Sotogrande is the largest privately owned residential development in Andalusia. Originally a gated community, it is located in the municipality of San Roque, Cádiz, Spain, southern Europe and is composed of a 20 square kilometres stretch from the Mediterranean Sea 25 km east of Gibraltar, back into the foothills of Sierra Almenara, providing contrasting views of sea, hills, cork forests and green fairways, including the Rock of Gibraltar and Morocco.
Some of the richest and most powerful families of Spain and United Kingdom have summer homes in Sotogrande. Current and past regulars and inhabitants of Sotogrande includ Peter Caruana, former Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, current Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Tony Blair, Emilio Botín, Ana Rosa Quintana, Royal Shakespeare Company actor Mike Gwilym, as well HRH Prince, Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou, the legitimist pretender to the throne of France.
The Zobels family, having seen the idyllic coasts in 1962, bought five neighbouring farms, with the idea of creating a luxurious residential development by the Mediterranean. McMicking succeeded in creating what has become one of the most luxurious urbanizations in Europe, in May 2006 it was featured in The Times as having the most expensive homes in Europe. The jet set appeal of Sotogrande lies in the nature beauty of the site, enhanced by the earyTlandscaping, planting of avenues of palm and conifer trees, underground infrastructure and wide, two-lane roads. There are a number of artificial lakes and 5 golf courses, including the world-famous Valderrama, created by Jaime Ortiz-Patiño and the San Roque course.