Real de La Quinta has opened El Lago Club, a major new leisure and lifestyle hub in the Marbella-Benahavís area of the Costa del Sol, Spain.
Set in the natural surroundings of the Sierra de las Nieves, the new club marks a key stage in the development of Real de La Quinta, a large-scale sustainable residential resort designed around nature, wellbeing, sport and year-round living.
For UK visitors familiar with Marbella’s beach clubs, golf resorts and hillside villas, El Lago Club offers something slightly different: a mountain setting with its own navigable lake, beach area, water sports, wellness club, golf, tennis and dining, all within the same resort.
At the centre of El Lago Club is a navigable lake of more than 35,000 square metres and over 400 metres in length. It has been designed as the social heart of the resort, bringing a beach-style experience into the hills of Marbella-Benahavís.
The lake area includes a beach with a swimming zone, a dock and water activities such as kayaking, paddleboarding and water bikes. Around it, visitors and residents will also find walking and running routes, children’s play areas and open spaces designed to make the most of the natural setting.
Borja Pascual, CEO of La Quinta Real Estate Group, described El Lago Club as the place where “nature, sports, wellness and social life converge”, adding that its opening is a major step in establishing Real de La Quinta as a complete residential destination rather than simply a property development.
Alongside the lake, El Lago Club includes a golf club, a six-hole golf course, tennis courts and paddle tennis courts, giving the resort a strong sports and leisure focus.
The wellness offer is led by Le Max Wellness Club, which operates the resort’s exclusive wellness centre. Facilities include a gym, spa, sauna, Turkish bath and heated indoor pool, with personalised programmes and five-star-style wellness protocols.
Laura Gómez, founder of Le Max Wellness Club, said the aim is to combine “total well-being and high-performance training” with dedicated staff and spaces designed for balance, comfort and a high-end experience.
Food is also a key part of the new opening. El Lago Club is home to Saltao, a restaurant from Azotea Grupo bringing a Peruvian-Mediterranean concept to the resort.
The menu has been developed by Víctor and Paula Gutiérrez, who run Tayta in Salamanca, the only Peruvian restaurant in Spain to hold a Michelin star. The concept focuses on creative, product-led cooking, with locally sourced ingredients and a setting that makes the most of Real de La Quinta’s natural surroundings.
José Manuel García, CEO and founder of Azotea Grupo, said the team wanted to offer a carefully crafted, high-quality menu in “an idyllic natural setting in an iconic city in southern Spain.”
Real de La Quinta spans nearly two million square metres and is currently around 50% complete. More than 400 homes have already been built, with 223 delivered and a further 116 due to be delivered between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027.
The resort has been designed as a low-density, nature-led development, with an emphasis on sustainability, lifestyle and long-term community building. It sits close to Marbella and Benahavís, in the slopes of the Sierra de las Nieves, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Pascual said the company’s goal is not only to build homes, but to create “a leading international residential destination” where quality of life, sustainability and services are all part of the same experience.
The opening of El Lago Club is one of the most important steps so far for Real de La Quinta, but more additions are planned.
One of the next major milestones will be the Angsana Real de La Quinta Hotel, developed through an agreement with Banyan Tree Group. The hotel is expected to strengthen the resort’s international profile and add further services for residents and visitors.
For the Costa del Sol, the project also represents a wider economic boost, creating direct and indirect jobs and supporting collaboration with local suppliers.
With its lake, beach, water sports, wellness club, restaurant, golf and racquet sports, El Lago Club gives Real de La Quinta one of the most extensive leisure offerings in the region — and adds a new reason for UK travellers, second-home buyers and lifestyle seekers to look beyond the coast itself.
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