Portugal’s Best: Quinta Do Lago by Dakota Diaz

Golfers and their families can take a walk on the wild side at Quinta do Lago this summer as part of a packed programme of events at the luxury Portuguese resort that embraces nature and a healthy outdoor lifestyle.

Green golf clinics, guided nature walks and eco-driven sustainable events are just some of the activities being offered to guests between now and the end of the summer holidays, with Europe’s premier golf and lifestyle venue aware of the need for people to take time out in natural surroundings as a result of the Covid pandemic.

Nestled within the privacy, tranquillity and security of the 2,000-acre Ria Formosa Natural Park, Quinta do Lago is the ideal place to unwind, with its five-star facilities including three 18-hole championship golf courses, a premier sports hub, a golden sandy beach and numerous first-class bars and restaurants.

New for the summer, players can combine a golf academy clinic with a guided tour around the course to learn more about Quinta do Lago’s environmental initiatives, eco strategies and wildlife conservation efforts.

Guided nature trails offering invaluable insight into the many species that inhabit the golf courses and Ria Formosa Nature Reserve can also be booked, while the resort’s ‘Release to the Wild’ event allows guests to share in the special moment when rescued wildlife including owls and turtles are returned to the wild after rehabilitation.

Among the golf promotions available is the resort’s ‘Summer Golf Offer’, where players can enjoy 18 holes on either the pristine North and Laranjal championship golf courses including a shared golf buggy for just €99 per person.

Boys and girls of all levels aged six to 15 have the chance to improve their golfing skills at one of the weekly junior academies run by the expert team of coaches at the Paul McGinley Academy.

Designed to be engaging, exciting and, most importantly, lots of fun, the five-day academies – which are limited to groups of five children per coach and run until August 27 – take place from Monday to Friday with two sessions each morning from 09.00 to 10.30 and 10.45 to 12.15. The programme costs €200 per week or €65 per day, with every child receiving a gift pack and a €15 discount if two or more siblings are booked.

Other highlights include TaylorMade Demo golf days, mini-golf family competitions and Quinta do Lago’s ever-popular ‘Movies in the Park’, with a giant 3D outdoor screen on the driving range.

A summer of sport awaits fitness enthusiasts at The Campus high performance sports hub, with memberships, events and programmes for all, while guests can relax in style with a choice of dining experiences available at one of Quinta do Lago’s 13 impressive bars and restaurants.

These include the resort’s acclaimed Bovino steakhouse and recently-opened Asian restaurant ’UMAMI’ – showcasing a variety of modern dishes from the sushi counter and the robata grill using locally sourced Algarve produce – with live music to help evenings go with an added swing.

Just a 15-minute drive from Faro airport, Quinta do Lago has set the benchmark for Europe’s elite golf, sports and family destinations for nearly five decades.

Complementing the golf and sports facilities is a selection of bars and restaurants that deliver a range of delicious local and international cuisines, with accommodation on offer at the resort’s boutique hotel, The Magnolia Hotel, and at an impressive collection of rental villas.

Accommodation at The Magnolia Hotel starts from €120 per night for a standard double room and €216 per night for a family cottage (both on a bed-and-breakfast basis), while hotel guests can enjoy three nights for the price of two over the coming weeks as part of its special summer promotion.

Since its inception in 1972, Quinta do Lago has been at the forefront of international golf, hosting eight Portuguese Opens as well as numerous other international tournaments. Home to three world-class golf courses, the resort also boasts a wealth of cutting-edge practice facilities.

Quinta do Lago North Course – Opening in October 2014, the totally revamped North Course has been redeveloped by renowned American golf architect Beau Welling in close collaboration with 2014 European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley and is set to become one of the new stars of European golf. The new layout has been built to the highest specifications with a €9.6m investment programme and has been redeveloped with the emphasis firmly on precision and strategy. While many modern-day developments tend to focus on length, Welling and McGinley have been keen to design a golfing experience where accuracy and course management are the key factors, and a course that is playable and fun for golfers of all abilities.

Quinta do Lago South Course – A favourite among European Tour professionals, the South Course calls for accurate drives and precise shots, but rewards players for their efforts with the stunning backdrop of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Regularly included in Golf World magazine’s ‘Top 100 Golf Courses in Europe’, the par-72 layout has received widespread praise for its strategicallyplaced hazards and varying difficulty across the 18 holes. Having hosted the Portuguese Open on no fewer than eight occasions, the South Course is regarded as one of Portugal’s premier golfing venues.

Laranjal – Designed by Jorge Santana da Silva in the grounds of an orange grove, the par-72 course was named as Portugal’s Best Golf Course 2011 at the Portuguese Travel Awards, and poses serious tests for players of all abilities. Opened in 2008, Laranjal offers a pure golfing experience right next to the Quinta do Lago estate and features fairways sown with Bermuda grass, providing a challenging playing environment in a picture-perfect setting.

Paul McGinley Academy – Quinta do Lago is home to the only Paul McGinley Academy in the world, founded in October 2011 by Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup captain. With a strong involvement from McGinley himself, who is a regular visitor to the resort, the academy aims to cultivate and improve golfers’ play by providing them with the tools and techniques used on the professional Tours. The academy focuses especially on younger players, working in collaboration with local schools and is the perfect way to follow in the footsteps of the pros.

TaylorMade Performance Center – Quinta do Lago’s TaylorMade Performance Centre is the only facility of its kind in Portugal and is located on the resort’s expansive driving range. Opened in May 2013, the centre is operated by trained TaylorMade technicians, offering golfers a custom-fitting experience testing hundreds of club and iron options, ensuring the best combination for every player’s swing. It also has a fully equipped Tour standard workshop and utilises FlightScope X2 radar technology to measure the entire flight of the ball from impact to landing whilst displaying its 3D trajectory in real time.

The Campus – Launched in October 2018, The Campus is a unique €10 million training, fitness and wellness facility catering to elite, professional athletes and enthusiastic amateurs alike. The multi-sports hub has recently unveiled a brand-new highperformance centre fully equipped with a high-performance gymnasium with technical area, a new centre for active living and sports medicine, dedicated studios for cycle and group exercise, stadium specification locker rooms and 25-metre outdoor heated swimming pool. Offering an array of first-class facilities, it offers the ideal environment for golfers of all abilities to improve their fitness, with golf-performance conditioning programmes and golfspecific fitness classes among the services available.

Set amongst 2,000 acres of the picturesque Ria Formosa Natural Park and located just 15 minutes from Faro airport, Quinta do Lago offers residents and guests an unparalleled location benefiting from a year-round temperate climate, a variety of lifestyle pursuits and a strong sense of community.

For more information on Quinta do Lago and its facilities, call + 351 289 390 700 or visit www.quintadolago.com