SPURGING IN SAN ROQUE FOR GOLF, TAPAS AND SIGHTSEEING –Boston Herald, April 12, 2001

San Roque, pronounced San Ro-kay’, further south than Marbella, a bit north of Gibraltar, boasts a palm-trees-blue-skies ambience, and an average year-round temperature of sixty degrees. Like the many crowded seaside communities one passes along the way from the Malaga Airport, the tiny town boasts 300 days of sun per year, but is distinguished by the star in its crown–the plush and peaceful San Roque Club. Actually a 100 room hillside resort converted from the former homestead of the Domecq wine family, it is the most popular golf destination in Spain.The hotel has its own recently refurbished 18 hole golf course and a brand new perk: guests staying here have reciprocal privileges at three other nearby courses, one being the pre-eminent Valderra, considered the best golf course in continental Europe. Valderra is so well-maintained, that in the words of one golfer, “every blade of grass stands at attention,” but San Roque’s own course, with its bougainvillea and artificial crystal ponds, its golf school and new clubhouse, is also world-class. The front nine holes wind through a landscape of cork trees and views of mountains and the Mediterranean, the back nine undulate through rolling hills and wrap up with two challenging holes. San Roque has hosted the Ryder Cup and World Golf Championships; in the words of another golfer, “it reeks of elegance.” Prince Andrew has played on its greens and Sean Connery is a member of the club, comprised of what a staff member calls, “European moneyed families.” Moneyed or not, guests may also play at the very nearby Sotogrande, about two and a half miles away, or the Alcaidesa Golf Course, a nice links with views of Gibraltar. Twenty other courses are within an hour’s drive, and there is no need to lug that golf bag across the Atlantic; San Roque will deliver a set of superior clubs to guests’ doors.

The doors, by the way, tend to be of heavy, carved wood, and open onto bright rooms and suites complete with marble bathrooms, outdoor brick patios, and wooden headboards the color of castanets. The general resort ambience, with its terracotta and wrought iron, moorish rooflines and courtyards, fountains and flowers, reeks of Old Spain as one has always imagined it.

Golf is not everything here: there is a famous equestrian center with instructors and trainers, a beach club, a conference center, tennis, children’s activities. And, here in Andalusia, there is so much else to see. Although San Roque has its own restaurants — one continental, one Japanese — it’s also fun to travel a bit for lunch or dinner, to, say, Cadiz. Tapas is everywhere. “Tapas” is a word that means “lid” and is said to have begun as an appetizer munched with sherry when someone placed a piece of salami, Jambon Iberico (black ham) or some other tidbit across the top of a stem glass, creating a “lid.” The small servings of this and that — as a first course or an entree — is reminiscent of Italian antipasto.

In Cadiz, after viewing the two thousand year-old Roman Theatre, the gold-domed Cathedral, or shopping for leather buys on Antonio Lopez Street, head for lunch at the city’s best restaurant, el Faro, for excellent tapas washed down with the ubiquitous Tio Pepe sherry. Follow this with the house special, “Urta,” the local fish, baked in a slipcover of salt, which theatrically gets hammered open at the table.

Another day, head for Ronda, where Hemingway is said to have written “Death in the Afternoon” in the shadow of Plaza De Toros, the oldest bullring in Spain. On the way, on the national road #340, note the “Montera del Toro” the natural stone formation that looks like a matador’s hat, and if you’re lucky, you may also catch sight of a camera-ready shepherd with his flock. The streets in Ronda are narrow and steep, “And only go uphill,” a tourist was heard to remark. Still, this small city, with its white-washed buildings and jaw-dropping views from terraces, a bridge and balcony that seems to hang over the edge of the planet, is crowded with tourists, and despite barriers and fences on its high vantage spots, attracts photographers — and occasional suicides. If there’s time, cheer up at the Cortijo Las Monjas Winery about six miles out of town. Sample the Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah and check out the photographs of Bob Hope, the Reagans, Edward Simpson and other celebrities who’ve been here and bear testimony to the quality of this award-winning vineyard, owned by Prince Hohenlohe of Germany.

Don’t miss Gibraltar. It’s a very short drive from San Roque and a taxi is the way to go. The driver will wait while you cross the bridge, show your passport and take a bus tour of the island, or ride a tram to the top of the rock. The bus allows you stops: to meander through St. Michael’s cave, check out the Botanic Gardens or scan the coast of Morocco with the Atlantic stretching in front of you and the Mediterranean behind. The most popular attraction is the Apes’ den at the island’s summit. There is a colony of tailless monkeys, actually Barbary Macaques, who live free and are cooperative about hopping on a visitor’s shoulder for a snapshot. Be careful here; they sometimes give a playful bite.

If there is time, there is Seville, two hours away, where a horse-and-buggy ride takes visitors on a city tour, and allows a stroll through the treasures of shaded walks, statuary and the white doves of Maria Luisa Park, possibly the most beautiful in Europe. Granada beckons too, and so does Tangier in Morocco, each a day trip, or nearby Jerez, home of flamenco and horsemanship. The Andalusian sights are varied and colorful, many unspoiled, some breathtaking. The natives are friendly, even for those of us who come with walking shoes but not a word of Spanish.

San Roque: www. Sanroqueclub.com or info@sanroqueclub.com

Getting there: Best way is to fly British Air to London, with connecting flights to Gibraltar, a twenty minute taxi drive to San Roque.

Or: American Airlines from Boston, connecting flight to Iberian Airlines to Madrid, then to Malaga, an hour’s drive from San Roque.

Green fees: (Approximate, depending on exchange rate of pesetas) – San Roque: $54, Valderrama, $150 Sotogrande: $80 (Handicap certificates are required)

Car rental: $40-45

Car with driver per day: $100Gibraltar bus tour: $50

Seville horse and carriage: $5 per person

San Roque room rates: Vary from $280-500.

Best package deal through Wide World of Golf: 1-800-214-GOLF(4653) or www.wideworldofgolf.com