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Golf guide • Spain • Catalonia (Costa Daurada)

Golf in Salou: pines, sea cliffs and 45 holes on the Costa Daurada

Salou, a seaside resort on the Costa Daurada about ten kilometres from Tarragona, gives access to 63 holes within half an hour: the 45 holes of Infinitum, including Greg Norman's Lakes and the Hills, which finishes on the cliffs, and Golf Costa Daurada, a par 72 overlooked by a 17th-century masia. Come for golf by the Mediterranean, Roman Tarragona and the restaurants of Cambrils, ideally in spring and autumn.

Plan this tripUpdated

Salou is best known for its beaches and for PortAventura, but golfers will find it a practical base: the town is about ten kilometres from Tarragona and Reus, and its two golf complexes are less than half an hour's drive away. The closest, Infinitum, spreads over 45 holes between Salou and Tarragona; the oldest, Golf Costa Daurada, has occupied the hills north of Tarragona since the late 1970s.

The two styles complement each other well. At Infinitum, the Lakes skirts the wetlands of the Sèquia Major and the Hills climbs through Aleppo pines before finishing facing the sea; nine more holes, the Ruins, are played among Roman remains. At Costa Daurada, the course alternates technical holes, water and doglegs, and lunch is in a 17th-century Catalan farmhouse. In the morning, the sea breeze still holds the cool of the night.

The rest of the trip is divided between the seafront, the coastal path around the Cap de Salou and the surroundings: the ruins of Tarraco, the neighbouring fishing ports and, inland, the vineyards of the Priorat. Three to five nights are enough to play all three courses, dine twice in Cambrils and keep a whole day for Tarragona and its ancient stones.

The courses

Green and two bunkers behind a reed-fringed pond, stone pines and olive trees under a soft sky

Infinitum Golf – Hills

  • Architect: Green Project
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

The most spectacular of the Infinitum courses, designed by the Green Project firm: 18 holes, par 72, 6,378 metres. The layout cuts its way through a forest of Aleppo pines and olive trees, with elevated tees, then finishes on broad cliffs above the Mediterranean. The views take in the sea, the Prades mountains and the Llaberia nature reserve. The club claims its own "Amen Corner", a run of holes where water and well-placed trees force a choice between risk and caution. The course to play first on an initial visit.

Signature hole. The 8th, a 195-metre par 3, plays over water to a green guarded by four large bunkers.

Official website

Infinitum Golf – Lakes

  • Architect: Greg Norman
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Designed by Greg Norman, the Lakes is a flat, open par 71 of 6,317 metres that winds around the Sèquia Major, a protected group of fourteen lakes and wetlands, among the most important ecosystems in the region. Water comes into play on thirteen holes, as does the sea breeze, but the fairways remain welcoming for mid-handicappers. Calmer than the Hills, it suits a first round or a late afternoon. The nine holes of the Ruins (par 34), also by Norman, thread their way between Roman remains and carob trees.

Signature hole. The 18th, 493 metres long and doglegging left: water runs all down the left side, a vast sandy area must be carried from the tee and three bunkers protect the front of the green.

Official website

Golf Costa Daurada

  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

The region's elder statesman was born in the late 1970s as the Club de Golf Tarragona, with nine holes. Taken over in 1982 by the entrepreneur Jaume Miquel, it grew to 18 holes and took its current name. The par 72 course, about twenty minutes from Salou on the El Catllar road, mixes technical holes, with water, doglegs and large bunkers, with links-inspired holes. The clubhouse occupies a 17th-century Catalan masia at the highest point of the estate, with a Catalan restaurant. A lively club course, enjoyable for all levels.

Official website

Where to stay

H10 Vintage Salou

An adults-only hotel (16 and over) in the centre of Salou, a few minutes' walk from the seafront and a quarter of an hour from Infinitum. The décor is Mediterranean with vintage touches, and the roof is home to The Sixth, a sixth-floor terrace bar with a plunge pool, for the evening drink. Ask for a Superior room, the category with its own terrace. The right address if you want to dine and stroll around town on foot.

