Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol

Character and identity

Set on a hillside between Sotogrande and La Línea, this 2025 opening from dAAr studio cascades down to the Mediterranean in a series of terraces and freestanding villas, with direct access to the four-kilometre La Alcaidesa beach. Interiors by Studio Ibu use Campaspero limestone, jute, linen and pale woods; a sculpted whale's tail anchors a lobby framed by a vast sea-facing window. Across 213 rooms, suites and villas, the mood is hushed and design-literate. Two Peter Alliss-designed golf courses, a serious spa with hammams and a snow fountain, and Benito Gómez's Dalmar set the tone.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The defining draw is the combination of Gómez's cooking at Dalmar and a piece of coast that most travellers have never heard of, wrapped in architecture that genuinely earns its setting. Book a sea-view suite if you're a couple, or one of the villas if you're travelling as a family or group, and aim for spring or early autumn when the golf and the light are at their best.