Like a lot of rugby players, and other sportsmen who've done a lot of touring over the years, the last thing I want to do when I go on holiday is jet halfway around the world. What I'm looking for is somewhere warm and sunny by the sea, with a beach for my family and a golf course.
That's why I love going to Pinheiros Altos (00351 289 359900; www.pinheirosaltos.com), a golf resort on the Algarve. My wife and I first went there before we were married. We went back again with our two children and are very much looking forward to our third visit.
I discovered it by accident back in 2000 when I was staying at a nearby hotel. I bumped into an old school friend who turned out to be a golf pro and he took me there. It suits my wife and I because we're both inherently lazy – well, I am anyway. We just want to go somewhere and unpack, and not have to worry about it again.
Being a Northerner, I have a natural fear of foreign languages, and one of the things I like about the Algarve is that no one gives you a hard time if you can't speak the language.
And then there's the food. Our favourite place to eat is probably the ever-popular beachside restaurant Gigi's (964 045178), at the nearby Quinta do Lago golf resort (289 351900; www.quintadolago.com), which borders the Ria Formosa National Park. The prawns are fabulous, and while eating there is not cheap – nowhere is in Europe these days – it has one of those great dusk settings that you can't put a price on. My tip? Enjoy the prawns with a glass of rosé as the sun goes down… and forget the hole it's burning in your pocket.
- Will Greenwood is an ambassador for Heineken. To find out more about this year's Heineken Cup competition, visit www.heinekenrugby.co.uk. The quarter-finals take place from Friday.
Quinta do lago car hire |
