When your friends say they’re going golfing in the Algarve, it’s probably in the central part of the region – just a short drive from the city of Faro and the airport.
You will stay in one of the big resorts – for example Vale do Lobo or Vilamoura.
“Stay” is the word: these Portuguese resorts are designed so that everything – food, golf, beach, kids’ clubs, spas – is just a short buggy ride away. You will feel at home. Most of the voices you hear on the greens and at the buffet are British.
Not so in the eastern part of the region. It’s a longer drive (45 minutes) from Faro. There are far fewer mega-resorts and the clientele is far more local.
There I drove to the Hotel Praia Verde with two golf buddies. It is part of a new collection of Portuguese-owned boutique hotels launched last May.
Quiet: Mark Jones went golfing in the eastern part of Portugal’s Algarve, where there aren’t many mega-resorts and the clientele is likely to be local. He plays at Quinta da Ria (above), a seaside golf course that is “sunny, windy, [and] very polite’
They provide an opportunity to “build real connections with the place and the surrounding communities”. Interestingly, this is certainly not the mission of the larger resorts, who will be happy if you stay outside their gates and spend all your time and money there.
As we entered Praia Verde, instead of the usual boom-boom-boom-resort playlist, relaxed Portuguese fado was played. In the lobby, instead of a shop, there were shelves with local products.
Our rooms on the second floor had a view of the umbrella pine canopy. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the Algarve’s main towns, it was almost eerily quiet and peaceful.
The beach a few hundred meters away was more reminiscent of Cape Cod than the Costa del Sol: pale, fluffy sand, boardwalks and a chic glass-fronted restaurant overlooking the waves.
We walked back to the hotel through lanes of palatial abandoned holiday homes (£2.18m to buy one). The Eastern Algarve follows the same business model as the rest: hectares of properties dedicated to second homes, hotels, cafes and golf courses. There’s a vague Truman Show feel to it. I struggled to find a real connection to this place.
According to Mark, Quinta da Ria is ideal for a potter’s rejuvenation and a chance to get some vitamin D before heading back to the UK for the winter
Despite this, we all felt relaxed ahead of the next two days of golfing challenges. This was important: the more tense you are, the worse you perform on the trail.
Algarve courses and staff have been strained since the pandemic. The real estate crash that followed in 2008 put an end to many brilliant plans. But in 2019, 1.3 million rounds were played here, making it Europe’s best winter golf destination.
When the Covid no-fly zone hit, some did not recover from that second shock. With this in mind, Octant Hotels acquired the Quinta do Vale golf course, designed by the late Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros.
For our fancy we explored an epic course through a valley of olive groves and lakes. On the 12th there was a big S-shaped bunker (for Seve), a tough test.
“When your friends say they’re going on a golf trip to the Algarve, they’re most likely going to the central part of the region,” explains Mark (stock photo)
After the round, as we compared war stories with Superbock beers, a real soldier showed up to chat – Denise, a petite retired US Army officer. Like many Americans, she took advantage of the Portuguese government’s tax and pension plans to move here.
For people like Denise, the country offers a relaxed (again, that word) open-air lifestyle, far removed from the ever-present culture wars and angst at home.
Our second round was at Quinta da Ria, a golf course by the sea: sunny, windy, fairly mild. Although Seve required a lot of concentration, it was ideal for a potter’s boost and a chance to soak up some vitamin D before heading into the British winter.
We had our dose of local culture in Tavira with its pretty houses and walking trails along the river. We even found an octopus restaurant run by a young Nepalese couple like you. As we ate we realized we were the only three British golfers visible throughout the trip.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
