Porto Santo's golf course was designed by Seve Ballesteros, the five-time major winner, and opened in October 2004. It runs the length of the island, from rolling dunes near the beach to dramatic basalt cliffs at the far end, and at 6,434 metres it's the longest course in the Madeira Islands. It's also hosted the Madeira Islands Open on the European Tour, a genuine mark of Ballesteros's design pedigree.

The course splits into two distinct halves. The South plays in an American style, dotted with lakes and demanding a long, precise game off the tee. The North is the dramatic part, running along high cliff tops with the Atlantic dropping away below. The par-3 13th is the hole to book this course for: a tee shot of around 200 yards over a gorge to a green perched on the cliff edge, with a 500-foot drop to the sea. The wind is a near-constant factor here, so bring every club in the bag and a game plan for it.

A nine-hole floodlit pitch-and-putt course adds a genuinely useful practice option, and the clubhouse, all dry-stone walling, natural wood and wicker, blends into the landscape as well as the course does. For golfers who want a Ballesteros design with real drama built in, this is the round to build a Porto Santo trip around.