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Vilamoura - a true golfing Mecca
Edouard des Fontaines - Product Manager Spain & Portugal
Vilamoura is the essence of a great golf break and is the largest single tourist complex in Europe, covering some 2,000 hectares of land. With a great selection of hotels located around the vibrant marina – and all just a stone’s throw away from some world famous golf courses - it’s a golfing Mecca. However, with the current economic situation still in crisis some group organizers are looking for better savings elsewhere. I’m here to tell you that now is the time to visit the golfing resort of Vilamoura, which features some great deals for the winter period as well as for the spring of 2010.
Here are a few tips on visiting this fantastic Portuguese resort, and why Vilamoura should be your destination of choice for you next golf trip.
Why go in 2010?
As we are in October, many of you will already be preparing your next golf break away. Whether you are looking for a great deal, or perfect golfing weather, choosing when to go can be a dilemma.
- If you want to experience Vilamoura at its best, I recommend to go between March and May or mid-September to October, when not only is the temperature perfect for golf, but also when the marina’s nightlife is bustling with people and plenty of entertainment.
- If you’re looking for the best price, then go in January-February. You will find credit crunch busting deals and still be able to enjoy a decent temperature of between 15 to 18 degrees Celsius.
Top Tip - Book Early
Those of you who’ve visited Vilamoura previously will know that tee-times during the peak seasons of March to May and September & October are nearly impossible to get unless you book well in advance. Plus if you book in advance you can -
- Get up to 20% discounts on hotels by making your reservation 90 days in advance, as well as obtaining your hotel of choice.
- Secure your perfect tee-times on the Old Course and Vila Sol. With these 2 golf courses being the most popular in the area, you have to be quick to get your required slot.
- Get cheaper flights - Vilamoura is only 25 minutes away from Faro, which has low cost flight routes from everywhere in the UK and Ireland. With the rest of the holiday secured, booking your flight early will get you the best rates with the likes of EasyJet, RyanAir, Monarch and AerLingus.
Booking a Group?
The resort of Vilamoura has been purposely built to host groups of golfers throughout the year.
- Groups of 8 or more - Most Vilamoura hotels and all 6 golf courses (Old, Pinhal, Millennium, Laguna, Victoria and Vila Sol) offer a free place for groups of 8 or more for travel from November 09 onwards.
- Free Shuttles - If you are staying in Vilamoura, you do not need to organize your own transport. Buses are available from the hotels’ reception to all 6 golf courses. Find out the timings from your relevant hotels concierge desk and allow enough time before your allocated tee-time. Please note these shuttles are not available for private or self catering accommodation.
- Airport transfers - To eliminate any hassle from getting into separate taxis or hiring a car, there are low cost 8-seater transfers available from Faro airport to the hotel of your choice. You can pre-arrange this at the time of booking your golf break.
In my opinion, these few examples illustrate perfectly what this area has to offer. Having visited the area many times, and as an avid golfer myself, I would urge you to consider this wonderful place to enjoy some great golf coupled with lively night time entertainment. My off course tip would be to sample one of the Marina’s Italian restaurants before enjoying some live music at the Vilamoura Jazz Club or a night at the Casino. So get out there and enjoy yourself - I’ll be awaiting your feedback!
Here are some sample prices,
Low season (December 09-January 2010). Prices start at
£189 per person for 3 nights, Bed & Breakfast in a 4 star hotel, including 3 rounds of golf.
High Season (March-May 2010). Prices start at
£255 per person for 3 nights, Bed & Breakfast in a 4 star hotel, including 3 rounds of golf.
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Last Minute October Breaks
Traditionally, September was the month that golfers across the UK would get their final rounds in before the clocks go back and the nights draw in. However, in the last couple of years we’ve seen more and more of you choosing to play right through October – and it’s easy to see why as golf hotels and golf courses lower their rates, making it great value and the fairways are generally quieter. So make the most of these fantastic offers for October and enjoy a couple of rounds of great golf followed by a stay in some of the best golf hotels in the UK.
Click here to see all of our UK and Ireland Offers
P.S. If you’re looking for a bit of sunshine in your life, get away on one of our Top 5 European golf breaks and experience European golf at its best.
Top 5 European Breaks
Click here to see all of our October offers in Europe
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Our Top 5 All Inclusive Golf Breaks
With the current economic climate, the common theme that we’ve heard when speaking to our customers is that you want value for money and reduced onsite spend. Our all inclusive golf breaks offer exactly that – an extremely competitive price combined with the security of knowing that you will have little or no onsite spend while you’re there – leaving you free to enjoy your break. So be inspired by our top all inclusive breaks across the UK & Ireland, Europe and further afield and let Golfbreaks.com help you spend less playing the game you love.
