PAGS - Portugal Algarve Golf Services

11/02/2020

Algarve International Classic Tournament 2020

The 22nd edition of the Algarve International Classic Tournament was held last month, which was once again another fun week with glorious weather.

We congratulate all the winners and thank again all the participants who joined us for this year’s event.

We hope you all enjoyed yourselves and look forward to seeing you again soon!

31/12/2019

31/10/2019

World Golf Awards 2019

We are extremely proud to announce once again that PAGS was voted Best Inbound Golf Tour Operator for Portugal 2019 for the 6th consecutive year at the World Golf Award ceremony, which took place this weekend at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort Abu Dhabi.

Our thank you to everyone who voted for PAGS and congratulations to all the other winners, especially from Portugal!

We believe this award is recognition of PAGS team determination to always deliver quality service to our clients and we are very appreciative of every member of our team’s contribution to winning this award.

A very special thank you to our Tour Operator partners for entrusting us with their business and their ongoing efforts to promote our beautiful country. We are extremely grateful for their faith in the service we provide and hope in the forthcoming years their clients will enjoy many more memorable Golf Holidays and continue to return to Portugal.

We also thank all our Portuguese supplier partners and are appreciative for their continued support and collaboration.

Now our work begins to prove ourselves worthy of your vote for 2020!

22/10/2019

International Association of Golf Tour Operators Awards for 2020

We had a great time at the 20th edition of IAGTO’s annual golf tourism awards, which took place in Marrakech on the final day of the International Golf Travel Market and our hosts put on a fantastic authentic Moroccan evening.

To end a super week we are proud to say that the premier prize of Golf Destination of the Year 2020 was won by the Algarve.

We are also pleased to announce that the prestigious golf course Monte Rei was named with best Golf Experience in Portugal , while The Oitavos in Cascais, Lisbon, won best Hotel Experience in Portugal .

The awards were voted by the IAGTO’s specialist golf tour operator members from 63 countries and each were asked to vote based on the following criteria: customer satisfaction; quality of golf courses and accommodation; value for money; support from suppliers, tourist boards & airlines; professional conduct of suppliers; and accessibility to tee times.

This is a great achievement for the Algarve & Portugal and shows how much our country has to offer the travelling golfer.

Our congratulations to all the winners!

21/10/2019

Some Images from a super week at the IGTM in Morocco, the sense of welcome and desire to please from our hosts was great to experience, as were the amazing venues that hosted the various evenings that we all enjoyed. Thank you Marrakesh …..

15/10/2019

Marrakesh, Morocco IGTM 2019. New Golfing Friends from Spain and South Africa. Thank you to Ignacio, Domingo and Weiner for carrying me around Fairmont Royal Palm. Don’t worry the dear old camel is not the event shuttle !!

01/10/2019

Portugal is one of the few countries in the world that offers a wide variety of traditional sweets.

Most traditional Portuguese sweets were created by nuns cloistered in convents or monasteries and over time these secret recipes were passed onto the population and Portuguese pastry became popular.

This year Portugal elected their “7 Sweet Wonders’, where the grand final took place on the 7th of September 2019.

A specialised jury made the initial selection and then it was up to the Portuguese public to vote for the country’s best sweets.

Here are Portugal’s 7 Sweet Wonders:

Crista de Galo (Rooster Crest) – Vila Real
Amêndoa Coberta de Moncorvo (Almond Covered with Moncorvo) – Torre de Moncorvo in Bragança
Roscas de Monção (Monção Threads) – Monção in Viana do Castelo
Folar de Olhão (Traditional Easter Cake of Olhão) – Olhão in Faro
Mel Biológico do Parque Natural de Montesinho (Biological Honey of Montesinho Natural Park) – Bragança
Charutos dos Arcos (Ci**rs of Arcos) – Arcos de Valdevez in Viana do Castelo
Bolinhol de Vizela (Traditional Cake of Vizela) – Vizela in Braga

Enjoy!

02/07/2019

Algarve Lighthouses in the Summer

During the months of July and August the Alfanzina Lighthouse in Carvoeiro and the Santa Maria Lighthouse in Faro (Culatra island) are open to the general public.

These lighthouses are two of the existing six in the Algarve that now allow visitors from Tuesday to Sunday between 14:30 and 19:30 with free entry.

With magnificent views and of historical value, it is foreseen that more lighthouses in the Algarve will adhere to this incentive in the coming years.

18/06/2019

Trade Golf Day at Dom Pedro Pinhal.

Dom Pedro Hotels & Golf Collection held one of their regular Trade Golf Days at DP Pinhal GC recently, on a gorgeous sunny day what better way to enjoy the new extended terrace that Dom Pedro have built at Pinhal Club House.

The trade partners participated in either a putting or a 9 holes competition in a relaxed and fun environment.

