Going for Golf

Monte da Quinta

The Algarve has long been synonymous with quality sunshine golf in inspirational surroundings. The lure of golf played in short sleeves under the hot Mediterranean sun and close to the majesty that is the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean has had visitors flocking to the southernmost point of mainland Portugal since the first dedicated golf resort sprang up in the region in the 1970s.

Almost four decades on, it’s pretty much the same story and the golden ingredients are much the same. The sun shines as brightly as ever; the seemingly endless days offer golf until dusk; the villas dotting the courses are as comfortable and colourful and serene as ever; and the chance to sample fine wine and the freshest seafood just goes on and on.

But now there’s a new kid on the block, and one which seriously threatens to upset the natural order of things for the past 30-odd years in the Algarve. Monte da Quinta is a spectacular resort in Quinta do Lago which mixes tasteful opulence with first-class service and style, is a rich and plentiful oasis within an often dusty, barren landscape, and offers a luxurious mix of charm and subtle decadence. In short, it’s a little piece of heaven on the Algarve. Set among 15 hectares just a sweetly-struck three wood or so from Quinta do Lago resort and its two well-respected and well-established golf courses – the North and the South – and its much-heralded third course, the exciting newcomer the Laranjal, Monte da Quinta is a first-rate leisure facility which really seems to have it all.

The 132 one, two and three-bedroom suites within the main hotel have all been stylishly and painstakingly designed to the nth degree to marry comfort and convenience, highlighted by dual bathrooms, fully-equipped kitchens, and balconies overlooking the swimming pool, the blossoming gardens, and the pantile roofs of the striking townhouses and villas of the Monte da Quinta Club complex.

The townhouses, resplendent in typically charming Mediterranean colour schemes, offer two and three-bedroom accommodation while the villas offer three, four and five-bedroom accommodation of the highest standard. Both come complete with private garden and pool. And as if to underline the point that the resort bosses really have thought of everything: colourful, user-friendly recycling containers are handily placed in all the townhouses and villas as part of a concerted drive to help look after the environment – an admirable stance for a resort which appropriately overlooks the breathtaking Ria Formosa Nature Park.

But undoubtedly one of Monte da Quinta’s strengths is that it really does seem to cater for everyone – on and off the golf course. The hotel itself offers everything the discerning guest would expect from a five-star facility, from the culinary excellence of the poolside restaurant to the lavish cocktails served up in the bar with an immense sense of pride and satisfaction and from the supremely courteous, engaging and professional members of staff to the relaxing environs of the Magnolia spa.

And then there’s the not-so-small matter of the golf. While the Monte da Quinta resort itself doesn’t have courses on site, guests have access to three top courses courtesy of a vibrant link with neighbouring Quinta do Lago – the North Course, the South Course and the stunning new Laranjal – as well as the golf course at Pinheiros Altos, an 18-holer which runs alongside Monte da Quinta Club.

Also within easy reach are the two fine courses of the Vale do Lobo resort a little further west along the coast. The Royal is widely regarded as the premier course of the two in terms of competition golf, but the Ocean course is a special layout with a handful of beautiful holes which run down to or along the sandy beach on the shoreline of the Atlantic.

But it is the Laranjal course which is arguably creating the biggest buzz in the central Algarve. Created just 16 months ago, the chequered fairways of the Laranjal meander their way serenely through pine trees, cork oaks and orange trees to offer golfers of all abilities a proper, yet fair, test of golf. And such is the excitement surrounding the newcomer that the Laranjal has been mentioned more than once, admittedly in hushed tones at this stage, as a possible future venue for the Portuguese Open on the European Tour. Heady praise indeed.

But whatever fate awaits the Laranjal, one thing is certain – it’s another reason to keep visiting the sunny Algarve again and again and it’s another reason to make sure Monte da Quinta is firmly in your thoughts. It really is inspiring stuff.