Portugal is a southern European country on the Iberian Peninsula with Spain as its nearest neighbour.
Its dramatic coastline hugs the Atlantic Ocean making it a paradise for surfers, water sports lovers and beach goers.
The ocean has influenced Portugal’s national identity since the Middle Ages when it was one of the world’s great maritime powers, expanding outwards to discover the ‘New World’ and establish trade routes with Africa and India.
Its culture and cuisine reflects its seafaring prowess with salted cod and sardines two popular national dishes with Portugese. Inland, its cities are captivating and its countryside is dotted with cobblestone villages and Medieval Castles.
Today, Portugal is well known as one of Europe’s best destinations for golf holidays. The Algarve coastline stretching between Lisbon and Porto is a honeypot of great golf courses, luxury resorts and hotels.
Global Golfer Magazine has teamed up with Golf Holidays Direct to offer this handy guide to golf breaks in Portugal .
As well as golden beaches and its famous rust coloured limestone cliffs, Portugal is home to a huge array of championship golf courses and five luxury resorts. The sun shines year round making Portugal a great choice for a golf holiday.
We recommend the Algarve and Lisbon and the Lisboa coast to golfers visiting Portugal for the first time.
GETTING TO PORTUGAL
You fly into Faro, the nearest airport to the Algarve, which is well serviced by airlines (both budget and national) from the UK and the rest of mainland Europe. From Faro Airport, it’s a seamless connection to travel to a Golf Holidays Direct luxury golf hotel and play some of Europe’s best golf courses.
Many golfers choose to head to Vilamoura, known for its exclusive marina and its fleet of super yachts, where you will find plenty of great hotels and exciting nightlife with bars, restaurants and casinos to enjoy.
Golf in Vilamoura is simply world class. There are 15 championship golf courses within a 10-mile radius.
The most popular are The Old Course and Arnold Palmer designed Victoria Course, which regularly stages The Portugal Masters on The European Tour. Other popular courses are Pinhal, Millenium, Laguna, Vila Sol and two classic aristocrats of Portugese Golf — Vale Do Lobo and San Lorenzo.
FAMOUS FOODS
Sardinhas assadas – grilled sardines – eaten with your hands
Cozido à portuguesa – slow boiled meat and vegetable stew from the North of Portugal
Bacalhau – codfish – a national obsession and often eaten on Christmas Eve
Port Wine – Portugal is famous for Port, especially the aptly-named city of Porto
Moscatel – a sweet dessert wine commonly produced in the Setúbal and Douro regions
FALL IN LOVE WITH LISBON
The capital city of Lisbon is located in the North of Portugal. Lisbon’s golf coast is home to 25 golf facilities and 29 courses and rivals the Algarve for beauty and quality of golf venues.
Around an hour away is the ‘Silver Coast’ stretching around 150kms North from the capital, narrowly missing Porto. Less well known than the Algarve region, it is regarded by many in the know as the unspoiled epitome of ‘real Portugal.’
One of Europe’s oldest and most beautiful cities, Lisbon’s architecture mainly dates back to the period from 1500 to 1800 when vast wealth flooded into the country on the back of maritime trade, exploration and Empire building.
The city is hilly and close to the coast with five stunning beaches nearby butting onto the Atlantic Ocean. There is so much to do in Lisbon, from its imposing San Jorge Castle to exploring winding streets through pastel-coloured buildings and riding its elegant looking trams.
Golfing greats like Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros and Robert Trent Jones have designed some of Lisbon’s epic courses and the quality of courses has resulted in global recognition.
The city is a three-time winner of the “Golf Destination of the Year (Europe)” award, having last won in 2016.
The expert team at Golf Holidays Direct has picked out 9 of the best resorts and courses to stay and play golf in Portugal.
Top Golf Breaks in Portugal
- Monte Rei Golf Resort
- Amendoeira Golf Resort
- Dona Filipa Golf Resort
- Palm Village Golf Resort
- Pestana Delfim Golf Resort
- Sao Rafael Suites
- Vilamoura Golf Tour
- Penina Golf Resort
- Formosa Park
Golf Holidays Direct organises every aspect of a golf break in Portugal, including tee-times, flights, golf club carriage, transfers and accommodation.
Contact the team to plan your next golf holiday to Portugal by visiting https://www.golfholidaysdirect.com/ or calling the sales team on 01462488372.