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Golfing Holidays in the Algarve
It's hard to beat golfing holidays in the Algarve! With hours and hours of sunshine, lush green fairways, orange, almond, carob and olive trees, this surely is the perfect place for a golfing holiday. Fantastic weather and a mild climate, the Algarve is a haven for golfers all year round.
Take a look below at the Algarve golf courses. Click on ones you want more information about, including course descriptions, green fees and facilities.
If you're considering an Algarve golf break, then there are some good deals on golf packages. Click on the link for
Algarve golf packages
for more information.
Most of the Algarve golf courses are concentrated in the tourist areas of the Central Algarve, such as Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo, Vilamoura and Albufeira. Most holidaymakers who take golfing holidays in the Algarve head for the Central Algarve to play and there are indeed some superb courses in this area.
Eastern Algarve Golf Clubs
If you want to escape the crowds however, I would head to the
Eastern Algarve for your golf
– less developed, somewhat undiscovered as a golfing area and thus less crowded. A place where you can mix your golfing holiday in the Algarve with the culture and historic beauty of old fishing towns along the coast.
Until a few years ago there were no golf courses in the area. But now there are four (4 ½ if you include the nine hole course Colina Verde), all within easy travelling distance of each other. These courses are in areas of natural beauty and are free from the development of fairway-lining villas.
Benamor golf course
is only a few miles to the west of Tavira with
Quinta da Ria
and its sister course
Quinta de Cima
only a few miles further east. Near the Spanish border, just north of Vila Santo de Antonio, is
Castro Marim Club do Golfe
Monte Rei golf course is due to be completed by early 2007. This will be a resort complex with two 18 holes golf courses, villas and apartments and a purpose built village. This will be the areas version of the resorts in the central Algarve.
Central Algarve Golf Clubs
In the central Algarve, many of the golf courses part of resort complexes. More expensive and more crowded, but are great for families as you will find all the facilities and attractions you could desire for a family holiday – great beaches, water sports, theme parks and the like, if not in the resort, then only a short drive away.
Only a few miles west of Faro is the Quinta do Lago estate. This is home to its own 2 courses the
Quinta do Lago North and Quinta do Lago South courses.
Within the estate there are two other courses, owned by hotels. These are
San Lorenzo golf club
and the
Pinheiros Altos golf course.
10 minutes further west is the resort of
Vale do Lobo, with its two courses,
the championship Royal course and its sister, the Ocean course.
A few minutes futher west, and still within 20 minutes drive of Faro Airport is the golf course at the Vila Sol Resort and the resort of Vilamoura, one of the most popular destinations for golfing holidays in the Algarve. It is home to five great golf courses,
The Millennium, Laguna, Pinhal, Victoria and Old courses.
Albufeira, the Algarve's most popular holiday destination is not blessed with lots of golf courses in its immediate vicinity. There is one 18-hole links style course,
Salgados
a few km to the west of the resort and two nine-hole courses,
Balaia
and
Pine Cliffs
a little to the east. Continuing west, between Armacao de Pera and Carvoeiro is the 9-hole, par-3
Vale de Milho golf course
and at Carvoeiro there are two golf courses which form the Pestana Golf resort. These are the
Gramacho Golf Course
and the
Vale da Pinta golf course.
Western Algarve Golf Clubs
In the Western Algarve, around the Portimão area there are three courses worth considering, all within 15 minutes drive by car. These are
Morgado Golf Course,
which is north of Portimão off the N124 towards Monchique;
Penina Golf Resort,
along the EN125 about 4km west from Portimão and
Alto golf course
which is situated between Portimão and Alvor.
Heading further west, towards Lagos, is one of the best courses in the Western Algarve, Palmares Golf Club a combination of links and parkland golf. Nearby is a course with fantastic views of the coastline,
Boavista Golf Club, part of the Boavista Resort.
The most westerly golf course in the Algarve, is Parque da Floresta golf course, a rugged parkland course, and well worth a visit if you're in the area.
As you might expect, golfing holidays in the Algarve don’t come cheap. I guess wherever you play golf now in the sunshine in popular tourist destinations you’re going to have to pay a premium.
If you have booked your own holiday and accommodation, it is tempting to book your tee-times directly with the courses that you intend to play. However, you’ll end up paying full price for the golf, unless your accommodation has links with the golf courses. A better way, is to use one of the specialist companies who will book your tee-times for you. In many cases this will save you 20% on the published prices, sometimes even more.
The other option is to book your golfing holiday in the Algarve through an operator who specialises in Algarve golf packages. You will get the advantage of the cheaper green fees and good hotel rates, plus their time in making the arrangements.
If you plan golfing holidays in the algarve as part of a golf tour for a reasonable number of golfers, then you may be able to further benefit from group discounts available through your tour operators or just on the green fees.
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