Gallery
Photos courtesy of Quinta do Lago and Dona Filipa · JJW Hotels, for exclusive use on this page.
Dona Filipa Hotel 5★ · Vale do Lobo · Algarve
Quinta do Lago is a name European golfers say with respect, and the South Course explains why: it has hosted eight editions of the Portuguese Open. But the one most people remember on the way home is the Laranjal, tucked inland among orange groves, quieter and more secluded than the other two. In between sits the North, rebuilt from the ground up and now the most demanding of the three. Three courses through pine woods and lakes, on the edge of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, each playing nothing like the others — which is exactly what keeps a week here from ever repeating itself. All three are played out of the Dona Filipa, ten minutes away, with the transfer to the course included and tee times already locked in. It's the easiest way to play all three: unpack once and leave the rest to us. The hotel sits right on the beach in Vale do Lobo, and its 154 rooms look out over the sea or the course.
Gallery
Photos courtesy of Quinta do Lago and Dona Filipa · JJW Hotels, for exclusive use on this page.
from €830
The two big ones, one per day: the South of the eight Portuguese Opens, and the North, the more demanding of the pair. Three nights and home again. And on the afternoon of the third day, Morgado do Quintão: four wines, cheeses and cured meats among the vines, forty minutes from the hotel.
from €1,290
All three courses, one per day, with two free days. Laranjal is the surprise: set inland among orange groves, and almost nobody has it on their radar before playing it. On the day without golf, lunch at Morgado do Quintão's long table in the vines. After three courses like these, a day inland feels just right.
from €1,800
The week for anyone who wants to get to know all of Quinta do Lago and replay their favourite. The South twice, because a second round on a course like this always plays better than the first. With both estate visits included: the afternoon tasting and the lunch among the vines, on two different days of the week.
Per person in a Classic View double room, bed and breakfast · season 20 November to 7 January · green fees at the hotel-resident rate for December and January.
Forty minutes inland, between Silves and Lagoa, lies another Algarve. The family behind Morgado do Quintão has worked the same estate since 1810 — vines, olives and almonds — and set a long table beneath a thousand-year-old olive tree. That's where you eat and drink: no tasting room, no counter, no menu, just whatever's ready that day, right in front of the vines it came from. It's included in the price of all three stays.
All three stays share the same hotel — the Dona Filipa, right on the beach in Vale do Lobo — so from the same hotel you can also play the courses from the other two central-Algarve fiches: mix and match as you like. On top of that, we book and quote everything else firm: Almancil's fine dining, ten minutes away; the hotel spa; the Ria Formosa boardwalks and a boat ride through the channels; Faro, Loulé and their markets; and, at the estate, whatever doesn't fit into one afternoon — the cooking class with the chef, which starts by choosing produce at Silves market, or oysters with sparkling wine at sunset. Tell us who's travelling and what they feel like. Designing your bespoke trip costs nothing: the initial proposal and one revision. From the third version onward, finalising the itinerary costs €100, fully deducted from your trip's price if you book it with us.
From €830 per person
Depending on the stay chosen: from €830 (South and North, 3 nights), from €1,290 (Laranjal, 5 nights), or from €1,800 (Ria Formosa, 7 nights). Per person in a double room, low season.
Handicap certificate required at courses that ask for one. Hotel-to-course transfers are included and tee times are locked in before you travel. The winery experience is booked together with the stay, is conducted in English, and the estate is not fully adapted for reduced mobility: if anyone in your group needs this, let us know when booking and we'll check before confirming anything.
A 30% deposit is due on confirmation, non-refundable, with the rest due 45 days before arrival. Cancellation fees: 30% up to 45 days out, 50% from 45 to 31 days, and 100% from 30 days out, for no-shows or early departures. Cancelling within 14 days of booking, with more than 60 days still to go before arrival, refunds everything paid, deposit included. We recommend taking out cancellation insurance. Full conditions at ophirtravel.com/politicas_condiciones/condiciones.
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