August has become Golf Tournament High Season

6 August 2018

There are four golf tournaments on the calendar this August at La Cala Resort. These events will be complemented by generous dining options and top-of-the-line sport, health and wellness facilities.

August has become high season for golf tournaments at La Cala Resort. In addition to the sun, beach and unique health, wellness and dining options, golf lovers will have the opportunity to play their favourite sport.

The Summer Tournament sponsored by Summum Golf will be played on the 12^th of August. One of the biggest national events for amateur players, the competition will be held on the Asia golf course, known for being the most difficult of the resort’s three courses.

Coinciding again with one of Spain’s national holidays, the tenth father-son tournament will be played on the 15^th of August. This tournament is specifically designed for pairs of amateur fathers and sons with valid licenses issued by the Real Federación Española de Golf or licenses from an international golf federation. The Europe golf course, complete with a beautiful bridge, four walkways crossing the Ojén River and golf-buggy-accessible tunnels, has been chosen for this competition.

La Cala Resort will host the LARF Cornwall Foundation’s charity event on the 18^th of August. This competition will be played on the Asia course and the money raised will benefit teenagers and young adults under the age of 24 who are suffering from cancer and undergoing treatment. This will be the fifth consecutive year that La Cala Resort has hosted this charity event, expecting to maintain high levels of participation and fundraising.

Lastly, the tenth Match Quality Golf Circuit will be played on the Asia golf course on Sunday, the 26^th of August. This competition is one of 56 separate tournaments all held on the best golf courses in Spain.

In addition to golf tournaments, La Cala Resort will offer hotel guests and local visitors special golf offers like a two-player plus golf buggy package for €99.00. Hotel guests will also be able to participate in various other activities that will contribute to making their stay a memorable experience.

La Cala Resort: The Perfect Choice for the Rangers Football Club Preseason

3 July 2018

On the right is the director of La Cala Resort, Sean Corte-Real welcoming Rangers Football Club manager, Steven Gerrard

The Rangers Football Club of Scotland has been staying at La Cala Resort for the past ten days, finishing preparation for the next season of the Scottish Premier League and first phase of the Europa League in which they will play against FK Shkupi. Team manager, Steven Gerrard, as well as the technical coaching staff have praised the exceptional quality of the sports facilities at the leisure and sports complex located in Mijas.

La Cala Resort has again become the preferred spot for developing elite teams. The Rangers Football Club has held a ten-day training camp at the hotel and sports complex in preparation for the upcoming season of the Scottish Premier League, where the Scottish team has played since the 2016-2017 season—the date that marks the team’s return to the Scottish football elite. Steven Gerrard, English football legend and former captain of Liverpool, has joined the staff, taking on the position of team manager. The 45-member team, consisting of technical staff and the players themselves, stayed at the hotel from the 17^th to the 27^th of June. Over those ten days, the club made use of the resort’s sports facilities.

Gerrard was hired by the Rangers on the 1^st of June upon signing a four-year contract with the promise of working to take the team to the top of the league. The Scottish club travelled to La Cala Resort on the Costa del Sol for preseason and to finish preparing for the matches of the Europa League’s first qualifying round, which will take place on the 12^th and the 19^th of July, against FK Shkupi.

Glasgow-based Scottish team correspondent, Joe Graham, who was on the Costa del Sol to cover training, stressed that “…La Cala Resort was the perfect choice to get the team acquainted and ready “. “…[T]he players really looked up for it,” he added.

The Rangers Football Club

La Cala Resort has established itself as the preseason destination for clubs from all over the world—especially for European leagues. Its sports equipment and natural surroundings have made it a top choice for international teams who are looking for a discreet and calm venue in which to prepare for future competitions. The complex offers a unique field in accordance with FIFA’s technical specifications as well as an ideal climate with more than 320 days of sunshine.  The field is surrounded by three golf courses, ensuring a quiet environment in which to practice—something highly valued by coaches as it encourages maximum concentration from the players.

The complex offers top-of-the-line, complementary facilities such as a spa, wellness centre, running path and fitness centre. In addition, there are special packages for the clubs that include full board, changing rooms, massage areas, as well as conference and meeting rooms where team tactics and strategies can be planned. In addition to this wide range of services, there is a support network and flexibility to meet any nutritional needs.

