Dona Filipa

A stay at Dona Filipa Hotel places you in Vale do Lobo, within the Algarve’s Golden Triangle, with the beach only 0.12 miles away and golf forming an easy part of the day. This five-star beachfront hotel has San Lorenzo as its nearest and preferred course, while a complimentary shuttle also opens up rounds at Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo and Ombria. Faro Airport is about 15 minutes away, which suits a short break when time is centred on the course. Between rounds, there is an ocean-view outdoor pool, tennis courts, a wellness centre and a beauty centre for massage and treatments. The hotel’s beach concession brings table service down to the sand.

San Lorenzo is a par 72 Joseph Lee course of 6,247 yards, laid out among the pines of the Ria Formosa Nature Reserve. Its fairways are shaped by the reserve’s lakes and lagoons, so water is a recurring consideration rather than an occasional threat. The greens have enough movement to put a premium on approach position, and the course asks for sensible club selection when the water edges closer to play. Buggies are available to hire, particularly useful under the Algarve sun. Afterwards, the clubhouse provides a relaxed drink overlooking the 1st and 10th fairways, a fitting place to take in how the round began and ended.

The hotel’s 154 rooms range from Classic Rooms to Presidential Suites, with choices that face the golf or the sea. On the top floor, the Penthouse Presidential Suite has two rooms, two bathrooms and a balcony looking across both. Kamal serves buffet breakfast and themed buffet dinners, while Duques Lounge Bar takes over nicely for cocktails in the evening. Public areas follow a smart-casual dress code, with swimwear reserved for the pool area. Guest parking is free when spaces permit, behind a key-card-controlled entrance, and published check-in begins at 3pm, with check-out at noon.