Portugal, the Southwestern outpost of Europe (next stop North Africa), enjoys a very temperate climate all year round: no wonder it's so popular for golf holidays! You may possibly encounter a few rainy hours in December and January but even so the temperature rarely drops below the high teens (while thermometers at home are in the red numbers).
Surprisingly, despite the warm climate, there is plenty of water to be found below ground and the golf courses are verdant playgrounds accessible to all.
We are pleased to offer all the well-known destinations such as Vilamoura and Penina on the Algarve, where the tourism industry revolves almost exclusively around golfbreaks. For those looking for a taste of real Portugal along with their golf we are particularly happy to recommend some of the lesser-known places to stay that we have uncovered: Estoril & Cascais west of Lisbon, Sesimbra to the south or Obidos to the north of the capital, for example.
The Algarve has without doubt one of the densest concentrations of high quality golf courses in Europe - verging on a golfing theme park around Vilamoura!
The dozen courses that encircle the modern marina of Vilamoura and the residential pine groves of Vila Sol, seem to exist purely as life support systems for itinerant golfers. The courses are many and varied, ranking them would be a thankless task - everyone seems to have their own favourite combination!
The whole area is extremely well organised for golfers seeking to maximise their time 'on-course', there is even a shuttle bus service that will ferry you to and from the hotels and the six Vilamoura golf courses. However for groups or if you wish to play at Vila Sol, Quinta do Lago or Vale do Lobo, we would prefer to book dedicated transfers for you as it will keep your party together, avoid waiting/queuing and they cost little per head: an affordable indulgence!
However, if you wish to play the Vilamoura courses and enjoy a little of the Portuguese lifestyle then we would say stay in Faro. It's a proper little town filled with bars, boutiques and restaurants to stroll post-golf and only ten minutes from the majority of Golf Clubs. Should you wish to head further back in time try a trip inland to Loulé or a little further on up the scenic mountain roads to Alte – perpetual winner of the 'most-Portugese-town-in-Portugal' title!
For a quieter, more refined golf holiday in Portugal try Tavira. An old fishing port around to the East of Faro and very close to the Spanish border, so a golf holiday straddling Portugal and Spain is a real possibility. Here you will find a genuine Portuguese town that existed pre-golf; Tavira is not all tourism and souvenir shops - there are real Portuguese living here too!
The golf courses in this area of the eastern Algarve are every bit as good as elsewhere, plus they are excellent value too catering mainly for local members. The two courses at Quinta da Ria and Quinta de Cime, plus nearby Benamor have long been favourites with local golfing ex-pats. The new(ish) course at Quinta do Vale has now joined this friendly little group.
There is one rather expensive Club with a remarkable course that you might wish to splash out on - the luxurious Monte Rei. Here, up in the hills, you will be fully pampered with golf carts, free range balls and fifteen-minute Tee intervals to spoil you rotten.
And a short hop over to the Spanish side there are the delights of El Rompido with its two golf courses and the newly built Costa Esuri with its links-like feel alongside the estuary (that forms the border) to enjoy.
Henry Cotton's original golf resort of Penina is still going strong midway along Portugal's Algarve coastline. It is great to see the fine old hotel so lovingly cared for and the Penina Championship course so beautifully looked after too. If you want to see where golf holidays on the Algarve started, then head for Le Meridien Penina.
Penina makes an ideal place for a resort-based holiday with twenty-seven holes on-site and the luxury of a five-star hotel to relax in and around with its spa and expansive pool. Should you wish to head out for dinner then the nearby town of Alvor has some good little restaurants along the seafront.
If we were pushed to choose a favourite Portuguese golf destination then it would probably be Cascais: it has it all! Easy to get to, fabulous golf courses all around, superb weather, great food and so much to see and do - something for every species of golfer.
Cascais lies in the province of Estoril and Sintra just west of Lisbon. The small fishing village has a much more 'local' feel about the cobbled backstreets. Here there is more to life than just golf (yes it’s true!) and you will find less overt tourism, more local flavour and many more Portuguese Members playing.
Besides all this, the variety of stunning golf courses to be played is legion. Ranging from intricate old courses at Lisbon and Estoril, classic Portuguese golf settings at Quinta da Marinha and Belas through the parasol pines, the awesome Penha Longa carved out of the wooded hillsides, to the sweeping majesty of Oitavos Dunes between the sand dunes and the roaring Atlantic Ocean.
If you like to discover new golfing destinations on your travels then look no further than the medieval walled town of Obidos an hour to the North of Lisbon. Here there are long sandy beaches, quaint Portuguese towns and modern golf developments existing in perfect harmony.
The course at Praia d'el Rey may well be familiar to many golfers, but the new golf courses at Royal Obidos (right beside Praia d'el Rey) and West Cliffs along the coastline are both simply stunning layouts that no discerning golfer should miss.
Obidos and the surrounding region, may not have the quantity of courses that you will find in other parts of Portugal, but it sure has the quality!
The playground of many a Lisboan lies south along the Setubal and Sesimbra coast. Only an hour from the city centre, this hilly land descends to the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Sado river along a series of sandy beaches divided by rocky promontories. Just along form the busy town of Setubal (from where the ferry crosses to the Troia peninsula) is the resort of Sesimbra. This is a delightful holiday town, where steep, narrow lanes cluttered with traditional Portuguese dwellings tumble down to the magnificent sandy beach fronted with hotels, restaurants and cafes.
In this part of the world there are also some truly remarkable golf courses: Quinta do Peru, Montado, Ribagolfe, Aroeira I & II are all fine golf courses. However, the jewel in the Sesimbra crown is without doubt the devilish beauty that is Troia Golf Club, sitting like a Siren on the narrow spit of land reached by a ten-minute ferry from Setubal. A simply amazing golf course, once discovered never forgotten - and hardly ever beaten!
Staying in Sesimbra gives you plenty af access to the courses all around and to the fantastic array of restaurants in town. If you prefer a resort-style golfbreak then the new hotel between the two Aroeira courses is the place to stay. Aroeira is like a little golfing enclave with houses and a few shops dotted around the residential development, so even though you are not in town you will have amenities on hand.
Lagos on the western end of the Algarve is well known summer holiday destination amongst the Portuguese for its charming old town coupled to a string of huge sandy beaches between the crumbling sandstone cliffs.
Nearby there has recently been a healthy outcropping of golf courses as golfers venturing on holiday have spread slowly west from Faro airport. The old Palmares golf course has been totally revamped and is now the star in the western Algarve firmament. Elsewhere in this little golfing galaxy there are golf courses with universal appeal such as Pinta, Gramacho, Morgado, Silves and the fully ecological set-up at Espiche - the dawn of a new golfing age maybe?
If you, like us, believe that there is nothing better than a fine dinner after a fine round of golf then Portugal should be on your menu - particularly, although not exclusively, if you are a fan of delicacies that emanate from the sea, sorry ocean.
With so much coastline, the Portuguese have a strong seafaring tradition, which is reflected in their cuisine. Straightforward grilled fish of all species takes pride of place on many a menu, alongside a huge variety of seafood (try the sea urchins in season) and if the evenings are still a little cool when you take your golf holiday there is nothing more warming than their hearty fish-stews.
Start the evening with a glass of chilled, crisp Vinho Verde and a deep red sun setting over the Atlantic. Then accompany your dinner with a glass or two of the Portuguese deep red wines that are so full bodied thanks to grapes that ripen in the strong Portuguese sun.