Among the many clubs that have stayed at the resort, a handful stand out like Oporto (Portugal), Anderletch (Belgium), Málaga CF (Spain), NEC Nijmegen FC (the Netherlands), Atlante FC (Mexico), Steaua Bucarest (Romania), Dynamo Moscow, Metallurg Donetsk, Lokomotiv Moscow and Rubin Kazan (Russia), Young Boys (Switzerland), Borussia Mönchenladbach (Germany), Eintracht Braunschweig (Austria), Qatar national under-20 football team, Ivory Coast national football team, United States national sub-18 and sub-20 football teams, Faroe Islands national football team as well as a few from the United Kingdom: Reading, Sunderland, UK under-21 national team, UK 2012 Olympic team, Everton and Leeds United.

The New Gastronomic Offerings at the Leading La Cala Resort

29 June 2018

La Cala Resort is embarking upon on a new journey in the hopes of becoming the standard for tourism and sport in the south of Spain. In this effort, the resort revamped its management two months ago, putting it in the hands of Sean Corte-Real and has recently hired Daniel Peinado, the well-known AOVE (Virgen Olive Oil) chef, through whom the resort would like to reach a new level of gastronomic excellence.

On the left is the new La Cala Resort chef, Daniel García Peinado, and on the right is the director, Sean Corte Real.

La Cala Resort is taking another step forward with the incorporation of Sean Corte-Real as the new director of the complex, continuing on the path to excellence it began a few years ago. Daniel García Peinado, the famous AOVE (Virgin Olive Oil) chef has also been added on to polish the culinary selection that the resort offers. The new director comes from a long career in the international luxury resort sector and is committed to bringing La Cala Resort up to an international level. He is working hard to improve quality in order to surpass where it is today. He is also making efforts to improve customer satisfaction by meeting and exceeding their expectations, as well as responding to their search for experiences.

Sean Corte-Real invited a specialised media group (press, radio, television and bloggers) and collaborators, travel agents and incentive agencies in order to share details on the new direction the complex is taking and the changes that he wants to galvanise in order to situate the resort at the forefront of Andalusia’s tourism industry.

During the presentation he emphasised that “we have a fantastic product and one of the best spas on the Costa del Sol”. He assured that “we are always reaching for improvement”. Corte-Real reminded everyone that La Cala Resort will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year and reported on the most recent renovations to the golf facilities such as the development of “the America course with new bunkers and greens”.  “The goal”, he went on to say, “is to have it completely ready by next September”. This will be followed by the Asia and Europe courses that will also undergo major upgrades.

The new Executive Chef, Daniel García Peinado, shared a selection of tapas at the El Laurel restaurant at the Casa Club and ideas that are being solidified in terms of the style he wants to develop. “The idea is to update the food we offer in order to be current with the times,” he said. This renovation will include three restaurants, each with their own touch. Fast and casual, yet healthy, cuisine will characterise the Casa Club, while La Bodega will offer Andalusian-inspired tapas “using virgin olive oil as the base”. In terms of La Terraza, the most gourmet restaurant of the three, “my philosophy comes from Aove-based cuisine, but with hints of global culture, since most guests are international”. In general, Peinado’s cooking revolves around four fundamental axes: Aove, accessible products and healthy, Mediterranean food.

Sean Corte-Real

Corte-Real competed for several years as a player in high-level tournaments all over Europe before moving on to hotel management. Over the course of his career, he has held executive positions at Vila Sol Spa&Resort de Vilamoura in the Algarve (Portugal), which was named “Best Beach Destination” at the World Travel Awards 2013 in large part due to Corte Real’s work. He also held a leadership position at Iguassu Golf Resort in Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil). Shortly afterwards, he took over the management of operations at Las Colinas Golf&Country Club in Alicante (Spain), one of the top golf resorts in Europe.

Daniel García Peinado

The main ingredient of the new Executive Chef’s cuisine is Extra Virgin Olive Oil and he is always sure to use the latest culinary and avant-garde techniques. Trained at La Cónsula, he has worked in the United Kingdom and at Restaurante Lasarte de Martin Berasategui (three Michelin stars). Following his time at Molina Lario (Málaga capital), Holiday Hydros and Vincci Selección Aleysa, García Peinado has gained extensive experience at luxury hotels.  Currently, he is a gastronomic advisor, Executive Chef of Gourmet de la Roja and captain of the Spanish Professional Cooking Team. 

