Going for Golf

Pestana Vila Sol

The scorecard at Pestana Vila Sol is a little disconcerting as it opens up to reveal 27 holes. This is perhaps one of the few courses in the world where the 19th hole actually requires you to hit balls rather than relax. The three nines are Prime, Challenge and Prestige. The first two of these make up the original 18 and were designed by Donald Steel, who went to considerable lengths to retain an authentic natural look and avoided shifting mountains of soil. The Prestige nine was added in 2000 and is certainly no weak link. All three are equally challenging and contain a proportionate share of the ‘stand-out’ holes.

The course has an agreeable, almost heathland feel, and most of it is up on a plateau. When you eventually come down from the hilltop, you do so in rather spectacular fashion. Provided that you don’t suffer from vertigo, the elevated eighth tee on the Prime nine is a treat. Enjoy the cascading waterfalls on the right as you travel down because there’s a challenging second across a lake to be fearlessly executed when you arrive at ground zero. The target area is not generously proportioned, but, at least if you stay dry, there’s only a modest wedge to the green of this stunning par-five.

With its fairly tight, pine-lined fairways, many water hazards and tricky greens, the course subjects you to a thorough examination, but is nevertheless a wonderful thrill to play and it’s not difficult to see why it was chosen to host the Portuguese Open.

This just leaves the question of where to put one’s head down at night. The Crowne Plaza Vilamoura opened only last summer – following the refurbishment of the Hotel Atlantis – and fits the bill for the whole family. It has all the amenities one would expect from a five-star resort hotel and its location is key: opposite the beach, just five minutes from the golf courses, 20 minutes from the airport and only 200m from the marina.

Or, if you fancy owning your own piece of the Algarve, how about the Residences complex, which is located next to the Victoria clubhouse and the hotel Tivoli Victoria? The secure, private two and three-bedroom apartments – awarded the best golf development in Portugal in the 2010 European Residential Property Awards – allow you to take advantage of the five-star facilities at the hotel, while the complex also benefits from three swimming pools and its own underground parking lot.

As I said, it’s just like its own little independent state. All hail the Vilamoura republic!