We were delighted to be invited to the Santa María Polo Club in Sotogrande last week to experience one of the best summer sporting events held each year on the Costa del Sol. Polo ‘The Sport of Kings’ has long been connected to this region of Spain, and the tournament dates in Sotogrande are now highlights of its annual calendar.
Interestingly for a sport considered in the UK to be predominantly embraced only by the rich and famous, the Spanish version is definitely more relaxed and down to earth. At Santa María Polo Club there is a warm welcome for families, prices for entrance and sustenance are very reasonable indeed, yet it is a stylishly relaxed setting all the same.
The polo really is a special day out at a breathtaking venue where thoroughbred horses are proudly displayed both on and off the turf in all their equine beauty. Polo itself is a great institution with an interesting history and some very unusual rituals that include ‘divot stomping’, where spectators enter the field of play at half time to flatten down the trampled turf.
Inside the grounds of the Santa María Polo Club there is a charming market where you can buy delicious sushi and gourmet burgers or spend time browsing through hippy chic clothes at various stalls. The seating and viewing areas are perfectly placed and even if you can’t afford a premium seat in the VIP area you won’t ever feel in second place.
Over a period of almost six weeks the public can attend several tournaments at this glorious venue and remarkably, depending on the day and event you attend, entrance is often free or you will only be charged a nominal fee of five euros.
It will be hard to find another sport that is played so excitingly fast with a stick and a ball in such an incredible location. So grab your mallet and give it your best chukker for one of the most fun and refined days out you can have on the Costas.
World class polo will be hosted at Santa María Polo Club in Sotogrande until 1st September 2018.
Photo Courtesy of Santa María Polo Club.