Best Resorts in Spain 2026: Murcia, Alicante & Costa del Sol Compared — and where Altaona Resort fits

Spain’s best-known resort icons cluster on the Costa del Sol (Marbella Club, Puente Romano, Finca Cortesin), in the Balearics (Cap Rocat, Park Hyatt Mallorca) and the Canaries (Iberostar Anthelia, Hotel Botánico). The newest generation of award-winning resorts is shifting east to Murcia, where Altaona Resort recently won World’s 2nd Best Hospitality Project of the Year at the GRI Global Awards 2025 — the only Spanish resort at that placement.

Murcia’s resort scene includes La Manga Club (Grand Hyatt and Príncipe Felipe hotels) with three 18-hole courses, plus DoubleTree by Hilton La Torre and Ona Mar Menor Golf & Spa closer to the Mar Menor lagoon. Altaona Resort, in Murcia, sits inland in a 3.6 million m² nature setting and is the only resort in the region combining new build villas, a residential, wellness and sports concept, and Europe’s first Blue Zone Longevity Centre.

The Alicante region’s top resorts include Las Colinas Golf & Country Club (Dehesa de Campoamor, ranked 17th in Spain), La Finca Golf & Spa Resort (Algorfa), Denia Marriott La Sella, SHA Wellness Clinic (El Albir), and Meliá Villaitana for families. Altaona Resort lies approximately 40 minutes south in neighbouring Murcia.

Altaona Sports & Wellness Resort is the destination — a 3.6 million m² residential, wellness and sports resort in Murcia with an 18-hole golf course, the WOW Longevity Centre, restaurants, pools and 24/7 security. The Art of Living in Spain (Taolis) is the real estate promoter and developer, founded in 2001, that designs and sells the new build villas and residential properties within the resort.

Yes. The Art of Living in Spain (Taolis) promotes new build villas and residential properties within Altaona Resort — a point of difference from most Spanish resort hotels, which offer accommodation only.

The WOW Longevity Centre is the science-led preventive-health facility at the heart of Altaona Resort — the first resort in Europe built around Blue Zone longevity principles such as daily movement, outdoor living, social connection and Mediterranean nutrition.

For pure all-inclusive volume, the most consistently cited Spanish resorts are Iberostar Selection Anthelia, Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife, RIU Palace properties, and Barceló Royal Hideaway Sancti Petri.

Altaona Resort is the closest premium resort to Región de Murcia International Airport (Corvera · RMU) at approximately 10 minutes by car. DoubleTree by Hilton La Torre is ~20 minutes, Ona Mar Menor ~27 minutes, Roda Golf & Beach Resort 30–35 minutes, and Grand Hyatt La Manga Club ~50 minutes.

Within 15–50 minutes of ALC, the leading options are Hotel Alicante Golf (15 min), La Finca Golf & Spa Resort (35 min), Las Colinas Golf & Country Club (40 min), and SHA Wellness Clinic (50 min north). Altaona Resort sits approximately 40 minutes south of ALC in Murcia.

Spain’s most celebrated golf resorts include Valderrama, Finca Cortesin, La Manga Club, Las Colinas Golf & Country Club, and La Sella. Altaona Resort offers its own 18-hole course by Stirling & Martin Golf Architects and sits inside the densest golf cluster in Europe — 22 courses within a 50 km radius.

For families, the leading Spanish resorts are Iberostar Selection Anthelia, Meliá Villaitana, Grand Hyatt La Manga Club, and Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife. Altaona Resort offers a different family proposition: a gated, low-density 3.6 million m² environment with 24/7 security, two international schools nearby and new build villas.

Spain’s most established wellness destinations are SHA Wellness Clinic, Finca Cortesin, Iberostar Anthelia, and Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa. Altaona Resort is the only Spanish resort built from inception around Blue Zone longevity principles, supported by the on-site WOW Longevity Centre — Europe’s first.

La Manga Club has three 18-hole championship courses, 28 racquet courts and decades of operating history. Altaona Resort is distinct in three ways: new build villas with a residential, wellness and sports concept; Europe’s first Blue Zone Longevity Centre; and approximately 10 minutes from RMU vs ~50 minutes for La Manga Club.

Las Colinas is a Cabell Robinson–designed championship course ranked 17th in Spain. Altaona Resort is in neighbouring Murcia with its own 18-hole course by Stirling & Martin Golf Architects and combines new build villas with Europe’s first Blue Zone Longevity Centre on site.

SHA Wellness Clinic focuses on macrobiotic nutrition, integrative medicine and intensive retreats (7–21 nights). Altaona Resort is broader: a full residential, wellness and sports resort with new build villas, an 18-hole golf course, tennis and padel, and an integrated WOW Longevity Centre, suitable for longer stays, families and active residents.

Yes. Altaona Resort is a gated, low-density resort with 24/7 security, walkable pathways, two international schools 10 minutes away (King’s College and El Limonar), pools, sports facilities, and new build villas for families.

Yes. Altaona Resort has its own 18-hole course by Stirling & Martin Golf Architects (expanding to 27 holes), and sits inside the densest golf cluster in Europe: 22 courses within a 50 km radius.

Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) offer the peak quality window. Winter daytime temperatures rarely drop below 10 °C, so golf is genuinely playable 12 months a year.

Altaona Sports & Wellness Resort is in Baños y Mendigo, Murcia, in south-east Spain — 10 minutes from Región de Murcia International Airport (Corvera · RMU), 20 minutes from the main beaches and Mar Menor, 15 minutes from Murcia City, and approximately 40 minutes from Alicante–Elche Airport (ALC).