It is worth mentioning that on the 6th of June, La Cala Resort was awarded Best Luxury Mountain Hotel at the SPAIN LUXURY HOTEL AWARDS, which recognises the efforts made by hotels to be considered among the best in their field.  Evaluation is based on excellence in client services and resort design, environment and management. The resort has now been nominated for the World Spa Awards 2018 in the category of “Best Hotel Spa” in Spain.

La Cala Resort: Winner of the Spain Luxury Hotel Award 2018

13 June 2018

La Cala Resort has been awarded Best Luxury Mountain Hotel in the SPAIN LUXURY HOTEL AWARDS, which recognises the efforts made by hotels to be considered among the best in their field. Evaluation is based on excellence in client services and resort design, environment and management.

Pictured right: Noemí Román receiving the Best Luxury Mountain Hotel Award

The decision was made public at the gala dinner organised by Spain Luxury Hotel Awards through the Vía Group, held on the 6th of June at The Westin Palace Hotel in Madrid. The award was received by the Sales & Marketing Director, Noemí Román.

The Cala Resort is unparalleled in size. The hotel, spa and wellness centre, three golf courses and sports facilities, as well as a wide range of restaurants sit on the resort’s four million square metre property. It is located in La Cala de Mijas, a beautiful enclave between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea—a luxurious environment that combines a tranquil and relaxing landscape with an enjoyable atmosphere in the heart of the Costa del Sol.

It is precisely this exceptional setting, in concert with the quality of its facilities, that has won La Cala Resort the “Best Luxury Mountain Hotel” category of the Spain Luxury Hotel Awards organised by the Vía Group. Among the finalists at the gala were the best four and five star hotels in the country. The jury that deliberated on the nominees for this grand finale gala was made up of Carlos Díez de la Lastra (General Manager of the Roches Marbella School of Management), Domènech Biosca (Founding President of Educatur), Hans Müller (Director of Hotel Contracting at Thomas Cook Group) and Virginia Urrutia (CEO Spain and Portugal). It was a very unique award ceremony as winners were voted on by those attending the gala dinner.

“We are very proud and grateful to have received this award. It is a true recognition of the quality of our facilities, the setting of our resort and the excellent work our staff put in on a daily basis”, declares the director of the hotel, Sean Corte Real.

A total of 36 finalist hotels and 108 architects and interior designers competed in the 12 categories of the Spain Luxury Hotel Awards that are recognised by the resort sector.

Photo of all winners of Spain Luxury Hotel Awards

Great success at the CUDECA fundraising charity during the XXV Golf tournament held at La Cala Resort

13 June 2018

The  XXV edition of the tournament, held on Saturday 2 June at Campo América in La Cala Resort, raised more than 10,500 Euros.  It has been a very special event to celebrate the silver anniversary of this traditional tournament, one of the most important charity events. The aim was to raise funds for the Cudeca Foundation – Cancer Care Hospice.

XXV Tournament CUDECA celebrated in La Cala Resort

Nearly 70 golfers gathered for the 25th anniversary celebration of the tournament, including the director of operations Pedro Batista and the general manager of La Cala Resort, Sean Corte-Real. It should be noted that the excellent state of the America golf course favored the good results of the participants and there was even a player who got a -1 .

After the tournament, nearly a hundred people enjoyed the exquisite barbecue hosted at the Club House in support of the foundation. The day concluded with the celebration of an interesting auction that included numerous gifts, in a relaxed atmosphere where attendees were able to bid for the most valuable items and thus increase the collection for the care work of Cudeca.

This edition celebrated the silver jubilee of this traditional tournament. The Cudeca Foundation thanked the generosity of all the players and attendees who contributed to these good results, as well as the director Sean Corte-Real, Captain Felima O’callaghan and Captain Thomas Widegren, both from the La Cala Resort team.

From left to right: Felima O’callaghan, Capitana of La Cala Resort team, Marisa Martín Roselló, Medical director of Cudeca y Capitan Thomas Widegren.

Pictured left to right: Felima O’callaghan, captain of the La Cala Resort team, Marisa Martín Roselló, manager and medical director of Cudeca and Captain Thomas Widegren of La Cala Resort.

About the Cudeca Foundation

CUDECA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to offer specialized care and assistance to people with advanced cancer and other non-curable illnesses and support to their families. Each year, more than 1,400 people need the professional and free care they provide. Since 1992, the foundation has managed to care for more than 14,000 patients in the province of Malaga thanks to the collaboration of the entire community of Malaga.