Vistabella Golf

Vistabella sits on the Costa Blanca near Torrevieja, its fairways laid out through what was once a working citrus grove, a history still visible in the orange and Mediterranean planting that lines the course. Manuel Piñero designed the layout, which opened in 2009 across more than 40 hectares of native trees and scrub, with three tall pines at its centre distinctive enough to have become the club's logo.

Bunkers are the course's calling card. There are more of them, and more strategically placed, than most golfers will have seen on a single round, and staying out of them takes real discipline off the tee. Wide fairways give some margin for error, but the course rewards a golfer who thinks a hole through rather than one who simply swings hard, and the greens are consistently rated among the best conditioned in the area. It's a course built to be walked slowly and enjoyed, not rushed.

A halfway hut keeps the round moving on longer days, and the practice facilities are solid enough for a proper warm-up before you start. Book Vistabella for a strategic, well-conditioned round set in genuinely distinctive Costa Blanca scenery.