This article has been produced in partnership with Golfbreaks.com

Just an hour’s drive from the popular city of Barcelona sits the PGA Catalunya Resort. Irish entrepreneur Denis O’Brien, who also owns Quinta do Lago in Portugal, owns the resort, which features two championship golf courses and is just 6km from Spain’s famous Costa Brava coastline.

The two courses on offer at PGA Catalunya are The Stadium Course and the Tour Course, which accompany the Hotel Camiral, villas and apartments. The all year round sunshine makes this resort a great one to visit at any time of the year.

One thing is for sure; the resort has expanded beyond the vision of its founders more than 20 years ago.

The Golf

As mentioned earlier, you have two choices of course to play at the PGA Catalunya Resort in The Stadium Course and the Tour Course. No matter which of the two courses you choose to play, you will experience a challenging round of golf at this modern, world-class venue.

The Stadium Course

The Stadium Course has been ranked the number one golf course in Spain, and if that isn’t enough, the course has also been consistently ranked in the best ten golf courses in Europe since it was opened back in 1999. If you’re still not impressed, this course has also been a venue for numerous PGA European Circuit tournaments and regularly receives praise from the professionals.

The beauty of this course can often distract golfers from the numerous challenges this par 72 golf course poses. The trees press close to fairways, there are strategically placed bunkers on nearly every hole and lakes come into play on seven of the course's toughest holes.

The course may sound intimidating, but the sheer quality and abundant memorable holes keep golfers returning year after year.

The Tour Course

The Tour Course offers a somewhat less difficult challenge than The Stadium Course, however it does offer just as much beauty thanks to the giant pine trees and lakes.

The course plays shorter than The Stadium Course however, thanks to tree-lined fairways and water hazards, the course remains a challenge. This course is arguably favoured by most resort golfers as the fairways are generously wide and the course overall can be more forgiving of a less than perfect shot.

However, that is not to say that the course is not challenging. The fact that the course has hosted the European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage since 2008 shows how difficult this course can be.

The resort also offers an outstanding practice facility with a large, natural grass practice tee, as well as a beginners area with high-quality mats. The short game area has large bunkers and  a 2,000 square-metre putting green.

One cool feature of the practice area is that there are five bunkers that all contain different types of sand you would find at courses such as Augusta, St Andrews, Hawaii volcanic, PGA Catalunya Stadium Course and Pebble Beach. The greens also feature different grasses such as Bermuda, Bent, Paspalum and Poa.

The Hotel

New to the PGA Catalunya Resort is the 5 star Hotel Camiral. From every single one of the 149 luxurious and spacious rooms in the hotel, you can enjoy panoramic views over the golf course, swimming pool or gardens.

The rooms have been designed in such detail to promote superior slumber. Getting to sleep won’t be a problem in this Spanish resort as all rooms feature 300 thread-count Egyptian cotton linens, plush pillows that range from fluffy to firm and a pillow top mattress to lull you into a deep, restful sleep.

The bathrooms are spacious and contemporary in style, with the oak wood flooring and floral Spanish hand-painted tiles. All rooms in the hotel have a full size soaking tub and an oversized rain shower.  Types of standard rooms on offer are Deluxe and Superior Deluxe.

There are also suites available at this 5 star resort. The Duplex Suites have been carefully designed to create spaces for working and relaxing, with bespoke armchairs, sofas, long console desks and floor to ceiling windows that boast superb views of the gardens and the Resort.

Finally, the Romani Suite and Presidential Suite are on offer for those looking for the ultimate Spanish, golfing getaway.

What to do?

Aside from playing golf, there are numerous things to do both at the resort and in the local area.

You really don’t have to travel far to taste some of the freshest quality, locally sourced foods Spain has to offer as the Resort offers outstanding restaurants that all have their unique style and character.

The 1477 Restaurant allows you to dine al fresco on the patio in summer or you can enjoy the cosy ambience of the indoor dining space. And could you ask for a better backdrop than the Pyrenees Mountains?

The Lounge Bar is relaxed and informal and really captures the passion and personality of the Resort. This bar is perfect for a drink before your evening – maybe a fine Spanish sherry?

After spending the morning around the pool, you will most certainly find yourself at the Pool Bar. The Pool Bar also offer a waiter service to individual sunbeds and large day beds for deluxe poolside ambience.

Finally, the Clubhouse’s sprawling terrace offers striking views over the Montseny Massif and the Stadium Course. After a morning spent on the golf course, where better to recover than the Clubhouse Bistrot?

When you’re not on the golf course, you can relax in the pool that is set against the backdrop of the beautifully landscaped gardens. There are regular aqua classes, however if that isn’t your thing you can always relax by the poolside and watch others show you how it’s done. There is also a smaller kids pool.

For full relaxation, you may visit the Welness Area. This area features a warm Hyrdrotherapy Pool, which is perfect to relax your muscles after a round of golf. There is a Herbal Steam Room and therapy rooms that offer numerous treatments from relaxing massages to energising polishes, from a handpicked team of qualified beauty therapists.

If you want to keep up your fitness regime while you’re away then you take advantage of the onsite Fitness Centre. This features a range of treadmills, elliptical, cycle and stair-climbing machines by Technogym, that come complete with personal television monitors and headphones. There is also a full range of free weights to TRX kettle bells.

How to get there?

The best way to get to the PGA Catalunya Resort is by air, but you do have two options on where to fly to. You can either fly to Girona-Costa Brava Airport, which is located just 6km away from PGA Catalunya. However, you may find a cheaper alternative by flying to Barcelona Airport, which is just over an hour away from the Resort.

To learn more about the great deals on offer at Golfbreaks.com to play and stay at PGA Catalunya, please - Click here