Lo Romero Golf

The verdict

Lo Romero is one of the newer names on the southern Costa Blanca and one of the more memorable. It sits at Pilar de la Horadada, the last town in Alicante province before the Murcia border, and opened in 2008 to a design by Jorge Gallen and Enric Soler. Where the area's older courses trade on maturity, Lo Romero offers modern shaping, generous conditioning and a finish that visitors talk about long after the round.

The course plays to a par 72 of about 6,061 meters from the yellow tees, a comfortable length that keeps it in range for most standards while leaving the architects room to use water as the principal defense. The layout is a balanced 18 with four par 3s, ten par 4s and four par 5s, but the round is defined by its drama at the death. As a centerpiece for a southern Costa Blanca or northern Murcia golf trip, Lo Romero delivers a course with genuine character and a story to tell.

The holes worth the trip

Everything at Lo Romero builds toward the closing hole. The 18th is a par 4 played to an island green ringed by water, the sort of finish that can rescue or ruin a card in a single swing. Stand on the tee with a good round going and the approach suddenly feels twice as long; play it well and you walk off with a story. It is the kind of signature moment that lifts a modern course above its peers and the image most visitors carry away.

The route to that finish is no afterthought. Water is in play across the round, edging fairways and fronting greens, so position off the tee and confident club selection into the putting surfaces are rewarded throughout. The shaping is generous enough that the higher handicapper is not punished for every miss, but the better player who wants to attack pins will find plenty of half shot decisions and tempting carries. Conditioning is consistently good, helped by a southern Costa Blanca climate that keeps the course playable all year.

Lo Romero suits a group that wants a modern, well presented course with a memorable hook. Played alongside the area's mature parkland tracks it adds variety and a genuine talking point, and the island green 18th guarantees the round ends with everyone watching.

Where to stay nearby

Pilar de la Horadada and the resort developments around it offer villas and apartments built for visiting golfers, and the position on the Alicante and Murcia border puts a great spread of courses within a short drive. The beaches of the Costa Blanca run to the north and the Mar Menor lagoon and Murcia resorts lie to the south, so a base here gives a group the best of both regions without long transfers.

Lo Romero is ideally placed to anchor a cross border itinerary. Pair it with the mature La Marquesa at Ciudad Quesada to the north, then drop into Murcia for the Dave Thomas design at Roda Golf, the Nicklaus and Thomas course at Mar Menor, and the famous courses at La Manga (South and North). See our Golf in Spain hub and our best courses on the Costa Blanca ranking, or browse Costa Blanca golf holidays.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near the Costa Blanca and Murcia border.