Algarve hotels win at the World Luxury Hotel Awards

Algarve hotels win at the World Luxury Hotel Awards. Epic Sana Algarve

World Luxury Hotel Awards

Four Algarve hotels were awarded in the 2018 edition of the World Luxury Hotel Awards, highlighting the Hotel Faro & Beach Club, distinguished in two categories.

The hotel which is located in the downtown area of the Algarve received the “Luxury Rooftop View Hotel” and “Luxury Harbor Hotel” awards, both continental.

Hotel Faro & Beach Club

Hotel Faro & Beach Club

The Municipality of Faro has already reacted to the news, affirming its “pride” for the distinction and congratulating itself for the rise of overnight stays in Faro in recent years: in 2017, there were 520 thousand overnight stays, compared to 428,475 overnight stays the previous year.

Also at the European level, two Albufeira hotels were distinguished: the Pine Cliffs in the category “Luxury Ocean View Resort” and the Epic SANA Algarve in the “Luxury Coastal Hotel” category.

Pine Cliffs Hotel Luxury Resort & Spa

Pine Cliffs Hotel Luxury Resort & Spa

At the regional level (southern Europe), the Dunas Douradas Beach Club in Vale do Lobo, Loulé, was awarded in the category «Luxury Beach Resort».

The World Luxury Hotel Awards, which began in 2006, distinguish luxury hotels worldwide in about 100 categories, according to votes from customers and industry leaders.

The awards ceremony for the 12th edition of this world competition took place on 10 November in Bali, Indonesia.

Tee Times Golf Agency Open Championship 2018

Tee Times Golf Agency Open Championship 2018

Tee Times Golf Agency Open Championship 2018 - Michael Ewings - Winner

Michael Ewings – Winner

The 2nd Tee Times Golf Agency Open Championship 2018 amateur competition was played in January 2018 in a Stableford format with a mixture of pairs and individual scores over the 3 day tournament at Salgados, Laranjal and Quinta do Lago South Golf courses. The competition was fully booked, well in advance.

The event began with a meet and greet cocktail party at the Chez Carlos restaurant in Vilamoura on the Thursday evening. The pairs draw was made for the following day.

Tee Times here page

Salgados Golf Course hosted the first round of the competition. Although it was a cold and windy day the atmosphere amoung the players was exciting. Salgados is a very open golf course and as it was a breezy day, scores were definatly affected and not brilliant. It was a two tee start. Salgados Golf Course was in a good condition and well maintained. After the round the group sat at the club house terrace enjoying the sunshine whilst scores were collected. The players later gathered at The Chez Carlos restaurant for dinner, announcing of the days results and to make the draw for the following day.

Tee Times Golf Agency Open Championship 2018

The 2nd round was played at Laranjal Golf Course. It was a beautiful sunny day again with no wind, quoted by the players as “millionaires golf and an absolute pleasure to play”. The greens were true but difficult to read and the scores improved slightly from the previous day. Laranjal have introduced new tees and the players noticed that the golf course was longer but enjoyed the novelty of using Gold Tees.

The group met up later at the Chez Carlos restaurant to have dinner, discuss scores and to be advised of start times for the final round which was in order of merit.

Tee Times Golf Agency Open Championship 2018 - Stephen Draisey - 2º place

Stephen Draisey – 2º place

Quinta do Lago South Golf Course was host to the final round and a favourite course for most. There were 8 to 12 players in with a chance of winning, which created an exciting buzz amoung the competitors. Quinta Do Lago are making some noticable improvements to the South Golf Course and the greens were good but slower then Laranjal Golf Course. Nearest the pin was played every day and on the final day, the longest drive was introduced on the 17th hole, a par 5. Colette Cohen won the Ladies and Peter McMahon won the gents longest drive.

The Tee Times prize giving dinner was held that evening at The Chez Carlos Restaurant with non golfers also attending, there was approximatley 65 people. It was a fantastic evening, a brilliant atmosphere with great food and excellent service.

Doug Smith hosted the prize giving looking very dapper in his red bow tie. The prizes were given for individuals and pairs, nearest the pin and the longest drive. The best dressed players also won prizes, the worthy winners were Roger and Carol Benzie wearing traditional Scottish kilts. Carmel McCarthy received the biggest cheer of the entire evening for the each day lowest score and she embraced this in great style.

