Features

The Algarve: Tee off in style

1 May 2022 by Hannah Brandler
Jack Nicklaus North - #13 tee (Monte Rei) – Credit Jack Hardy

The Algarve offers plenty of sunshine, gorgeous scenery, Michelin-starred cuisine and the best golf courses in the world.

GOLF

The Algarve boasts more than 30 golf courses and was named the World’s Best Golfing Destination by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators in 2020. Tee off at one of these amazing golfing resorts.

Amandoeira Golf Resort

This 270-hectare resort in Alcantarilha offers three golf courses for a variety of levels. The more experienced players can opt for either of the 18-hole courses designed by world-renowned players Sir Nick Faldo and Christy O’Connor Jnr, while night owls and beginners are better suited to the floodlit 9-hole course – the only illuminated course in Portugal. There’s also a golf academy, football fields, six tennis courts and two communal swimming pools. From €149 for 18 holes.

Monte Rei Golf and Country Club

Located in the foothills of the eastern Algarve, this 404-hectare resort is home to the award-winning Jack Nicklaus signature golf course – often lauded as the country’s best. The Par 72 course offers spectacular vistas, with the Serra do Caldeirao mountains to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The club is constructing a second 18-hole course, with design by Nicklaus’ team. Facilities include a golf academy, clubhouse, villas and apartments, and three restaurants (including the Michelin-starred Vistas Rui Silvestre). From €220 for 18 holes.

Clubhouse 2017 (Monte Rei) – Credit Gary Edwards

Pine Cliffs Golf Course

Located at its namesake resort, this 68-hectare golf course, designed by architect Martin Hawtree, features lush green fairways contrasting with dark red sandstone cliffs. The main draw is the Par 3 sixth hole, known as the Devil’s Parlour, which is built over a ravine requiring a 197m carrying shot. There are weekly tournaments, a golf academy manned by PGA professionals and a swing analysis room to perfect your method, plus a clubhouse. From €69 for 18 holes.

Quinta do Lago

This 5-star resort in Faro celebrates its 50-year anniversary this year. It offers world-class facilities – the Paul McGinley Golf Academy, a Taylor Made Performance Centre where enthusiasts can improve their game, and three 18-hole golf courses. Pick from the Beau Welling and Paul McGinley-designed North Course; the recently renovated South Course, which has hosted the Portuguese Open on eight occasions; or Laranjal Course, set within an orange grove. From €160 for 18 holes.

Vale do Lobo

A luxury resort offering two 18-hole championship courses plus facilities including a golf shop, clubhouse, golf academy and 25 restaurants. The Ocean Golf Course’s undulating fairways run alongside a nature reserve – the highlight being Par 3 15th which parallels the beach. The Royal Golf Course offers rolling fairways amid pine trees and lakes, and is recognisable for its 16th cliff-top carryover. From €119 for 18 holes.

DINING OUT

The Algarve’s gastronomy scene benefits from its coastal location, offering a wide range of seafood, fresh fish dishes and Algarvian specialties such as caldeirada (fish stew), while its temperate climate allows for the production of high-quality DOC wines in Lagos, Portimao, Lagoa and Tavira. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the region boasts the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the country, with eight establishments receiving the accolade.

Estamine

This environmentally friendly restaurant is the only permanent tenant on Ilha Deserta – an uninhabited ‘desert island’ (otherwise known as Barreta) within the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Estamine occupies a crab-shaped building on a stretch of white sand dunes and is powered by the island’s renewable resources: solar panels provide nearly the entirety of its energy requirements and collected groundwater comprises its water supply. Open daily for lunch, the seafood-centric menu features charcoal-grilled catch of the day, local clams with olive oil, garlic and coriander, and tasting platters for those who prefer an assortment of dishes. To reach the restaurant, travellers can board the bright yellow shuttle boats from Faro which are available year-round.

Ocean Restaurant

The two Michelin-starred restaurant at Vila Vita Parc offers views of the Atlantic and a seaside décor to match. Expect a blue and gold colour palette, Murano crystals designed to resemble Medusa, and shelving filled with corals. Led by Austrian-born Hans Neuner, it is currently serving a ‘Route to India’ tasting menu featuring dishes such as Pyrenees lamb with mung beans, mango achar and purple curry; Mozambique wild tiger prawns with tomato and XO sauce; and blue crab with green piri-piri and avocado. Dress to impress at this fine-dining venue.

Vila Joya

This hotel in Albufeira is home to the region’s other two Michelin-starred restaurant, which has retained its accolade for 23 years. Austrian chef Dieter Koschina has headed up the fine dining venue for more than 30 years, offering a daily-changing four-course tasting menu featuring dishes such as langoustine with heart of palm and dashi vinaigrette, and ray wing with raisin and artichoke. This year the restaurant has increased its table size, now accommodating parties of four.

