This is a remarkably good, interesting course owned by the Sol Melia group and hence guests at the Sol Melia Tropical or Paradisus Resort receive complementary rounds here as part of their all inclusive package. Jose “Pepe” Gancedo, six-time Spanish Champion, designed the course by following the lay of the land, using the natural terrain to provide a route easily played by golfers of all ability. 27 holes stretching to 7285 yards depending on which nines are selected, the course features strategically placed trees, bunkers, mounds and gently rolling terrain with well-defined and generous fairways.
The course is usually in excellent condition, which is a complement given the amount of play here. With wide fairways and fast greens, the course is mostly flat, though the greens are elevated. You do get the feeling you are in a residential area as a number of holes have housing developments quite close to the fairways. Morning players will most often start at Hibiscus and proceed to Bougainvillea, which makes up the Championship course, whereas afternoon players get to see Benjamina, which is much less challenging. Don’t expect fast playing times due to the variety of golfers to be found on the course and playing times range from 4 1/2 to 5 + hours if you tee off later. Take food and drink with you, as the beverage cart is not a frequent visitor. The 18th at Bougainvillea is a great par 4 stretching to 470 yards from the back tees with water running almost all the way down the left. The green is slightly elevated to add to the difficulty, and if you are lucky enough to strike a good second that is on its way to the green, beware two nasty bunkers behind and to the right. A tough finish.
In order to play Cocotal as part of the all inclusive package, you must get individual golf vouchers at the Hotel customer relations desk in the resort lobby for each person, each day, for each tee time. One tip is to reserve a tee time directly with the golf course and then bring your voucher. Do NOT assume that getting a voucher means you have a tee time! Also note that you will be charged a $35US cart fee (as of 2011) as the vouchers do not include carts or caddies.
