Varying types of grass endowed with a special microclimate, the Villaitana Golf complex offers two specially designed 18-hole courses named after the beaches of Benidorm. Each enjoys a very unique design and a different set of views...
... The world-class Levante is a challenging par 72 course and recently hosted one of the European Senior Tour events. Both the front and back nine offer elevated views of the coast, mountains and city below. Due to its proximity to the sea, the often rolling fairways and the water lining many of the holes, it plays, at times, like a links golf course.
Along with Galiana Golf Course (in Carcaixent, Valencia), these are two of my favourite courses on the Costa Blanca. (Note: Galiana are struggling with green conditions of late. You would do well to enquire about the greens before booking.)
The shorter but tricky Poniente course is a par 64 and offers a quite different golfing experience to the Levante course. As it is not a full par 72 (I like to measure my progress) I first had to be convinced by friends that it would be an enjoyable course to play. Consisting entirely of par threes and par fours, most of the holes are relatively short except for the pair of stroke 1 and stroke 2 par threes which happen to be two of the toughest par threes on the entire Costa Blanca. It’s a fun day out, although recently they are charging close to what other full par 72 courses charge so our golf society is not booking there for the time being.
ADDRESS: Avenida del Alcalde Eduardo Zaplana Hernández 7, 03502 Benidorm, Alicante
CONTACT NUMBER: (+34) 966 81 30 13
Literally minutes from Villaitana, and located in Finestrat, La Campana is for the time being still a 9-hole golf course with plans to extend to an 18-hole course. As the course is relatively new many of the holes can feel quite barren. A number of the longer par fours have narrow fairways and out of bounds on either side, so long accurate drives are necessary and this can be quite challenging for the average golfer. Our golf society feels that the green fees are a little high for a 9-hole course, especially one that is still so new and which does not offer different tee positions for the two nines.
The comparable 9-hole course in Javea, with different tee locations for the front and back nine, is a fun mature course in impeccable condition and offers better value for the green fees.
My favourite holes of La Campana: The uphill short dogleg left par-four 7th and the par-five 9th.
ADDRESS: VespreSteet, 6 Finestrat
CONTACT NUMBER: (+34) 965 95 5955
Not strictly in Benidorm, but near enough to warrant a mention, this is a challenging 9-hole course with different tee positions on most holes. Of the biggest concerns is the often varying conditions of the fairways and greens depending on the season. It’s best to phone ahead and check course conditions and consult recent online reviews. That said, this is a potentially fantastic course which you will highly enjoy provided you can get through two of the toughest par fives on the Costa Blanca.
On the first hole, a relatively short and straightforward par four, you get lulled into a false sense of security. The par-five dogleg right 3rd forms a full crescent! Not the longest of par fives, it requires a very accurate faded tee shot (out of bounds left and straight ahead) and a phenomenal second. The par 5 fifth is the longest par 5 on the Costa Blanca and, to sap more of your game confidence, it’s all uphill, a dogleg right and your tee shot is over a lake! You will require three remarkable shots to be on the green in three. It plays like a par 6. The downhill then uphill dogleg left 8th is also a monster par 4. You have been warned. A fun course, especially when playing a scramble format.
ADDRESS: Urbanización Sierra Altea s/n, 03695 Altea la Vella, Alicante
CONTACT NUMBER: (+34) 965 84 80 46
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday 09:00 to 20:00
Saturday 10:00 to 13:30