The undisputed number 1 golf course in Portugal is a little gem sculpted by Jack Nicklaus at the eastern tip of the Algarve. In Monte Rei, every hole looks like a postcard and no part slows you down or rushes you. A unique experience to live.

  • Monte-Rei
    @Monte Rei

Monte Rei, a sunny autumn morning. Which borders on pleonasm in the Algarve. The last person you will see before several hours is the marshall, who gives you a (long) briefing a few steps from the “silver” balls of 1. The treat is there, very close, within reach of the putter , but you can't taste it yet. At least three or four minutes of hearing you explain that… but let's be honest, you're not really paying attention. If you are a real, tough, tattooed little white ball, all you want is to pitch your tee as quickly as possible and discover this golfing Garden of Eden designed by Jack Nicklaus himself. Few courses have this honor on our old continent.

Driver in hand, you take full advantage of it from the start. Wow! You overlook a natural setting that turns right, towards an unknown land. The painting is sumptuous and the dominant color is, unsurprisingly, green. The second hole comes from the same jeweler. Another elevated start that gives you the thrills, even dizziness at the prospect of a great plunge towards this wide emerald-colored river, studded here or there with islets of fine sand. Because there are some constants on this course definitely not like the others, classified at 4e rank in continental Europe by Golf world last year, which beautifully marries the wild and hilly terrain of the heights of the eastern Algarve, somewhere between the “mountain of the cauldron” (the Serra do Caldeirao), the most secret beaches of the Atlantic Ocean a few kilometers away and the Spanish border a fifteen minute drive.

One departure every 12 minutes

In Monte Rei, a large forest with varied curves frames vast manicured fairways that mainly lean to starboard. as often with the big Jack. Counter-top psychoanalysts will no doubt see here a latent and unrepressed penchant for the bland, which Nicklaus knew how to tame in the days of his splendor. The bunkers that protect the greens look like pieces of a puzzle scattered at the whim of the master, but we suspect that everything is cleverly calculated, like the 9, a killing of par 3 surrounded by sand. The man with the six green jackets seems to have emptied the remains of the box on 16, a par 5 lined with bunkers, especially as we get closer to the flag. On the honor roll, however, it would be unfair to snub the 13, a breathtaking par 4 that tumbles down to a large welcoming lake, on the edge of the green. Arranged over a large half of the 18 holes of this enchanted promenade, the water obstacles form a delicious bluish contrast with the sky and add spice to certain shots.

And then there is this unique feeling, that of being alone in the world. In Monte Rei, the holes are isolated from each other, the departures are spaced 12 minutes apart and a maximum of 100 players are allowed daily to survey its fairways. The beauty, but also the tranquility and the intimacy of the place offer a golf experience as rare as it is magical. For a little bit, one would almost take oneself for Tom Hanks on his desert island *, except that the brand new Pro V1 released for special occasions replaces Mr Wilson, the dried-up basketball, as a traveling companion. Once the cart - free and compulsory, like school - has been brought home safely, with stars still in your eyes, the little icing on the cake takes the form of a badge engraved with your name offered by the house and that you can now proudly display on your bag. In short, a memorable day on a golf course that is just as memorable.

Frank Crudo

* In the movie Alone in the world.

 

BUT ALSO… A SECOND ROUTE BY NICKLAUS, A STAR RESTAURANT AND LUXURIOUS VILLAS

A second course designed by Jack Nicklaus, who went to Monte Rei in July 2019, is under construction and should be inaugurated in 2022. With one and soon two 5-star courses, the rest could only be of the same ilk. . In addition to the restaurant of the clubhouse The Grill, which allows you to taste quality dishes before or after your game, Monte Rei is also a Michelin-starred restaurant, The Views by young Portuguese chef Rui Silvestre, with seafood or natural products on the menu accompanied by a variety of 350 of the country's best wines. The resort also offers luxury villas of at least 300 m² and luxury apartments for sale or rental, with access to a heated swimming pool, a gym, tennis courts and a children's play area.

For more information :

https://www.monte-rei.com/

https://vistasruisilvestre.com/