Spain By The Golf Planet Holidays Team · Golf-travel specialists since 1981 · Updated 12 June 2026 Every November the same email goes round the club: trolley ban, temporary greens, see you in spring. The Costa del Sol plays straight through, with daytime highs in the high teens and some 70 courses within an hour […]
Why winter golf holidays on the Costa del Sol work
British clubs do their best, but from November to March the game at home means mats, hoods and temporary greens, and a fair number of courses shut altogether for weeks. The Costa del Sol does none of that. The Sierra de Mijas and the hills behind Marbella shelter the coast from the weather that soaks the rest of Europe, so January daytime highs of 16 to 18 degrees are normal and some 70 courses sit within an hour’s drive of Marbella. Courses stay open. Pro shops speak English, visitor tee sheets run all winter, and Málaga has year-round direct flights from across the UK.
The entry price is lower than most people guess. Our winter Costa del Sol packages start at
How long stay golf holidays in Spain are priced
Now the honest part, because it matters more on a long stay than anywhere else. Published prices, ours included, are short-break prices: a fixed package of three nights and two rounds. Stays of two to six weeks work differently. Hotels do not print long-stay tariffs. Every rate is quoted individually, hotel by hotel and season by season, and the per-night price falls sharply the longer you commit, because a guest who fills a room for four weeks of January is worth a great deal to a hotel that would otherwise sit half empty.
That is where we earn our keep. We negotiate long-stay rates venue by venue rather than reading them off a list, and anyone publishing a fixed monthly figure for Spain is guessing. Rates are seasonal. The sensible order is to pick the hotel that suits you, tell us your dates, and let your specialist come back with a real number for your exact weeks. See the
Where our specialists would stay in Costa del Sol
Six Costa del Sol hotels to base a winter on
These are the six winter bases we quote most often on this coast, cheapest first. Every from-price is a real, bookable three-night, two-round package per person sharing. Prices start low. Use them to compare hotels like for like, then ask us to quote your longer dates against the one that fits.
| Hotel | From (pp) | Nights/rounds | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelo Occidental Fuengirola | 3 nights, 2 rounds | The value benchmark, in a proper working town with the train to Málaga | |
| Hard Rock Hotel Marbella | 3 nights, 2 rounds | A modern 4 star for a livelier Marbella winter | |
| Barcelo Occidental Banus | 3 nights, 2 rounds | Puerto Banus on the doorstep, restaurants open all winter | |
| SO/ Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort | 3 nights, 2 rounds | The 5 star pick at the golf-first end of the coast | |
| Hotel Exe Estepona Thalasso & Spa | 3 nights, 2 rounds | Thalasso spa for the rest days | |
| Hotel Encinar de Sotogrande | 3 nights, 2 rounds | Quiet 4 star inside the Sotogrande estate |
If one name jumps out, its page shows current dates, and an enquiry from there lands with a specialist who knows the hotel. See the
Fuengirola or Sotogrande: choosing your stretch of coast
The coast runs roughly 90 minutes end to end, and your base shapes the whole month. At the eastern end, Fuengirola and Marbella give you life around the golf: a long seafront paseo, sardine espetos grilled at the beach chiringuitos, Marbella’s old town, and the Cercanías train into Málaga when you fancy a city day. For a first long winter we point most couples this way, because the town carries you through the days you do not play.
Sotogrande is quieter. The western end is an estate of holm oaks, polo fields and some of the most serious golf in Spain, and in winter it is calm to the point of private. If the golf itself is the whole reason you are going, base here and accept fewer restaurants. See the
What monthly golf holidays in Spain feel like
A month settles into a rhythm faster than you expect. Golf three or four mornings a week, a long lunch, a walk before dinner, and by week two the starter greets you by name. English-speaking societies and roll-ups run midweek along the coast all winter, which matters when you arrive as a pair and want a fourball. Mornings start cool. In January the first hour can sit at 8 or 9 degrees before climbing into the high teens, so winter regulars book mid-morning tee times and play through the warm middle of the day.
One caveat, stated plainly: single occupancy is where long stays get expensive. Every from-price on this page is per person sharing, and a solo guest holding a double room for four weeks will see the per-night gap widen. If you are travelling alone, say so in the first email and we will negotiate the single rate as firmly as the headline one. Rest days deserve planning too. See the
Getting your long stay quoted
The process is short. Tell us the hotel, the rough dates and how many weeks you are thinking, and one named specialist, the same person from first email to final itinerary, replies personally with a rate negotiated for your season, your room type and your golf. We have been arranging golf travel since 1981 and hold 4.9 from 98 Google reviews, and winter long-stayers are some of our oldest repeat customers.
Flights are never bundled in. Where you want them we add them as an ATOL-protected extra, quoted separately, and plenty of long-stay guests book one-way fares or drive down through France instead. That is it. Pick your benchmark price, then ask what a month does to it. See the
Our specialists’ favourite stays in Costa del Sol
What our golfers say
4.997 reviews
Thanks Martin, glad you enjoyed your golf around Fuengirola
Hi David, glad you had another great golf trip at La Cala and the sun shone! Have ordered the same for next September…;)
Party of 16 to El Rompido- superb organisation- the best personal attention to detail of any company I have dealt with. Now into our 3rd year using their excellent rep- Simon Crawley
Frequently asked questions
How much does a long stay golf holiday in Spain cost?
There is no published monthly tariff. Short winter breaks on the Costa del Sol start at
Which area of the Costa del Sol is best for winter golf?
For a first long winter we point most couples at the Fuengirola and Marbella end, where the towns carry you through the non-golf days and the train runs into Málaga. If the golf is the whole point of the trip, Sotogrande at the western end is the stronger base.
Is the weather good enough to play golf in Spain in January?
Yes. The hills behind the coast shelter the Costa del Sol, so January daytime highs of 16 to 18 degrees are normal and the courses stay open all winter. Mornings can start at 8 or 9 degrees, which is why most winter regulars book mid-morning tee times.
Do hotels discount golf stays of a month or more?
They do, though never on a published rate card. A guest who fills a room through January is valuable to a hotel that would otherwise sit half empty, so per-night prices drop the longer you commit. We negotiate those long-stay rates venue by venue and quote them against your exact dates.
Are flights included in a long stay golf package?
No. Our prices cover the hotel and golf on the ground. Flights can be added as an ATOL-protected extra, quoted separately, and many long-stay guests prefer to book one-way fares or drive down through France and Spain with their own clubs in the boot.
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