El Rompido South sits within the same Río Piedras estate as its sister course, on the Costa de la Luz outside Cartaya, and was the original of the resort's two layouts, designed by Álvaro Arana and opened in October 2003. It's a walkable, technical course, with an unusual variety of doglegs shaped by the land itself and the surrounding pine and native flora, so no two holes play alike.

The front nine sits on higher ground, while the back nine moves down into the protected saltmarsh nearer the sea, where a stronger breeze and more water come into play. Guests who've played both courses often rate South as the tougher, more varied test of the two, and the spacious, subtly contoured greens reward accurate, well-placed approaches over raw distance. Pine trees and water hazards throughout demand precision from tee to green.

The clubhouse is modest but well-run, with a restaurant looking out over the 18th green and a terrace worth lingering on afterwards, and the practice facilities, buggies and trolleys are all handled at fair rates. For a technical, varied round with a proper sense of place, this is the one worth building your Costa de la Luz trip around.