Golf Santo António / Parque da Floresta

Parque da Floresta occupies a stretch of the western Algarve that feels genuinely different from the resort corridor around Vilamoura and Vale do Lobo. Budens sits near Salema in the Costa Vicentina hinterland, where the terrain turns rugged and the Atlantic influence is far stronger — cooler, windier, and less manicured than the package-holiday golf belt to the east. The course was designed by Pepe Gancedo and opened in the late 1980s, routed across rolling, scrub-covered hills with Atlantic panoramas that periodically open up between the pines and eucalyptus. It is very much a layout shaped by the land rather than imposed on it.

The routing uses significant elevation change to create drama and variety, with some holes dropping sharply into valleys and others playing exposed on ridges where the coastal wind becomes a real factor in club selection. It rewards thoughtful play over raw power.

For visiting golfers, this is the western Algarve at its most authentic — unhurried, scenic, and a welcome contrast to the region's more polished resort designs.