Algarve

The Algarve has been the British golfer’s favourite venue for winter, spring and autumn golf breaks now for the last 20 years, having taken over from the original most popular venue, the Costa del Sol.

The Algarve has seen an amazing transformation over that 20 year period including a huge investment from local and foreign companies and individuals, in real estate, restaurants, bars, clubs, marinas, shopping malls and most significantly golf courses. The 2006-2008 era, has seen the most dramatic developments and Oceanico’s new Faldo and O’Connor signature courses, most recently are a superb new attraction, located in the mid Algarve. These opened during the summer of 2008, whilst the amazing Monte Rei course, a Jack Nicklaus design in the hills of the East Algarve, which opened in 2006 brought even more quality to the region.

As we speak a third course is opening in early 2009 at Quinta do Lago, which is also receiving rave reviews and with course like San Lorenzo and Pinheiros Altos becoming more accessible via the Dona Filipa and Ria Formosa hotels, golf access has never been better than it is now.

Everyone’s favourite, the Meridien Penina Golf Resort Hotel has just undergone a major facelift, with all bedrooms having been re-done and re-designed completely in 2008, ready for the start of 2009. The Algarve is all about superb top quality golf courses, great resort hotels and amazing restaurants, with the best beaches in Europe and now over the last few years, such big road network improvements, it has become so easy to drive from one end of the coast to the other. Coupled with all these selling points, you also can play golf in December and January in shirt sleeves, in fact the locals will tell you that January is the best winter month to play golf for consistently sunny weather.

There has never been a better time in terms of special inclusive golf offers than in 2009, so make the most of it and enjoy one of our golf resorts, watch out for the superb new Tivoli Victoria, which sits between the 18th green of the Victoria and the 1st green of the Millennium, the idyllic location for a new golf hotel. In late 2009 a sumptuous suites hotel will open on Pinheiros Altos, called the Royal Algarve – one to watch out for, which will also have privileges at San Lorenzo and not just Pinheiros Altos.