We are pleased to say we didn't do that bad, as some members of our team had a few "moments" and picked up some prizes!

Our thanks to Dom Pedro for a fun afternoon

30/04/2019

The Quinta da Marinha Golf Course, in Cascais, has 18 holes with 5.870 meters of pure nature and big challenges. This par 71, designed by the legendary Rober...

13/03/2019

Seven Hanging Valleys Trail - Algarve

The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail in Lagoa, Algarve, is considered the Best Hiking Destination in Europe.

The trail runs along 5, 7 kilometers along the coast between Vale Centeanes Beach and Marinha Beach, being accessible to hikers of all ages.

Set in unspoiled nature with remarkable views of the rock formations, beaches, Chapel of Senhora da Rocha (shown in image), lighthouse of Alfanzina and caves of Banagil, the trail makes for an unforgettable hiking experience.

12/02/2019

Tree of the Year 2019

The 150 year old Holm Oak tree found in Monte Barbeiro, Mértola (Altentejo) has won Tree of the Year 2019 in Portugal.

The tree now represents Portugal at the European Tree of the Year competition, where the results will be announced at the Award Ceremony in Brussels on the 19th of March – lean more & vote here until the 28th of February: https://www.treeoftheyear.org/Stromy/Svetly-dub-cesminovity-z-Monte-do-Barbeiro

This grandiose tree, of the species Quercus Rotundifolia Lam, makes the searing heat of the Alentejo bearable in the summertime, due to its enormous spread of about 487 meter canopy and 23,28 meter in diameter.

23/01/2019

The 21st edition of the Algarve International Classic Tournament was held this month, which was another fun week.
We congratulate all the winners and thank again all the participants for supporting our event.
Ian Rogers celebrated his 61st birthday during the event and we were happy to share this special day with him.
We look forward to seeing and welcoming you all again next year.

28/12/2018

Pags Team wishes you a Happy New Year and Happy Golfing in 2019.

18/12/2018

PAGS Team Wishes You a Merry Christmas

29/11/2018

Michelin Star & Bib Gourmand Awards

Portuguese cuisine continues to captivate the world’s attention.

The 10th Michelin Star Iberian Peninsula Gala award ceremony 2019 was held for the first time in Lisbon on the 21st of November 2018, where Portugal won 4 new Michelin stars.

As of 2019, Portugal has 26 Michelin starred restaurants in the country: 20 one-star & 6 two-star establishments.

3 new restaurants in Portugal entered the listing with one-star; Restaurant Midori in Sintra (first Japanese restaurant with a star in the country), Restaurant G Pousada in Bragança and Restaurant A Cozinha in Guimarães. While Restaurant Alma in Lisbon won their second star.

The Algarve continues to be the region with more stars by maintaining their 10 stars & 8 restaurants.

Two new Michelin Bib Gourmand awards were also presented for restaurants that offer excellent value for money (until 35 Euro), making a total of 36 in Portugal.
The two new additions are Restaurant Tasca do Zé Tuga in Bragança and Restaurant O Avenida in Lagos.

06/11/2018

World Golf Awards 2018

We are extremely proud to announce that PAGS, for the 5th consecutive year, was voted Best Inbound Golf Tour Operator for Portugal 2018 at the World Golf Award ceremony that took place this weekend at La Manga in Spain.

We would also like to congratulate all the other winners, especially from Portugal.

We believe this award is recognition of the desire and determination of the PAGS team to deliver a quality service to our clients and we are very appreciative of everyone’s efforts

A special thank you to our Tour Operator partners for their continued efforts to promote our beautiful country and entrust us with their business. We are always extremely grateful for the faith they show in the service that we provide to them. We hope in the forthcoming years their clients enjoy many more memorable Golf Holidays and that they continue to return to Portugal.

We are also thankful and appreciative to our Portuguese supplier partners for their usual support and collaboration year after year.

Last, and by no means least, we would thank everyone who voted for PAGS! We appreciate your support.

30/10/2018

Madeira Embroidery

Madeira Embroidery became famous worldwide since the Universal Exhibition of London in 1851 and is nowadays one of Europe’s finest luxury products.

Handmade by the woman of Madeira, the artisan skills and techniques of the meticulous craft has been passed down from generation to generation.

From the conception of the designs to the creation of the patterns, every step of the process is handmade.
With a wide range of products, Madeira Embroidery often takes weeks if not months or years to finish a piece, as the artisans follow distinctive patterns using a wide variety of complicated stitches.

Today there are about 30 companies producing Madeira Embroidery in the Region with approximately 4,500 embroiderers dedicated daily to the art of Embroidery to keep the tradition alive.

10/10/2018

Web Summit Stays in Lisbon

It’s Official! The Web Summit stays in Portugal for another 10 years.