Mas La Boella

A farming estate whose lands are recorded in a manuscript of 1150, between Tarragona and Reus, now a hotel of thirteen suites amid gardens and olive trees. Six suites are in the Mas Vell, the original masia, the other seven in the Mas Nou, built in 2009: ask for the Mas Vell for its old walls. Pool, treatments and a restaurant, the Espai Fortuny. A quarter of an hour from Infinitum, about twenty minutes from Costa Daurada.

Where to dine

Can Bosch

Opened in 1969 as a fishermen's bar near the port of Cambrils, ten minutes from Salou, Can Bosch has held a Michelin star since 1984. Arnau Bosch cooks fish from the Cambrils fish market and rice dishes with carnaroli from the Ebro Delta. The lobster and spiny lobster menus must be ordered when you book, and the house asks you to confirm your table by phone. The coast's restaurant for the dinner that matters.

Germans Miquel's

On the harbour at Cambrils, a tavern opened in the 1970s by Carlos and Lluïsa and taken over in 1998 by their nephews, Xavi front of house and Jaume in the kitchen. Some forty covers under a Catalan vault, a room full of regulars and seafaring cooking that never changes: snails with romesco, baby octopus, turbot Cambrils-style. On a first visit, order the entremesos de peix. Closed Sunday evening and Monday; book at weekends.

Pan of black rice with prawns and mussels, a glass of white wine, blue and white fishing boats in the harbour

Beyond golf

Tarragona, ancient Tarraco

A quarter of an hour from Salou, Tarragona was Tarraco, the oldest Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula and capital of Hispania Tarraconensis. Its archaeological ensemble has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000: the amphitheatre by the sea, the circus, the walls and, north of the city, the Devil's Bridge aqueduct with its two tiers of arches.

The Cap de Salou and the Camí de Ronda

The coastal path, the Camí de Ronda, sets off from the seafront and rounds the Cap de Salou, the wildest part of the municipality, from cove to cove beneath the pines. Along the way, the Jaume I promenade recalls that King James I of Aragon set sail from Salou in 1229 to conquer Mallorca; the Torre Vella, a 16th-century defensive tower, can be visited in town.

The wines of the Priorat

Inland, the Priorat is one of only two Spanish wine appellations classified at the highest level. Garnacha and Cariñena grow here on llicorella, a soil of black slate and quartz that holds the heat, and winemaking dates back to the monks of the Scala Dei charterhouse, founded in 1194. A day of cellar visits makes a fine break between two rounds.

Coastal path edged by a low stone wall above a turquoise cove, red rocks and leaning pines

When to go

Spring and autumn are the best seasons: from March to June and then from September to November, temperatures are mild, the courses in good condition and the town breathes. Summer is hot, and Salou, very family-oriented, fills up around PortAventura; take the first tee time. Winter remains playable under frequent sunshine, with cool mornings and quiet courses.

Getting there

Barcelona-El Prat airport is an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half by road, depending on traffic. Reus airport (REU), a quarter of an hour from Salou, only has seasonal flights, mainly from the United Kingdom and Ireland. By rail, the AVE serves Camp de Tarragona station, about twenty minutes from Infinitum, and Salou has its own regional station.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Salou?

The Hills at Infinitum, a par 72 laid out through the pines and finishing on the cliffs facing the Mediterranean. Greg Norman's Lakes, at the same complex, is the best companion course.

How many golf courses are there around Salou?

Two complexes less than half an hour away: Infinitum, between Salou and Tarragona, with two 18-hole courses and a nine-hole course, and Golf Costa Daurada, an 18-hole par 72 north of Tarragona, making 63 holes in all.

When is the best time to play golf in Salou?

From March to June and from September to November, for the mild weather and the calm. Summer is hot and very busy; winter remains playable, with cooler mornings.

Which airport should I fly into for a golf trip to Salou?

Barcelona-El Prat, an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half by road, all year round. Reus airport, a quarter of an hour away, only has seasonal flights.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Salou?

Three to five nights: enough to play the Hills, the Lakes and Costa Daurada, and keep a day for Tarragona or the Priorat vineyards.

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Your golf trip: Salou

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