The Costa Blanca, bathed by the Mediterranean in southeastern Spain, is the setting for the Denia Marriott La Sella Golf Resort & Spa, one of the holiday paradises of Southern Europe. Between the towns of Denia and Jávea, this Marriott resort sits alongside the Montgó Natural Park, an area of spectacular mountain cliffs which is home to abundant native fauna and flora.
In addition to its unrivalled location, the resort, hotel and course can also boast a recent, complete renovation. The hotel has been fully adapted to the quality standards of Marriott, a hotel chain synonymous with excellent quality and service, and the course, with its 27 holes, has been refurbished by Olazábal Design, with Olazábal himself leading the design process and overseeing the work.
The first thing guests catch sight of when they arrive at the Denia Marriott La Sella Golf Resort & Spa is the golf course and Montgó Natural Park. Refurbished in 2019, the hotel, which is part of the Marriott brand, has replanned the public areas to blend outdoor terraces into the interior, flooding all areas with the light and colour of the surrounding landscape.
In terms of the food and drink venues, the resort stays true to the culinary pedigree of the area, and for good reason, as Jávea, Ondara and Dénia have four Michelin-starred restaurants between them – and the latter has even been named Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO. So, it is only fitting that the resort has taken great care of its culinary offer in its two dining options: the Montgó Restaurant, which is dedicated to Mediterranean cuisine and set on a large, glazed terrace overlooking the golf course and the pool, and the Segaria Thai Restaurant, where expert chefs from Bangkok serve a Thai menu that takes diners on a culinary journey through the exotic traditions of Thai cuisine.
Another of the hotel’s main draws is its marvellous spa, updated to offer unique experiences in a welcoming atmosphere bathed in natural light. Here, guests can enjoy water circuit therapy with hydromassage, hamman, laconium, sauna and a fantastic outdoor terrace with hot tub. There is also a wide range of treatments to relax and tone the body and a 24-hour gym.
An alternative accommodation option is The Residences La Sella, a complex of luxury flats with layouts ranging from 75 m2 for the one-bedroom to 150 m2 for the three-bedroom, and all with living-dining room, full kitchen and terrace.
La Sella Golf is the resort’s golf course, one of the Costa Blanca’s most outstanding. As part of its action plan for the future, which has run over almost four years, many improvements have been made. Among the most significant has been the complete refurbishment of its three course loops.
The first stage of the renovation was updating the driving range. This work, also carried out by the Olazábal Design team, involved levelling the entire surface and creating an artificial grass tee line with material from acclaimed Huxley Golf. Within the practice area, six new, natural-grass target greens were created, three of them with bunkers. These new greens, set at varying distances, mean that course conditions can be replicated, which also opens up new play possibilities for the golf academy and groups of beginners.
The next step was the remodelling of each of the three course loops, which was carried out over three years – one per year. Bermuda was selected as the type of grass for the complete transformation of the course, a variety better suited to the warmer climate.
Likewise, all the tees were levelled, drained and remade, as well as the fairways, where certain sections were redesigned. As for the bunkers, the latest design technology has been put to use in the new layouts through the Better Billy Bunker system.
There was also a total redesign of the greens. Following USGA specifications, the greens in their entirety were raised and remade from scratch. This part involved extra special attention from the Olazábal Design team to get the desired result and achieve tour-standard greens. Here José María Olazábal himself supervised each step of the work, making up to four site visits for each section of the course.
Another aspect of the work well-worth highlighting is the complete replacement of the irrigation system. This was a huge undertaking and a significant investment that has placed La Sella Golf among the courses with the most efficient and modern irrigation systems at a global level.