The Most Popular regions for golf.
Every year Direct Golf Travel coordinate golf holidays throughout Spain and Portugal, for hundreds of clients. Through their experience and ours
we have complied a list of the most popular golfing destinations. If you are visiting Spain or Portugal to play golf and are unsure which area will suit you
best then read on...
Of course, you already know that both Spain and Portugal are very popular destinations for golf, in fact they are the most popular countries in Europe for golf travellers.
With over 120 golf courses between the two countries, plus the mild year round climate and warm sun kissed summer, maybe it's not so hard to see why!
So which country or region do you travel to first and why?
The Costa del Sol.
First on our list and without doubt the most popular has to be the
Costa del Sol in the south of Spain. This region of Spain is described as
"the golfing capital" of Europe. The Costa del Sol (The Coast of the Sun), is situated in the Andalucia region of Spain, it's main airport in Malaga
is the arrival point of hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. The Costa del Sol was first made a popular destination in the 1970's with the birth
of "the holiday resorts", the first being Torremolinos, just 15 minutes from the Airport. The first attraction had to be the Sun Kissed beaches of this Mediterranean coastline that faces the
coast of Africa. However the Andalucian Countryside and the more remote coastal regions were simply the most idyllic locations for golf courses and pretty soon this thought caught on.
The Costa del Sol now boasts 50 golf courses and many are classed as Europe's best, there are many major tournaments and championships played here.
This Amount of golf courses has two major benefits to the Golfer. Firstly choice and variety, with over
50 quality golf courses to choose from in both coastal and rural locations. The Costa del Sol
offer golf courses to suit any taste, handicap, or style of golfer.
With so many golf courses in one region, the Costa del Sol also offer great value for money, competition means green fee's here are a little lower than in other parts of Spain.
The Costa del Sol also offers a wide variety of accommodation, from sea front hotels and apartments, to rural Villas. Accommodation on the Costa del Sol is also very competitively priced.
No matter what your "taste" or budget are, the Costa del Sol offers accommodation and golf to suit everyone.
The Costa del Sol is also "jam packed" full of other activities, excellent restaurants and night life in almost every form. With the best year round climate in Europe, the Costa del Sol is "Holiday Heaven", with a
little imagination it is very hard to get bored on the Costa del Sol. Understanding that we are all different, the Costa del Sol can cater for so many "tastes" and requirements.
Each of it's major resorts are a contrast to each other, although each is also within easy travelling distance to the other. If you are not interested in busy resorts, then just head inland a little
and experience rural Spain, with it's many traditional white washed villages and of course superb golf courses! Just a mile or so inland from the coast and it's as if you had entered a new world! Here you can
experience a much more traditional Spain, plus the amazing scenery and mountain views. The Most popular resorts on the Costa del Sol have to be those to the South of Malaga to Estepona...
Read more about the Costa del Sol
Flight times from the UK to the Costa del Sol average 2.5 hours from London to Malaga.
The Costa Blanca
The Costa Blanca is fast becoming the second major golf "hotspot" in Spain, it offer a total of
18 golf courses within the region. This area
is very popular with British tourists, who come here for golf, plus the famous "white sand" beaches. The Costa Blanca is located just past Valencia, one of it's most popular destinations is Alicante, followed by the
"love it, or hate it" resort of Benidorm. Although playing golf here can be a little more expensive than on the Costa del Sol, the game is taken very seriously, you will find some "outstanding" golf course designs in this region.
The Coastline of the Costa Blanca is also have a number of large and small resorts that cater for just about every "taste" and requirement. It is a very modern and vibrant area, although a short drive inland can again provide a very
alternative "feel". The Costa Blanca is Spain's major Orange growing region, the country side here is awash with orange and lemon groves splashing colour into the horizon.
The Costa Blanca includes the coastal towns of Oliva, Denia, Javea, Moraira, Calpe, Altea, Benidorm and Villajoyosa,
as well as the smaller towns a little further inland such as Pego, Orba, Jalon, Benissa, Teulada, Benitachell and Finestrat. In the south the
Costa Blanca goes down to Guardamar and Torrevieja. With such wonderful cities like the Elche, the palm tree capital of
the world. The horizons of the Costa Blanca feature many different types of attractions ranging from the valleys, where the memory of its Moorish past is kept alive in it's terraced vegetable gardens, to the palm trees.
The Algarve.
Moving on out of Spain and into Portugal for our next "most popular" golf destination, the Algarve.
The Algarve in Portugal could be classed as a little more "up-market" than it's rival resorts in Spain. It is becoming an increasingly popular destination and provides Portugal with a large
proportion of it's tourism. Golfers are flocking to this region to play on one of the
30 golf courses the Algarve has to offer. Portugal takes golf seriously
and most of the clubs and courses here are of truly outstanding quality. These high standards mean that green fee's do tend to be a little higher at many clubs in Portugal, however
like the saying goes, "you get what you pay for", once you play on a quality golf course you will not want to settle for less!
The Algarve has quality accommodation to suit most budgets and preferences, rapid development in the area and competitiveness means rates to stay here are very reasonable.
This is an area of outstanding beauty and although it has seen it's fair share of development, building regulations have controlled the affect on the Landscape.
There is no best way to explore this outstanding region of Portugal.
The seemingly endless coast line includes some of the world's most beautiful beaches, but just by venturing a little inland,
you can lose yourself in the heritage and history of the Algarve. The Algarve is hilly, but traversed with rich valleys. It's highest point is the mountain
range of Monchique, with a maximum altitude of 906m (Peak of the Fóia). It is composed of 5,412 square kilometres
with approximately 410,000 permanent inhabitants.
Golf course recommendations.
For more informative sites about the various destinations in Spain and Portugal...
see our links page.
Direct Golf Travel offer discount accommodation, green fees and transportation throughout Spain and Portugal. We offer the most competetive rates available, plus preferential, or guaranteed tee times at many of the
top golf courses in each region. We are fast becoming the leading golf tour operators in southern Europe. Our privalaged position in the heart of the Costa
del Sol, plus our reputation and professionalism give us access to some of the best rates possible.