Tee Times Golf Agency Open Championship 2018 - Thomas Roberts 3º place

Thomas Roberts – 3º place

Mr Carlos, owner and founder of the Tee Times Golf Agency congratulated the winners and thanked the sponsers for their support and complemented Douglas and Teresa Smith, for their input in the organisation.

Later a raffle took place with a variety of excellent prizes, for a childrens charity here in the Algarve and an amazing total of 1.725,00 euros was raised.

It was a marvellous event, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The evening culminated with some live music courtesy of Roger with his guitar and the guests partied until midnight. After a very merry night, some accidental coat swapping even took place. There could not have been a more fantastic group of people and we very much hope to see everyone for the 3rd Tee Times Golf Agency Open Tournament in 2019!

List of Prize Winners

Day 1 Pairs Salgados Pts
1st – Thomas Roberts & Jeff Williams 65
2nd – Rob Brown & Liz Scully 63
3rd – Stephen Draisey & Mair Robinson 58
Nearest the pin – Ken Barnes 8th
Winner of lowest stableford score – Carmel McCarthy
Day 2 Pairs Laranjal Pts
1st – Trevor Ward & Trish Macbeth 56
2nd – Tony Lopategui & Peter Mcahon 55(c/b)
3rd – Marie Harpur & Michelle Roberts 55
Nearest the pin – Neil Johnson 15th
Winner of lowest stableford score – Carmel McCarthy
Day 3 Individual Quinta South Pts
1st – David Harpur 37
2nd – Colette Cohen 33
3rd – Michael Ewings 32(c/b)
Nearest the pin –Bill Hurrel – 1t1h
Winner of lowest stableford score – Carmel McCarthy
Mens Longest Drive 17th Peter McMahon
Ladies Longest Drive 17th Colette Cohen
Open Championship Pts
1st – Michael Ewings 26 33 32 = 91
2nd – Stephen Draisey 32 31 28 = 91(c/b)
3rd – Thomas Roberts 34 30 25 = 89
4th – Trevor Ward 30 26 32 = 88
5th – Jeff Williams 31 26 30 = 87
6th – Michelle Roberts 30 25 31 = 86
Best Ladies Score – Mair Robinson
Best Dressed – Roger Benzie

Tee Times Portugal Holidays: Pirates and Corsairs Festival

Tee Times Portugal Holidays - Pirates and Corsairs Festival - Albufeira Marina

Tee Times Portugal Holidays – Pirates and Corsairs Festival – Albufeira Marina

Tee Times Portugal Holidays: Pirates and Corsairs Festival, Albufeira Marina, Albufeira, AlgarvePortugal, 11th – 13th July 2014

This festival, which is being held in the Albufeira Marina, will over 2 fun-filled and exciting days be exploring the lives of Pirates, Corsairs, and Sailors in the year 1644. Offering an insight and entertainment for the whole family, while demonstrating the history of the Algarve, the Sea and Navigation through Choreographed Re-enactments, Shows, Fairs, displays of Historical Skills and demonstrations of Medieval Weapons. Bringing alive the Algarve of the 17th Century. This event will be professionally managed, offering the reassurance of a safe and enjoyable festival.

The Algarve offers many ideal locations for a holiday, among this fine selection is Albufeira. Centrally located on the coast, this town is a very popular holiday destination in Portugal. For beach-lovers there are many choices, in and around this thriving holiday resort. Thrill-seekers might enjoy the Parasailing and Jet Skiing on offer. The old town of Albufeira offers a labyrinth of cobbled streets, lined with shops, restaurants and bars that lead onto the main square, Largo Duarte Pacheco, where street-entertainers regularly entertain the crowds. For lovers of the nightlife there is the area know as ‘The Strip’, near the Oura beach, offering an endless selection of bars and nightclubs.

Tee Times Tour Operator offers a great selection of holiday accommodation on the central Algarve. This includes Grande Hotel at SalgadosReal Bellavista Hotel & SpaVila das Lagoas and more.

The wide-range of exciting golf courses on the Algarve, accessible from Albufeira, include Balaia Par 3, SalgadosOceanico Golf Courses and many more.

With Albufeira offering so many things to do and places to go, it is easy to understand why this very popular holiday destination is known as the tourist capital of the Algarve.

By Richard FM Conlon