A gathering of key UK travel trade, MICE companies and media joined leading figures from the sporting world and Spanish dignitaries to help La Manga Club usher in a new era as Spain's flagship resort hosted a glittering evening on the River Thames this month.

Star names including Scotland manager Gordon Strachan, one of the resort's team of celebrity ambassadors, took time out from their busy schedules to meet up with La Manga Club's new management team, resort partners and guests for the 'Taste of Spain' event in the heart of London.

Departing from the Savoy Pier and held aboard the exclusive Silver Sturgeon cruiser, attendees were treated to a champagne reception and Spanish culinary delights prepared by Jamie Oliver's innovative team.

Guests also had the opportunity to win an array of luxury breaks to La Manga Club as the resort's general manager José Asenjo and non-executive chairman PY Gerbeau unveiled their visions for the future, which includes its new Leadbetter Golf Academy – the only such facility in mainland Spain.

Asenjo said: “La Manga Club is one of the most famous and prestigious resorts in Europe and this was a perfect opportunity for us to demonstrate what we can offer to many different groups of people.

“The UK has always been a key market for us and continues to be at the forefront of our plans as we look for the future.”

La Manga Club has been at the forefront of sports and leisure destinations in Europe for more than four decades since opening in 1972.

The resort boasts unrivalled facilities as a sport and leisure venue including three 18-hole championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre. It also offers the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 20 bars and restaurants.
www.lamangaclub.com 

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For more information on La Manga Club or images contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com 

La Manga Club – www.lamangaclub.com – is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars.

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of more than 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.

La Manga Club was the proud recipient of a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, for the facilities and service on offer at its five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The resort has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.