5 Nights BB & 3 Golf Rounds

Estela Golf Club Póvoa de Varzim, Oporto

Estela Golf course sits on the Minho coast north of Porto, near Póvoa de Varzim, where three kilometres of natural sand dunes run straight into the Atlantic. Founded in 1987 by a group of northern Portuguese industrialists determined to bring golf to a region that had none, it was designed by the Portuguese architect Duarte Sotto-Mayor, who trained under Robert Trent Jones. It's one of the country's genuine links courses, not just a coastal course borrowing the name.
The wind decides everything here. Narrow fairways run through the dunes with barely a fairway bunker in sight, because the dunes themselves do the work. The par-4 6th is the signature hole, a tee shot over a pond to a fairway that climbs the hillside, an old windmill standing behind the green. Two lakes add further bite, and greens that run fast and true reward anyone who can flight the ball low under the breeze. Estela has hosted the Portuguese Open and the Atlantic Open Vinho Verde, among other national and European events.
The clubhouse looks out over the course and the ocean, with a restaurant, driving range and golf academy alongside. A handicap certificate is required to play. For golfers who want proper Scottish-style links golf without leaving Portugal, and don't mind the weather doing some of the talking, Estela is one of the country's real tests. (...)