The announcement was made by Paddy Cosgrave, CEO of the Web Summit, and Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa.
After a process involving offers from 20 cities across Europe, the Web Summit organization surrendered to Lisbon.

The goal is to transform the summit into a larger event, so improvements to double the space at Altice Arena and Lisbon International Fair (FIL) will take place.

This technological conference that was born in Ireland is one of the largest in the world and moved to Lisbon 3 years ago.

See you there!

03/10/2018

The Charms of Central Portugal

O filme promocional "Turismo Centro de Portugal - Preferred Destination 2017" foi um dos grandes vencedores da noite do Festival ART&TUR 2016, arrecadando o ...

25/09/2018

Portugal Masters 2018

Tom Lewis won the Portugal Masters 2018 held at the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.

The Englishman began the day two shots behind clubhouse leader, Lucas Herbert, but was able to recover the deficit with a stunning five-under-par 66 to finish – 22 and win by 3 shots from Herbert and Eddie Pepperell, who continued his recent fine form.

27 year old Lewis first won the Portugal Masters in 2011, making him the first man to win this tournament twice.

Congratulation Tom!

04/09/2018

Portugal Masters 2018

The Portugal Masters is being held between the 20th and 23rd of September in Vilamoura.

This prestigious event will take place at the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course for the 12th consecutive year and total prize money will be two million euro.

It is one of the largest golfing events in Portugal with some of the best golfers in the world taking part. Amongst the participants is the Danish Lucas Bjerregaard that is returning to defend his Portugal Masters title won last year.

Designed by Arnold Palmer, this Par 72 championship course will close on the 10th of September for preparations to host this event.

See you there!

10/07/2018

Óbidos Medieval Market

Get taken back to medieval times at the Medieval Market in Óbidos held between the 12th of July and 5th of August 2018.

Several locals and actors, fully dressed in medieval costumes, animate the town’s streets and portray noblemen, beggars, mule-drivers, jugglers, musicians, jesters and dancers, where water is the central theme this year.

The main site of the entertainment events is situated next to the castle walls, where jousting tournaments will take place, medieval dinners and where the market sells a variety of items, from medieval costumes to traditional home-made remedies.

Schedules are as follows:
Thursday - 17:00 to 01:00
Friday - 17:00 to 01:00
Saturday - 11:00 to 01:00
Sunday - 11:00 to 00:00

Tickets:
Free entry up to 11 years (inclusive)
Entry (> 12) – 7 Euro per person

26/06/2018

Lisbon Awarded “European Green Capital 2020”

The European Green Capital title is awarded every year to a European city with over 100,000 inhabitants for its commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Lisbon received this prestigious title at a ceremony in Nijmegen, Holand (European Green Capital 2018) by Mr. Karmenu Vella, the Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

The Jury found that Lisbon demonstrated that sustainability and economic growth go hand in hand.

Lisbon was the first capital in Europe to sign the New Covenant of Mayors for Climate Change and Energy in 2016, after achieving a 50% reduction in C02 emissions, reducing energy consumption by 23% and water consumption by 17%.

It has one of the world's largest networks of electric vehicle charging points, while 39% of the municipal car fleet is electric.

12/06/2018

Historical Train of the Douro

With remarkable views of the Douro River and vineyards, the historical train of the Douro runs every Saturday and Sunday between June and October 2018.

The 36 Kilometre journey begins in the town of Régua and ends in Tua with a stop in Pinhão.

Although in June the traction of the 5 carriages is done by a diesel locomotive dating back to 1967, from July to October a steam locomotive will be used that was originally built in 1925 by Henschel & Son.

A day’s program starts at 15:23 in Régua with return at 18:32.
Price for an adult is 42.50 Euro per person (19 Euro per child, 4 to 12 years).
On board you will also enjoy traditional songs, regional candy and a glass of Port wine.

Bon Voyage!

29/05/2018

Algarve Chefs Week

The 8th edition of Algarve Chefs Week is being held between the 28th of May and 3rd of June 2018, where 14 executive Chefs of 14 luxury hotels in the Algarve participate to show case their original Street Food themed menus, using Algarve’s local produce.

During this week anyone may visit one of the participating hotels to enjoy a delicious meal at their restaurant for only 30 Euro pp (d***s not included), where 1 Euro reverts to a solidarity cause.

The participating hotels include: Cascade Wellness & Lifestyle Resort, Conrad Algarve, Dona Filipa Hotel, Hilton Vilamoura, Macdonald Monchique Resort & Spa, NAU Salgados Dunas Suites, NAU Salgados Palace, Praia Verde Boutique Hotel, The Lake Spa Resort, Tivoli Marina Vilamoura, Anatara Vilamoura Resort, VidaMar Resort Hotel Algarve, Monte Santo Resort and Vila Monte Farm House.

Bom Apetite!