Quinta do Lago

Maybe it's the average of 3,000 hours of sunshine each year, or perhaps it's the quality of the courses, but something about the Algarve has found its way into the Irish psyche. Only Spain attracts a greater number of Irish golfers year in, year out - and my own personal experience of the Algarve region has usually left a desire to return sooner rather than later, whether it be to the Carvoeiro area west of Faro or, most recently, to the Quinta do Lago complex close by the region's main airport.

To be sure, being housed in the Hotel Quinta do Lago, situated in a 2,000 acres estate, is sufficient to spoil anyone . . . but the opportunity to play two of Europe's finest courses, Quinta do Lago itself, which plays host to this week's Portugese Open, and the old course at Vilamoura is always a treat. But be warned, slow play is something that is not tolerated on either course, even if you don't perceive it to be your fault entirely.

There are four loops to the 36-holes Quinta do Lago facility (B and C make up the championship course) and, just as Sawgrass has its 17th hole, this course has its own short (!!) par three, measuring over 200 yards, to an island green, the 15th. It is one of the most photographed holes in golf worldwide and is sure to bring a relieved smile to anyone who finds the green off the tee without the need to reload.

Some 20 minutes drive from Quinta lies the Vilamoura estate, another testimony to the quest for quality in this area of Portugal.

Vilamoura Old is rightly considered a classic parkland course. One of four courses in the complex (with a fifth, designed by Arnold Palmer due to open next year), the old course is immaculately maintained. Designed by the English architect Frank Pennick, and opened in 1969, it has been extensively renovated in recent years and, as you wind your way through the cork trees, hopefully on the manicured fairways, each hole presents its own challenge.