European recommendations

[Birdie2]

Hi All,
Can anyone recommend a resort in Europe where weather is guaranteed to be hot and sunny in June. The mrs and I are off for a week. She wants to lie by the pool all week as has been busy at work and has given me the green light to play a bit of golf (get in!). I'm looking for a nice resort with decent golf that ideally isn't packed full of four balls all day on a lads golf trip. A tall order or is it doable?

Did a similar thing in La Manga previously, so keen to try elsewhere. Thanks in advance.

 

[Capella]

In June you have a very high chance of hot and sunny pretty much everywhere in the Mediterranean and on the Algarve, so literally hundreds of courses and resorts to choose from.

The ones I know from personal experience are:

on the Costa de la Luz in Spain:
Islantilla - 27 holes of golf, very affordable, but I would not recommend it, especially if your wife is not into golf and wants to spend time on the beach instead. The resort is located a bit inland (not far, maybe five minutes drive to the coast) and there is nothing of interest in the immediate area. The hotel is a bit meh as well (even though I liked their buffet a lot)

Costa Ballena - 27 holes plus a 9 hole par 3 course, absolute gigantic practice facilities, I think they have one of the biggest driving ranges in Europe. Hotel is quite nice as well, and has a nice pool and spa area, but is ususally frequented by groups and the dining room tends to be very loud and crowded. If it is just you and your wife travelling, then you might be better off with a smaller hotel or guest house in the area (there are a few). The course is right next to the ocean and the beaches are very nice. They were almost empty when I was there, but that was in March, so I can't tell you what it will feel like in June.

My boss is just back from a week at El Rompido and he liked that one a lot, but I've never been myself, so I can't say much about it.

in Portugal:
Morgado Golf resort - two 18 hole courses (Morgado and Alamos) plus an associated one (Salgados) about 15 minutes away, normally they offer packages that allow you to play all three courses. We stayed directly at the Morgado Golf Club, which is a nice little hotel with very good food. Morgado is the course where the Portugal Open was held last year, so a true test of golf. Alamos is slightly shorter but tighter and trickier, beautifully situated between vineyards. Again it isn't directly on the coast, though, so probably not much to do if you don't play golf. Salgados has so much water, it looks as if the fairways are floating. Just crazy. Make sure to bring lots of balls. It has a hotel as well (which I can't say much about, but it might be the better option if you want access to all three courses but prefer to stay on the coast)

Montado - 18 hole course close to Lisbon. I absolutely loved it there, the course is beautiful. It is located in the middle of nowhere, though. Great for a practice week, but probably not the best location for a holiday if you want to do other things as well. Lisbon is about a 40 minute drive away.

 

[Dan2501]

La Cala near Marbella in Spain. 3 superb 18 hole courses and a par 3, weather should be awesome. Definitely worth a look, been there loads of times and it's superb.

Also - take a look at Salobre in Gran Canaria - we've booked to go there in September. 2 courses, lovely Sheraton hotel, weather guaranteed most of the year. Looks awesome.

 

[nickjdavis]

La Cala near Marbella in Spain. 3 superb 18 hole courses and a par 3, weather should be awesome. Definitely worth a look, been there loads of times and it's superb.

Went to LaCala two years.....its a nice little resort compact and self contained and the courses are interesting but the OP should be aware that lots of balls may be needed....we had a sweep on the number of balls lost over 4 rounds (we actually only played 3.5 rounds due to the weather) between the 14 of us....the final number was 153!!! Such is the undulating nature of a couple of the courses that it was known for players to hit perfectly good tee shots and never see the ball again.

Not sure that there is much for his missus to do there unless she is really content with lying by the pool all day.....it really is a golf centric place.

Hopefully the weather in June will be much improved on the mid May weather that we had...it hammered it down constantly for three of the four days....the final day was so bad that the fairways ended up like rivers with raging torrents (I kid you not) rolling down the hills.

Last year we went to Belek, Turkey and never saw a cloud....we're off again in 6 weeks time....superb choice of hotels with much more to keep the missus occupied in terms of hotel facilities and a range of courses within a 10 minute shuttle ride that is unsurpassed. Only issue is that in June the weather might be excessively hot (you will certainly want to play early morning) and Turkey is I'm afraid, without wishing to appear xenophobic, a popular destination for Russians who - I'll try to put this in as pleasant a fashion as I can - are perhaps not the most courteous of holiday makers!!

 

[mhwgc]

Quinta do Lago on the Algarve. Great courses nearby and perfect for the Mrs to chill out by the pool and usually 25/26*.

 

[Birdie2]

Thanks all. Plenty to think about and research!