalusian farmhouse.

With its fountain in the middle, its mosaic of white and blue tiles and a handful of pots with strategically placed roses. There is no shortage of

bougainvilleas

poking around the corners. Not a main palace-style building with its whitewashed façade.

When you walk through its door, you insist on the idea: it is not a normal hotel.

It is

Finca Cortesín.

The guest knows this, but also the most important publications in

the luxury and travel sector such

as

Out of Series, Forbes, Travel + Leisure

or

Condé Nast Traveler

.

For this reason, since its opening in 2009, this 215-hectare five-star Malaga resort on the outskirts of the town of Casares,

straddling Marbella and Sotogrande, has

topped the rankings for the best accommodations on the planet.

In the last World's Best Awards, the

Oscars for tourism, it

was positioned as the number one resort in Spain and Portugal.

And among the top 10 in Europe and the 50 in the world.

Signature cocktails at the Azul bar

Of course, a single night is not enough. There is nothing to eat in its

three specialized restaurants

, lie down at the

beach club

, sip a

Bloody Mary

at its Azul bar or a tea in the

Moroccan

chill-out

lounge

, improve your swing at the 18-hole golf course and at its

academy. Jack Nicklaus

, bathe in its four pools (one heated with salt water), plunge into the only snow cave in Spain in the

2,200 m2 spa

, admire its contemporary art gallery, buy a sarong at the

Bakar boutique

in the

shopping area The Plaza, get lost in the 23,000 m2 of gardens designed by the

English landscaper Gerald Huggan.

.. "Or enjoy the tennis and paddle courts with a personal trainer," adds Angel Asensi, reception manager, as another suggestion.

One of the two courtyards of the Malaga complex.

For all these reasons,

Preferred Hotels & Resorts

, the exclusive collection of independent hotels to which it belongs, has chosen it as hotel of the year several times.

Part of the fault is its location

, on the outskirts of Casares

, one of those charming white towns in the South.

Surrounded by photogenic slopes

, squares with wells,

charming taverns and houses with open doors, it even has a

castle perched on top

of a hill.

And all, looking at the sea, which can be reached in four minutes with the

free transfer

offered by Finca Cortesín at its entrance.

Swimming pool of the 'beach club' of 6,000 square meters.

There the

6,000 m2

beach club

awaits

with

an infinity pool,

Balinese beds, a high-end restaurant (you have to try the

fried

Victorian anchovies

or the black rice with octopus and squid) and a large list of cocktails to taste between baths. The menu is similar to that of the

new Pool 35 space

in the main pool, which has a new design and a

Josper oven

. The hotel not only boasts the sea, but also the mountains. That of

Sierra Bermeja

, the majestic chain of that color that dominates the Costa del Sol among pines, cork oaks, fir and carob trees, the symbol of the estate. The mountain surrounds almost all the facilities and can also be seen from most of the

67 suites

(there are no rooms directly).

Dalí and Coco Chanel's favorite designer

Divided into four categories (Junior, Executive, Family and Pool) plus the Cortesín Suite (180 m2), "they all have a patio or terrace and feature antiques, Persian rugs,

Travertine marble floors

and Egyptian cotton sheets and towels," explains Asensi .

Its design is the work of the sisters

Ana and Cristina Calderón,

while the common spaces were commissioned by the Portuguese interior designer

Duarte Pinto Coelho,

the favorite of Dalí, Maria Callas or Coco Chanel.

The 180-square-meter Cortesín Suite has two bedrooms.

With all these credentials, the Spanish refuge of those who love true luxury is presented, discreet, refined, attentive, personal.

The one looking for sagas like those of the

Rothschilds, the Grimaldi or even the Bourbons,

passing through characters like Mario Vargas Llosa,

Isabel Preysler or Eugenia Silva

, confessed fans of the place.

And that Spanish customers are not the most numerous.

At least until 2020, with the arrival of the pandemic.

Although before the British, Germans and Americans were the

majority public

, the Covid-19 caused many nationals to opt last season for this hideout by not being able to travel abroad.

Panoramic view of the 215-hectare complex in Malaga.

They thus became the first quota.

And this year, it seems to be repeating itself, according to Rene Zimmer, general manager of the hotel: "After a few months closed, we returned with the usual objectives, prevailing

sophistication, exclusivity and privacy

and intensifying security against the coronavirus."

The golfers' mecca

There is another adept audience, that of

golf lovers,

since Finca Cortesín has one of the best courses in the world.

With 18 holes and 7,000 meters, it was designed by

Cabell Robinson,

one of the great architects of the sector and the Volvo World Match Play Championship has been held several times, a tournament in which the top players come together.

Hence,

Golf Digest

magazine

considers it one of the best in Europe.

The golf players Noemí Jiménez and Laura Gómez.

It has also been chosen as the venue in 2023 for the

Solheim Cup

, the biannual women's competition that brings together the number one and that will take place in Spain for the first time in its history.

"This cup fulfills our aspirations and we will do our best to make it a success," says Vicente Rubio, general manager of the resort.

“We have been supporting

women's golf for

years

,

leaving a little of God's hand.

We help rising stars who need support after their amateur stage.

This is the case of the Spanish

Noemí Jiménez and Laura Gómez

, who will participate in the Solheim Cup, "a dream" for both.

We move on to the gastro chapter.

The first stop is the Italian

Don Giovanni

(two Repsol suns), which has renewed its image by the hand of the renowned Spanish decorator

Lorenzo Castillo.

The restaurant commanded by chef

Andrea Tumbarello

now sports a Mediterranean design both inside and on the terrace.

Recommendations?

The lasagna della mamma with veal and peas and the black truffle pizza.

Japanese and Spanish 'delicatessen'

Japanese fans have

Kabuki Raw

(one Michelin star), which offers "the best Japanese food outside of Japan in the region," according to critics.

The

nigiris of butterfish

with fried egg, wagyu ribs or

sashimi bull

in muffin pan is great for a first (or second, third ...) approach.

Terrace of the Don Giovanni restaurant, with its new image.

It would be necessary to mention

El Jardín de Lutz,

the Mediterranean restaurant run by the resort's executive chef,

Lutz Bösing,

a German with 30 years in Spain who bets on a cuisine that respects the essence, either offering a

Cordovan-style oxtail,

a smoked eel or a

steak tartare

. «I defend the hotel kitchen in which the client can order whatever he wants, starting

with fried eggs with chorizo

, but without losing the essence. Many hotels have forgotten about that and make impossible mixes. You cannot offer everything and everything is good. I want quality, ”says Lutz.

You would choose one of the

21 private villas

, located in two areas: 16 in

Green 10,

between holes 9 and 10 of the golf course, and five in

La Reserva de Cortesín.

All range between 420 and 700 m2 and have the full hotel services, to which others can be added such as the

request of chefs or butlers exclusively

.

A more than interesting option to extend the experience on the farm.

More information.

Finca Cortesín.

Carretera de Casares, s / n.

(Casares, Malaga).

Phone: 952 937 800. Internet: www.fincacortesin.com.

From 450 euros per night.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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