Nearly half a century after its launch, Spain’s La Manga Club has lost none of the shine that made it one of Europe’s most desirable second home destinations. These five points help explain why…
– As Spain’s flagship sports and leisure resort, highlights of the 1,400-acre La Manga Club today include: three championship golf courses, where the Spanish Open has been played, as well as a Leadbetter golf academy, a 28-court tennis centre, which has hosted the Davis Cup and attracts international tennis stars, eight FIFA-standard football pitches, where top European clubs and national teams regularly train, a 2,000-square-metre Spa and Fitness Centre and the Five Star Príncipe Felipe Hotel, named after the King of Spain, who has stayed at the resort.
– Created 42 years ago, La Manga Club was the brainchild of American entrepreneur and sports fanatic, Gregory Peters, who wanted to create a Spanish version of the type of resorts that were popular in California in the 1960s and 1970s. He instantly recognised the appeal of the resort’s site, surrounded by protected natural park areas, with undulating terrain and sandwiched between the Mar Menor lagoon and Mediterranean, to which it has access at La Cala beach. The original plans were for a nine-hole golf course and small residential development on a 550-acre estate – significant local interest in the project meant it became far larger than that.
– Currently, La Manga Club is home to circa 2,300 properties, comprising apartments, townhouses and villas spread across approximately 37 communities. Owners get peace of mind from being in a well-maintained, secure environment. The village at the centre of the resort includes everything necessary for comfortable day-to-day living, including restaurants and bars, banks, a supermarket, a medical centre and property management firms. Owners can also buy into a scheme that gives discounted rates at the resort’s sports and leisure facilities.
– The latest opportunities to buy at La Manga Club include the new communities of Acacias and Buganvillas, each of which offers plots for custom-building your perfect villa. A more affordable option could be one of the 52 refurbished apartments recently released for private ownership at the Las Lomas community, which is run as an aparthotel – prices start from €80,000 for a studio. Otherwise, take you pick from a whole range of resale properties.
– The owners of La Manga Club, the Arum Group, are keen to invest and grow the resort over coming years. Infrastructure upgrades in 2016 include the widening of the main road leading to the resort, combined with an overhaul and re-landscaping of the main entrance. Meanwhile, a landmark new community called La Princesa is planned in the western part of the resort and will include new residential and commercial areas, as well as a new hotel.
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