In 2031, Camiral will host the Ryder Cup - it will be the first time the game’s most prestigious team event has returned to Spain since 1997, when Europe won at Valderrama under the captaincy of Seve Ballesteros.
Camiral, in northern Spain, is a resort that boasts two 18-hole championship courses, a 5 and 4-star hotel and some incredible practice facilities.
These include a state-of-the-art driving range equipped with advanced ball-tracking and swing analysis technology, a large short-game practice area with two putting greens as well as the PGA National Academy, which features a dedicated junior academy.
In November, Golfbreaks.com arranged an inspection trip to the resort to demonstrate how the resort is ideal for PGA Members hosting groups on winter coaching holidays.
"Our inspection trips are designed to give PGA Professionals the confidence to plan and deliver unforgettable golf experiences for their members and clients,” said Ben Foster, Director of Pro Travel at Golfbreaks.
“By seeing a venue first-hand, playing the courses, experiencing the service, and understanding the logistics, Pros can assess whether it’s the right fit for their group, and start planning with clarity and assurance.
“We also see these trips as a way to build relationships, not just between the Pro and the venue, but between PGA Members themselves and our Pro Travel team. They’re collaborative, enjoyable, and ultimately serve as the perfect foundation for a successful group trip," said Foster.
On the trip were David Atkins, who coaches at Stonebridge GC in the Midlands, and Graeme Lisle who has been a Professional for nearly 25 years and now runs the Hole In One Club, which involves running amateur pairs events at outstanding venues.
Pictured: Ben Foster, Director of Pro Travel at Golfbreaks
Why did you choose to attend this trip to Camiral?
David Atkins (DA): I went to Camiral to inspect the property, facilities and the courses with a view to not only booking coaching trips but also to book trips in for other people. A lot of my clients and members will ask for suggestions for a four-night trip somewhere and I can help with some first-hand knowledge.
Graeme Lisle (GL): I hadn’t been to the resort since around 2010 and a lot’s changed – and a lot’s changed for the better. I enjoyed it a lot on my initial visit but it’s really moved on. The itinerary that we had was spot on; lots of golf – two rounds on the Stadium and one on the Tour – along with some wine tasting and use of the spa. We even made use of the cryotherapy facilities. We were there for four days which was a great length of time to spend there.
Describe the hotels
DA: There are two hotels. The five-star Camiral Hotel is more upmarket and more of a boutique style with a wellness centre and options like cryotherapy. These seemed to cater for other sports, like cycling trips, as well as golfers.
The Lavida Hotel is mainly geared towards specifically golfers and this opened in 2018 so is the more recent addition. If you want somewhere that is close to everything, with its own restaurant, then you have that here or, if you want something a bit more upmarket, then you have the Camiral. The bar and restaurant here are some of the main differences as they are definitely quieter and there is more character. The food here is incredible and the attention to detail at breakfast is very impressive.
GL: We stayed in the Camiral which has a very chic feel to it. The Lavida suits the travelling golfer and is a great addition and the food and wine across the board were superb. Everything we ate, from the clubhouse to the bistro in the main hotel to the Italian in the sister hotel, was fabulous and you were never just staying in the same place every night.
Pictured: PGA Coach David Atkins
As a trip host, what are you looking out for from a resort?
DA: I hosted my first ever coaching trip last year and the feedback was really interesting. Something I never would have really thought about was the difficulty of the course so I've now always got one eye open on how can multiple or various levels of golfers get round here. So not just the better golfers but mid-to-high handicap golfers as well.
Secondly, the practice facilities are key as I'm doing coaching trips. So I'm looking for a big driving range with short-game facilities which would ideally be multiple so that you can have a bit of quiet time when you are doing coaching.
GL: Everything is so well designed and so close together that once you're there, if you didn't want to leave, absolutely everything's there. There are little shuttles to the restaurants or to the clubhouse but it’s only a five-minute walk. We used to come down for breakfast, give the concierge our clubs and literally walk from the hotel to the practice ground, hit some balls, then walk from there to the 1st tee.
How is the golf at Camiral?
GL: The courses, having not played them for a good few years, were better than I remember them, which I think is a good thing. Often, when you go back to somewhere that you thought was great, then 15 years down the line, it's not in as good a condition or as good as you remember it. It probably exceeded for me, the Stadium Course in particular, where the feel of it and the signature holes were fabulous. The Stadium Course is right up there for me.
But there are lots of interesting golf holes on the two courses and both are in Spain's top 20 which is a great selling feature as well. Often the second course doesn't quite live up to the first and, while everyone probably agreed that the Stadium was better, it wasn’t by much. So, when we are hosting events, to have two quality courses is fantastic and the greens were exceptional for that time of the year.
The practice facilities were busy but you could certainly get on it easily. It could cater for something like 140 golfers and it was all very well managed and organised. Multiple greens really helps so you would never be stuck on one green with lots of people all around it.
DA: Both courses are very strong. The Stadium is Camiral's main course but the Tour Course is of a very high quality and the layout and everything feels the same. It's just fractionally easier but not by a lot.
The practice facilities are also very good, the driving range is bigger than most and you've got TrackMan there as well which is pretty cool. You've got multiple chipping and putting greens dotted throughout the facility and it caters for coaching trips which is really good.
What is the surrounding area like?
DA: Girona is around half an hour away and this has the highest amount of Michelin star restaurants per capita in Europe. You have the beach a 20-minute drive away so you have all sorts of options and you can really create the type of trip that you want. I keep coming back to the term ‘upmarket’ but Camiral does feel very premium in comparison to other places.
Also, Northern Spain is more green and lush compared to the likes of Malaga and your places down south and that makes it feel a bit different.
Pictured: PGA Professional Graeme Lisle
So would you recommend taking a group to Camiral?
DA: I will take a group there, 100 per cent. It ticks all the boxes and it has everything on site. Girona Airport is only 10 minutes away while Barcelona is an hour and half away if you wanted to include that in your trip.
GL: The icing on the cake was meeting fellow Pros on this type of trip. We were all there with slightly different objectives but we all got on great and we’ve all kept in touch. So there's a bonding exercise to it as well as golfing, learning about people's business and helping each other out as much as we can going forwards as well, which I thought was brilliant.
I would have no issues at all in sending or organising the venue for one of our amateur pairs events. I can genuinely say that the trip exceeded my expectations which were high in the first place.
How PGA Members can join the Golfbreaks Pro Travel Club
The Golfbreaks Pro Travel Club is a free-to-join service designed specifically to help PGA Professionals grow their business through hosted golf travel.
All new sign-ups receive a £500 travel credit towards their group trips, along with full access to Golfbreaks’ expert Pro Travel team who specialise in planning and delivering successful hosted experiences, as well as invites to inspection trips and social events.
“Our dedicated team includes regional account managers who are regularly on the road and available to visit PGA Professionals at their club to discuss options in person, offer tailored advice, and help bring their travel ideas to life,” said Ben Foster, Director of Pro Travel at Golfbreaks.
“Whether you're hosting your first group or looking to expand your travel offering, we’re here to support you at every step.”
Sign up now by calling 01753 752 880 or by clicking here.
