Recommend May 2011 - (Page 76)

PORTuGAL & SPAIn serve up a banquet of great golf Golfing at Le Meridien Penina Golf & Resort in Portugal. most complete golf resort. La Cala, a traditional Spanish resort, has 73 luxury rooms and suites overlooking its championship golf courses. Its guest amenities include a full-service spa, two bars and the La Terraza Restaurant. Activities include horseback riding, gym, squash and tennis. Among the many packages to recommend is the Three Nights Hotel & Golf & Dinner offer, priced from $356 pp dbl and including three nights B&B, two greens fees and one dinner; for non-golfers, one spa treatment and one Swedish massage are included. Packages are also available for four to seven nights, as well as family golf packages. PLAYING: The La Cala Golf Resort boasts three true championship layouts (and all are hilly), plus a David Leadbetter Golf Academy with its own 6-hole par 3 Executive Course. Designer Cabell Robinson (star pupil of Robert Trent Jones, Sr.) has managed to give each course its own special character: the Asian Course—300 yards shorter than the America Course—is set in spectacular rolling countryside, and water hazards come into play on three holes. On the higher America Course, the 15th hole affords a breathtaking view of Mijas. Offering the least hilly challenges is the newest course, the 18-hole, par 71 Europa. However, there is nothing easy about any course at La Cala. The clubhouse has a pro-shop, gym, saunas and a restaurant. STAYING: On the western end of Costa del Sol is the Barcelo Montecastillo Golf Resort, 50 minutes from Seville and 10 minutes from Jerez de la Frontera and other interesting Andalusian attractions. The hotel’s spacious and well-appointed accommodations range from deluxe and superior rooms and suites with golf course views and sitting area, to villas with kitchens and gardens. All have heating and air conditioning, mini-bars and stylish bathrooms. Guests have a choice of three restaurants; bars and lounges; a spa with indoor pool, jacuzzi, dry and 76 may 2011 wet saunas, four treatment rooms and gym. Additionally, there are two outdoor pools, tennis courts and jogging trails. Golfers are offered a Golf & Relaxation package featuring two nights in deluxe room accommodations, breakfast, Wellness Club admission, one relaxation treatment pp, and one unlimited greens fee. The price is $210 for two, although when booked with breakfast and dinner, the cost is $265. Packages are available at all room and suite levels. PLAYING: The Montecastillo Golf Club layout is ranked among the top five in Spain, and has hosted the European Tour’s Volvo Masters. Its 18-hole, par 72 course, a Jack nicklaus grand design, measures 7,060 yards from the tips, and golfers say that its closing trio of holes provide as an impressive a finish as can be found in Europe. They also agree that well played, this course delivers a memorable round of golf, where raised tees on each hole insures that even the high handicapper has a good chance of enjoying such a big course. On site is a putting green, practice course and golf academy. n Archived related articles (available on recommend.com): Scotland & Ireland Suit Golfers to a Tee (May 2010) contact information Almenara Golf Hotel & Spa: nh-hotels.com Barcelo Montecastillo Golf Resort: (800) 227-2356; barcelo.com Golf International: (800) 833-1389; golfinternational.com La Cala Golf & Spa Resort: lacala.com Le Meridien Penina Golf & Resort: (888) 625-5144; starwoodhotels.com Penha Longa Hotel Spa & Golf Resort: (800) 542-8680 (Ritz-Carlton); penhalonga.com Vila Joya: vilajoya.com recommend.com http://www.recommend.com http://www.nh-hotels.com http://www.barcelo.com http://www.golfinternational.com http://www.lacala.com http://www.starwoodhotels.com http://www.penhalonga.com http://www.vilajoya.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend May 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Autograph Collection by Marriott
Tour Talk: Avanti Destinations
10 Amazing Golf Resorts
Dominican Republic Greens
Tee off, Barbados-Style
Teeing Up in Bermuda
Mexico Destination Weddings & Honeymoon Planner
A Quartet of Courses
Portugal & Spain Serve Up a Banquet of Great Golf
Touring the U.K. With Rail Europe
Uniworld's New "Super Ship" Antoinette
Savoring Exotic Asia
Coming Back to Egypt

Recommend May 2011