Santo Antonio Golf Course

Golf Santo António sits in the far west of the Algarve, above the fishing village of Salema and within reach of Sagres and the Costa Vicentina nature reserve. Opened in 1987 as Parque da Floresta, it was designed by the Spanish architect Pepe Gancedo, whose approach favoured working with the land rather than reshaping it. The course has since hosted the EuroPro Tour, a mark of a layout with genuine teeth.

That character comes from the terrain itself. Fairways climb and drop through a valley lined with pine, eucalyptus and olive trees, with blind shots on several holes and greens set on raised ground. No two holes play alike, and the variety keeps golfers guessing well into the back nine. The 11th is the acknowledged signature hole, and the closing stretch brings you home beneath the clubhouse terrace with sea views on the horizon. A buggy is recommended given the elevation changes throughout the round.

Off the course, there's a clubhouse restaurant and snack bar, a driving range, putting green and resident professionals for lessons, plus locker rooms and club hire from Callaway and Wilson ProStaff. It's a course with a loyal following — golfers who play it once tend to come back to try and master it. For anyone building a western Algarve golf break, Santo António earns its place on the itinerary: a proper, old-school test set in some of the region's most dramatic landscape.

Course Map