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Top 3 Golf Destinations in the Fall

All Square 5 min read • 9 Oct

Algarve, Costa del Sol and Sicily are perfect destinations for a golf break in the fall with plenty of sun and warm weather. Here are our favourite stay & play options.

Algarve

You can still sunbathe in Portugal’s Algarve region during the fall, when temperatures range between 18°C and 25°C. The area also enjoys around 6 hours of sunshine per day through the season. But more than just great weather, the Algarve is one of the world’s best locations for travelling golfers.

Dona Filipa Hotel is a 5-star lap of luxury just seconds from Vale do Lobo Beach which combines traditional Portuguese charm and contemporary style. Guests can enjoy access to Penina Golf, home to the first 18-hole course to have been constructed in the Algarve, the Sir Henry Cotton Championship Course, designed by the man himself which has hosted ten Portuguese Opens.

Another option is Pinheiros Altos Golf, featuring 27 championship holes made up of three 9-hole groupings, each a par 36, offering golfers different combinations. Set by the Ria Formosa nature reserve, the course is also close to beautiful beaches and the Atlantic.

Conrad Algarve is also a fantastic 5-star choice for golfers, located in the resort town of Quinta do Lago. A stunning beach, the idyllic Ria Formosa nature reserve and world-class golf courses are just minutes away from this opulent place to stay, which includes the Michelin-starred restaurant Gusto by Heinz Beck.

Guests get access to four of Portugal’s best golf courses. Firstly there’s Quinta do Lago’s three brilliant tracks. The South Course has hosted the Portugal Open eight times; the Laranjal Course has five lakes and an abundance of umbrella pines and orange trees; and the North Course, recently redesigned by European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, is another beauty with undulating greens and water hazards.

Monte Rei Golf & Country Club is another option for guests at Conrad Algarve Hotel, one of only a handful of Jack Nicklaus ‘signature’ courses in Europe and the only one in Portugal. Opened in 2007, this manicured and challenging layout offers stunning panoramas of the Atlantic and the Serra do Calderon mountains.

Costa del Sol

Spain’s Costa del Sol has one of the best selections of golf resorts and championship golf courses anywhere in the world. The region enjoys comfortable and warm temperatures in the fall with daytime highs ranging between 20 – 25°C. There’s also an average of 5 – 7 hours of sunshine a day.

SO/ Sotogrande is one of the Costa del Sol’s best resorts, a 5-star luxury hotel which is part of La Reserva Club, Sotogrande, the exclusive lifestyle community set in the Andalusian hills close to the beaches of Marbella and Malaga. The hotel merges the history and feel of its Andalusian heritage with the high-fashion and contemporary lifestyle-led approach of the SO/ brand.

Guests have access to one of Europe’s finest residential clubs, La Reserva Club with its elite amenities including a luxurious inland beach club complete with a magnificent freshwater sandy lagoon, water sports, an equestrian centre, a racquet club and two restaurants.

Guests also enjoy access to some remarkable golf courses, each just a few kilometres from the hotel. La Reserva Golf Club, designed by Cabell Robinson, is a must-play 18-hole championship course with sweeping fairways, huge undulating greens, water features and gorgeous views.

Close by is Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, the Robert Trent Jones masterpiece with generous fairways and elevated tees. The course has more than 100 bunkers and quite few water hazards, so it’s a proper challenge as well.

Just down the road is La Hacienda Links Course, one of the only coastal links courses in southern Europe upgraded in 2021 by Kurtis Bowman. Several holes border the beach with views of the iconic Rock of Gibraltar and the Atlas Mountains of North Africa.

Finca Cortesin is another truly world-class resort. Set between Sotogrande and Marbella on the road to the mountain villages of the Casares, it’s arguably Spain‘s premier golf resort. Just a few minutes from the beautiful coastline, it’s world-class facilities include the boutique Hotel Cortesin, the Jack Nicklaus Academy, a beach club, excellent dining and an award-winning spa.

The main attraction at the resort is the championship-level golf course, designed by Cabell Robinson, which hosted the 2023 Solheim Cup when Team Europe retained the trophy over the USA.

Sicily

The Italian island of Sicily is a brilliant option for golfers in the fall when there’s still around 5 hours of sunshine each day and temperatures between 19°C and 24°C. This island has everything you could want from a golf trip with luxurious hotels, world-class courses and superb cuisine.

Verdura, a Rocco Forte resort, is located on Sicily’s west coast close to charming villages and ancient Greek and Roman sites. It’s set across 230 hectares of olive groves with a private beach. It’s a 5-star experience to rival any resort in Italy and it’s home to three brilliant Kyle Phillips-designed golf courses overlooking the Mediterranean.

The resort’s luxurious rooms and suites feature a balcony, a terrace, or a private courtyard, with views of the Mediterranean. There’s tennis courts, water sports, a kids’ club, infinity pools, thalassotherapy and the Rocco Forte Spa, as well as a selection of bars and four restaurants serving fantastic local cuisine with Sicilian coastline views or by the poolside.

The Verdura Shore Course has gorgeous views and dramatic penultimate holes taking golfers up and down the coastline, with a memorable elevated 18th tee. More glorious scenery awaits at the Verdura Links Course, which features one of the most memorable finishes anywhere in the world. The 16th and 18th are set right along the coastline, providing a finish to the round you’ll tell your friends about.