The purpose of the stay at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol was to play a round of golf, and generally enjoy some R&R time after some serious touristing. We are back on the road tomorrow, but this was a good indulgence. I can’t say we played particularly well, but it was a challenging golf course. We didn’t play the more well-known Valderama because we were led to believe it was too difficult. But a couple we chatted with after the round told us they played the day before and thought it was easier than Finca. The main challenge of the latter is that it is a very hilly course and you might think you hit a decent shot, only to have in run off a slope into a more difficult area. Flat lies were not common is all I can say. But the vistas were beautiful, with the Mediterranean as a back drop, so what is bad about that. Pat liked that they brought out a bag of fruit on the front nine, and on the back they came around with freshly made gazpacho. Not your usual golf course snacks.

Later we went to the beach club operated by the property. As they put it in their marketing brochure, “The Finca Cortesin Beach Club welcomes guests who seek some relaxation without relinquishing the exclusivity and elegance they deserve.” Holy lifestyles of the rich and famous. We belong to neither group but it was a pretty nice place to hang out, though we admit it was a splurge.The pool was salt water but chilly. The beach is actually kind of rocky, so we didn’t bother to go down but we enjoyed the air off of the water, the sun and the blue sky. All around a pretty good day.