Same resort, same architect, a year apart — but Gramacho and Vale da Pinta have very different reputations near Carvoeiro. Here's how the crowd-pleaser and the tougher test actually compare.
Gramacho and Vale da Pinta sit inside the same Pestana resort near Carvoeiro, opened within a year of each other in the early '90s, and share the same architect. Ask around locally, though, and most golfers will tell you the same thing: one of them is the crowd-pleaser, the other is the one serious players ask for by name.
One resort, one designer, a year apart
Ronald Fream designed both courses for the Pestana Carvoeiro resort — Gramacho first, opening in 1991 with later input from world number one golfer Nick Price, followed by Vale da Pinta in 1992. Both weave through the rocky, wooded terrain typical of this stretch of coast, but the two courses feel genuinely different to play.
Gramacho: the course with 27 greens
Gramacho plays 6,107 metres par 72 and has a genuine design quirk: it's built with 18 fairways but 27 greens, meaning several holes can be played into a completely different green depending on the day, changing the approach shot each time. It's hosted the Portuguese Ladies Open on multiple occasions, and centuries-old carob, almond and olive trees line the fairways alongside artfully placed lakes and bunkers. It's considered the more approachable of the two, well suited to resort golfers rather than just low handicappers.
Stay inside the resort at Pestana Gramacho Residences, a golf aparthotel 500 metres from the clubhouse.
Vale da Pinta: the wilder, tougher sibling
Vale da Pinta plays 6,127 metres par 71, and it's widely considered the stronger test of the two Pestana courses. Ancient olive and carob trees survive as living obstacles throughout the layout, two lakes influence four holes, and strategic dog-legs punish an inaccurate drive more than Gramacho does. Bent-grass greens hold their pace year-round, which matters on a course where precision counts.
Which one should you play?
If you want a fun, varied resort round with a genuine design novelty and a tournament pedigree, play Gramacho. If you want the tougher, more characterful test — tighter driving, ancient trees in play, a course regulars rate as the better of the two — play Vale da Pinta. Green fees start from the same €75 at both, and since they share a resort, playing both on the same trip is the obvious move.
Want the numbers side by side instead? Open the course comparator to see Gramacho and Vale da Pinta's price, par, handicap limits and facilities pulled straight from our live course data.