P.S. We’ve also included a couple of highly recommended half board breaks in the UK and Cyprus. You might have to pay for your drinks, but they’re still fantastic value for money
Get more for less- two golf breaks with treats included
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Nick Roberts – Product Manager UK
This is ‘Golf as it should be’
There are some 200 golf courses in Wales, enough to feed any golfer's appetite. Where else in the world can you play parkland courses in mountain settings, inspirational links or in the shadow of a castle?
And it gets better…….in 2010 the golfing world will decend on Celtic Manor, South Wales for a little contest called the Ryder Cup. From the 28th September until 3rd October, Newport will be golf crazy as for the first time ever Wales will host this prestigious event. The Twenty Ten Course measures a robust 7,493 yards off the back tees and has a par of 71. It will challenge the world’s best golfers with extensive water features and has six signature holes; the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 14th, 15th and 18th.
Twenty minutes down the road is the Vale Resort, now one of the premier sports and leisure resorts in the UK. With facilities including 2 golf courses, the largest spa in Wales and 143 bedrooms, it is no surprise the resort is the home base for both the Welsh Rugby Union, and also the Welsh FA. Furthermore, it has been recognised by World Travel Awards as Wales' Leading Golf Resort and has numerous other plaudits for the quality of the product as well as the professionalism and friendliness of the staff. Fully merited in every aspect.
For links golfers out there don’t miss out on the delights of Royal Porthcawl, ranked in most people’s top 10 golf courses, St Davids the famous championship links course founded in 1894 with views over Snowdon, the Lleyn Peninsular and Harlech Castle. Or Pennard on the Gower Peninsula where the holes are routed over classically undulating and tumbling linksland, full of hummocks, hillocks and hollows and pocked with dunes – Classic Links Golf!
Golf in Wales is best summed up by their greatest golfer ever, Ryder Cup Captain and Masters winner, Ian Woosnam:
‘But there is more to golf than playing. Our clubhouses share a special talent for hospitality – the friendly bar, the inevitable snooker table, the animated discussions. People who think golf is a snobbish game should visit a Welsh clubhouse. Uplifted noses are not encouraged. We specialise more in laughter and banter. The clubhouses haven’t changed throughout the years and I hope they never will.’
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Hot off the Press - Golf Live 2010
If you’ve had your ear to the grape vine, you may have already heard about this highly anticipated golf event. If not, let us fill you in: next year golfing enthusiasts will not only be able watch some of the worlds’ leading golfers in action, but they will also be able to get up close and personal with them at what is set to be a truly unique and memorable golfing experience. From May 14th - 16th 2010 Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire will host the first ever Golf Live event, which gives golfers of all ages and abilities the opportunity to interact and engage with some well known faces from golf and television.
Golf Live is a totally new concept masterminded by Brand Events in association with IMG – the world’s leading sports marketing group. A maximum of 4,000 visitors each day will have the opportunity to attend various ‘skills theatres’ on the course, where the likes of Colin Montgomerie and Paul Casey will be giving tips and advice on how to play a variety of golf shots out on the course and will be answering questions from the audience. The event will also boast a hole-in-one and nearest-the-pin competition, lessons from PGA professionals, sports psychology clinics, trick shot shows and a finale of a celebrity versus professional 3-hole face off.
In addition to the on-course events, Golf Live will feature a golf village on-site, where Golfbreaks.com will be amongst several other leading golfing brands promoting everything that any passionate golfer needs, from golf travel advice for the UK and abroad, to state-of-the-art custom club fitting, to the latest high tech and innovative golfing gadgets - a real golfers paradise!
At the press launch earlier this month, Golfbreaks.com directors Andrew Stanley, Steve Hemsworth and Keith Mitchell were present to witness the event ambassador and 2010 Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie offering a master class on bunker-play. Commenting after the session, Montgomerie said -
“Golf Live is a unique and exciting concept. Not only will it provide amateur golfers with an action packed golfing day out, it will also allow them to get closer than ever before to tournament professionals and learn about how we play the game. I don’t know of any other golf event that will provide such spectacular entertainment and instruction”.
At Golfbreaks.com we’re very excited about this new concept in golf events. Keith Mitchell, Golfbreaks.com’s Director of Product & Marketing says -
“We’re delighted to be involved with this exciting project in the early stages. Brand Events has already had success with the likes of Top Gear Live and The Taste Festivals, and we expect Golf Live to be equally as good - if not better. Not only will Golf Live provide another great opportunity for us to spend time with our customers, but will also allow everyone who attends the opportunity to see and raise questions to some of the worlds leading golfer’s before the Ryder Cup.”
Watch this space and, thanks to our spies, we’ll be the first to keep you up-to-date with any news as it unfolds – including how to get some sought after tickets!
Golfbreaks.com Directors take some tips from Colin Montgomerie