Amara

Amara

Located in Quinta do Lago, the Four Seasons Fairways hotel’s Amara restaurant has launched a new à la carte menu as well as a novel dining concept – allowing guests to create their own three- and four-course tasting menus with an optional wine pairing. New to the menu are dishes such as oysters 3 ways, mushroom tortellini, roasted octopus, and confit duck leg, with desserts including affogato and Portuguese cheeses.

Quinta dos Vales Wine Estate 

This 44-hectare wine estate in the village of Estombar in western Algarve comprises over 200,000 sqm of vineyard plantations, including Portuguese grape varieties such as Touriga Nacional. In 2020 the estate launched the hands-on The Winemaker Experience, offering wine-lovers the chance to make their own wine with plenty of guidance from professionals but without the hassle of large investments. Travellers can rent or purchase a plot on the estate and produce 300 bottles out of the resulting grapes. The estate also recently completed the construction of 32 villas, which are available for rent or sale should oenophiles never want to leave. For those who simply want to visit, the grounds are free to explore.

WHERE TO STAY

Keep an eye out for these new luxury hotels and a forthcoming multi-million euro development.

Wyndham Grand Algarve

This Quinta do Lago-based hotel reopened last spring following a €5 million renovation. Within walking distance of Quinta do Lago beach, the resort features 132 suites with one- or two bedrooms and either a balcony or terrace. The resort also includes five dining venues, a fitness centre and spa, an indoor and outdoor pool as well as a kid’s club.

Domes Lake Algarve

This 5-star property opened last month near Vilamoura, complete with its own private saltwater lake. The hotel features 192 rooms and suites, four swimming pools, a spa and private access to the Praia da Falesia beach. It’s also family-friendly, with the Kiepos programme (from the Greek kipos for garden) inviting children to plant their own greens, herbs and flowers during their stay.

Culinary venues include Mediterranean restaurant Gustatio, Greek seafood spot Topos 1910 and lakeside restaurant Makris On The Lake, which offers 12-course tasting menus with regional wine pairings. For those wanting a little more privacy, the hotel’s Haute Living Selection offers a ‘hotel-within-a-hotel’ experience, where guests get additional benefits, such as an exclusive check-in experience, 24-hour concierge service and access to a lounge with complimentary drinks and snacks.

Domes Lake Algarve

W Algarve

Marriott International’s W Hotels brand opens its first property in Portugal on May 2, located close to Albufeira on the central Algarve coast. The hotel features 134 rooms and suites with large private balconies along with 83 residences, with a design that favours asymmetrical forms to resemble the nearby cliffs and the country’s recognisable tile designs.

Dining venues overseen by Portuguese chef Nuno Goncalves include The Market Kitchen which serves southern Portuguese-inspired cuisine, an outpost of Milan-based restaurant and bar Paper Moon, rooftop spot Sea Sky overlooking the bay of Armacao de Pera, and Champagne sunset deck Air which offers a selection of fine sparkling wines from the Sado and Tagus valleys. Leisure facilities include a spa with six treatment rooms, a wet area with a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, and a fitness centre with Technogym equipment and an Olympic Power Rack.

Ombria Resort

While you have to wait until spring 2023 for this addition, it’s one to keep on your radar. The €300 million luxury development from Finnish family-owned company Pontos Group will include the 5-star Viceroy Ombria Hotel with 76 rooms and suites, and 65 one- to two-bedroom apartments, an 18-hole golf course designed by Jorge Santana de Silva, a 1,600 sqm spa and wellness centre, six restaurants and bars, beehives, an astronomical observatory and 380 properties for sale.

Located just 8km north of Loulé, the 153-hectare resort is nestled into the green hills of the Algarve, surrounded by citrus groves, fig and carob trees and small farms. Plus, it’s a sustainable venture, with nearly zero-energy buildings thanks to bioclimatic architecture, geothermal energy, solar panels and electric vehicle charge points among other eco measures.

Pine Cliffs Resort

Belonging to Marriott’s The Luxury Collection brand, this renovated clifftop resort encompasses a 5-star hotel, real estate and leisure facilities, including a 930 sqm spa, six outdoor pools, a tennis academy with floodlit courts and direct access to Falesia Beach. The hotel pays homage to Portuguese history, with murals, terracotta floors and azulejo tiles.

There are 11 dining venues which range from seafood at O Pescador, prime meat at Piri Piri Steak House, Japanese cuisine at Yakuza Algarve by Olivier, and cliff-edge cocktails at the Mirador Champagne Bar – not forgetting Mare at Pine Cliffs for beachside snacks. Guests can attend cooking classes and wine tastings at the Mimo Algarve cooking school in Lemon Square.

Vila Vita Parc

This Leading Hotels of the World property located on an oceanfront clifftop in Porches features sea-inspired rooms and suites, and whitewashed villas with private pools. Its six bars and ten restaurants span various cuisines – from Mediterranean flavours to Japanese teppanyaki – and include a wine cellar stocked with more than 11,000 bottles. The hotel also offers direct access to Tremocos Beach, with its very own beach club, along with a spa and seven pools including a heated indoor pool and adults-only infinity pool.

Loading comments...

Search Flight

See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls