La Alcaidesa is a

gated community A gated community (or walled community) is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences ...

(known as an ''urbanización'' in Spanish) near

Sotogrande Sotogrande is the largest privately owned residential development in Andalusia, Spain. Originally a gated community, it is located in the municipality of San Roque and is composed of a 25-square-kilometre stretch from the Mediterranean Sea 25&nb ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(within the municipalities of La Línea de la Concepción and San Roque), in the

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

province of Cádiz Cádiz is a Provinces of Spain, province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the southernmost part of mainland Spain, as well as the southernmost part of conti ...

, accessed by junction 124 on the Autovía A-7 coastal motorway. The natural topography allows the town to enjoy an enviable location overlooking the Mediterranean with easy access to Gibraltar, the Campo and the towns of Algeciras and Marbella. The town has two staffed, gated access points and mobile security patrols. A fire station exclusively serving Alcaidesa was built in 2008. The town boasts two golf courses, the original is links style, said to be the only one in Spain. The second is a more traditional heathland course. The popular beach called

Playa de La Alcaidesa Playa de La Alcaidesa is a beach in the municipality of La Línea de la Concepción, in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain. It has a length of about and average width of about . It i s a busy beach north of the city and bounded on the south b ...

is linked to

Playa de La Hacienda Playa de La Hacienda is a beach in the municipality of La Línea de la Concepción, in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain. It has a length of about and average width of about . It is a busy beach north of the city and bordered to the south w ...

, looking towards La Linea it is possible to see

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

(a British overseas territory).

Location

The main access to the urbanization is via a tree-lined avenue with panoramic views of the Bay. Gibraltar Airport is twenty-minutes-drive away, Malaga International Airport, a one hour drive east and Jerez Airport one and a half hours to the west. A regular bus service operates between Gibraltar and Alcaidesa with a journey time of under thirty minutes. A number of local schools operate a student shuttle service to and from the town. The exclusive resort of Sotogrande renowned for its sporting facilities is close by. Sotogrande is home to the Santa Maria Polo Club, a tennis academy, a number of other sporting facilities and is considered to be one of the most luxurious urbanizations in Europe. The surrounding area is a haven for golf lovers with five fine courses close by including the world famous Valderama, past home to the Ryder Cup and the European Masters.

History

Construction originally started in the 1990s. La Alcaidesa Inmobiliaria (the

Costain Costain is a surname of English, Scottish and Manx origin. When originating in Scotland and northern Ireland the surname is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Mac Austain'', meaning "son of ''Austin''". The English surname is a reduced form of '' Co ...

/Banesto joint venture company) owned the land and since that time a number of developers have completed further independent communities. The much-improved Spanish economy has provided new confidence among developers with a number of new builds under construction and other contractors lining up to break ground. There are a couple of hotels, one exclusively serves the German market (Aldiana). A small shop selling essentials opened in March 2011 and a pharmacy is on duty. There are two restaurants in the town square and a further all year-round beach bar providing seating inside and out and open throughout the day and evening serving a mixture of meat and fish dishes. A further mall has been constructed with a number of the units now occupied. in July 2015 there was a reorganisation of the owners due to debts being owed to Banco Santander, Santander now own the two largest pieces of development land currently. Costain own the operating assets of the golf courses and the marina concession, and the associated smaller parcels of land and will retain the balance of the outstanding debt. In July 2016

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

s forced the evacuation of many properties and hotels in Alcaidesa. In 2019 Grupo Millennium purchased Alcaidesa Holding and its subsidiary Alcaidesa Golf SLU for over €15 million from the Costain Group, with plans to build Villas and a hotel. In summer 2020 works began on the new five-star Millenium hotel in Alcaidesa that is planned to be named "La Hacienda". The first hotel of this category in the Campo de Gibraltar. This new hotel complex will be built on the H3 plot of Alcaidesa with sea views offering 144 rooms.

Architecture

There are various independent communities within La Alcaidesa, such a
La Corona
a complex of modern townhouses. Another increasingly popular resort near the top of the hill, is Terrazas de Alcaidesa. It nestles in a small valley next to the nature reserve and just below the Golf Club. It comprises just eight buildings of three floors, comprising 110 two and three bedroom apartments, most of which have front and rear terraces. Many apartments are owner occupied, whilst others serve as holiday lets. In the centre are three attractive swimming pools with showers and changing facilities and a paddle tennis court. La Alcaidesa

References

{{La Línea de la Concepción Resorts in Spain La Línea de la Concepción San Roque, Cádiz Beaches of Andalusia