Golf Holidays Portugal – The Best Places To Go For Golfing Breaks
When it comes to European golf holidays Portugal has the year-round sunshine and quality of courses necessary to make it a truly viable destination. This article pin-points the key regions, along with some course recommendations.
For the broadest range of courses on a golf holiday Algarve cannot be beaten. Vilamoura town alone has dozens of courses and resorts (and a healthy nightlife) with golfers having superb courses like Quinta do Lago Laranjal, Oceanico Victoria and the Vale Do Lobo Royal all within a short drive of the town.
Eastern Algarve has a milder climate (making it more comfortable to play in both summer and winter). The courses are a little more exclusive though. That said playing the Jack Nicklaus Monte Rei course would be a highlight of any itinerary. Western Algarve faces into the Atlantic wind and has a fine selection of challenging course such as the hillside Boavista and Parque da Floresta courses or the unique desert-style Faldo course at the Oceanico resort.
Heading further north up the west coast to Lisbon and the Estoril region provides the chance to mix golf with the city’s attractions. Praia d’El Rey is the most notable course in the area but with over 10 high quality resorts and great clubs like Penha Longa, Belas and Quinta da Marinha it won’t be hard to find a championship course to play every day in the region.
Continuing to the Oeste region the golf clubs are a little sparser and far flung. The region is playing catch-up with golf tourism. That said, if your perfect golf holiday involves great scenery and discovering great courses of the future then the area has a lot to offer.
Finally, the tropical island of Madeira, 450 km west of Portugal, will attract golfers seeking some unique courses. The island’s three courses wind their way across the volcanic hillsides with lush tropical vegetation and steep rocky cliffs lining the fairways. What the island lacks in volume of courses it makes up for in the sheer variety of fairways, greens and interesting course design.
