Golfers thinking of going on a golf holiday to Portugal tend to look at the Algarve as their preferred destination. Not surprising as its been traditionally the first port of call and is both well known and well developed. The resorts of Vilamoura and Albufeira provide a wide variety of accommodation to suit all pockets whilst the golf courses in Vilamoura are some of the best known and most visited in Portugal. Whilst sunshine cant be guaranteed, it is generally thought of as a sunshine destination. Due to its popularity tee times have become difficult to obtain in peak months and prices have risen accordingly. If you go further west towards Lagos there are some very good courses and resorts which are beginning to offer good value and are well worth looking at.
Lisbon is rich in culture with plenty to do and see when not on the fairways
Bearing that in mind. what would make a golfer look anywhere else in Portugal? The answer would be if there was another region that had truly great golf courses, good accommodation, was easy to get to and also offered great value for money. Fortunately, there is such an area that fulfills all those requirements and now is the time to visit the area around Lisbon and discover one of golfs best kept secrets!
Praia D’el Rey Golf Resort, Lisbon
Flights from most UK airports are available into Lisbon and take just over 2 hours. From there its about an hours drive to what will become one of Europe’s best golfing destinations. There are 4 golf courses all within 15 minutes of each other in an area dubbed The Silver Coast and for those who have not been there before, they will be amazed by the quality on offer. Praia d’el Rey is probably the best known and most established of them and offers two contrasting nines. Bom Sucesso has gone through a major overhaul and is now much improved and is a really interesting layout. Royal Obidos is a seriously good golf courses and is one of Ballesteros’s best and most playable designs. Finally there is West Cliffs which only opened this year but is already one of Europe’s must play courses. It is without doubt the best new course we have seen and should be on everyone’s wish list especially at the incredible low cost opening offers.
West Cliffs Golf Course
In our opinion these courses are certainly as good as, if not better than, anywhere else in Portugal and West Cliffs can justifiably lay claim to be amongst the very best in Europe not just Portugal. So with great golf courses and accommodation from 5 star to outstanding self catering accommodation available there is a package to suit every pocket. If you are thinking of playing golf in Portugal then don’t just think of the Algarve – get to the Lisbon area before everybody else discovers this golfing gem.
Leave a Reply