West or east of the Golden Triangle? Courses, green fees, drive times from Faro and golf resorts compared, so you can pick the right side of the Algarve.
Most golfers flying into Faro head for the middle of the Algarve: the Golden Triangle around Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo, plus Vilamoura. That central stretch holds 22 of the region's 38 courses, and 12 of them start from €100 or more. On either side of it, the western and eastern Algarve offer two quite different golf holidays, and this guide compares them on the things that decide a trip: the courses, the green fees, the drive from the airport and where to stay.
West vs East Algarve at a glance
Courses: the west has 10 courses, nine 18-hole layouts plus Penina's 9-hole Resort Course, spread between Ferragudo and Vila do Bispo. The east has six 18-hole courses, all around Tavira and Castro Marim.
Green fees: seven of the nine western 18-hole courses start below €80 for visitors. In the east, five of the six start at €100 or less, with Monte Rei the exception from €230.
From Faro Airport: the east is the closer side. Monte Rei quotes about 40 minutes by car and the other eastern courses are a similar drive. In the west, Penina quotes about 45 minutes, the Lagos courses are nearer an hour and Santo António, out towards Sagres, is the furthest of all.
Golf resorts: both sides have hotels built on a golf estate, four in the west and three in the east, covered further down.
Golf in the western Algarve: more courses, lower green fees
Around Portimão sits the most history. Penina Championship, designed by Sir Henry Cotton in 1966, was Portugal's first purpose-built golf course and starts from €77, while its 9-hole Penina Resort course costs from €28. In the hills behind, Morgado and Alamos sit side by side and start from €78 each (we compare them in Alamos vs Morgado). Alto Golf, William Mitchell's 1991 design, is the cheapest full-length round in the area from €59, and the brand-new Pestana Ferragudo opened in 2026 from €116.
Further west, around Lagos, the views take over. Palmares spreads 27 holes of clifftop and lakeside golf above Meia Praia beach, redesigned by Robert Trent Jones Jr., from €120. Boavista climbs the hillside above Lagos with sea views from €69, and Espiche, opened in 2012, starts from €65 (see Boavista vs Espiche). Out on its own near Vila do Bispo, Pepe Gancedo's Santo António is the most remote course in the region, from €57.
Golf in the eastern Algarve: Monte Rei and a compact cluster
The east is smaller but has the headline act. Monte Rei, Jack Nicklaus's 2007 design near Vila Nova de Cacela, was ranked Portugal's number one course for 15 years in a row and remains a fixture in European top-10 lists. It is also the most expensive round on either side, from €230.
The rest of the east is far kinder on the wallet. Quinta da Ria and Quinta de Cima give you 36 holes by Rocky Roquemore on one estate beside the Ria Formosa natural park, both from €100 (compared in Quinta da Ria vs Quinta de Cima). Benamor, near Tavira, starts from €60. Close to the Spanish border, Castro Marim starts from €80 and Seve Ballesteros's Quinta do Vale from €67 (see Castro Marim vs Quinta do Vale).
Handicap limits are stricter in the east
Most western courses use the standard Algarve limit of 28 for men and 36 for ladies; Boavista is slightly stricter at 27 and 34. In the east, three courses set a lower limit: Quinta da Ria, Castro Marim and Quinta do Vale allow a maximum of 24 for men and 28 for ladies. Quinta de Cima, on the same estate as Quinta da Ria, allows 36 for both, and Monte Rei and Benamor use 28 and 36.
If you play off a high handicap, check the limit before you book, or read do you need a handicap to play golf in the Algarve for the full rules and the courses that don't ask for one.
Where to stay on each side
In the west, Penina Hotel & Golf Resort is a five-star hotel built around its two courses, from about €200 a night. NAU Morgado Golf & Country Club sits between Morgado and Alamos, Palmares Beach House is a boutique five-star overlooking the Palmares course and Meia Praia, and Boavista Golf & Spa Resort has townhouses and apartments beside its course. For hotels off the estates, see hotels near Penina and hotels near Morgado and Alamos.
In the east, Monte Rei offers villas and apartments on its private estate, from about €390 a night. Robinson Club Quinta da Ria is an all-inclusive resort between its two courses, and Castro Marim has village houses beside its course, from about €95 a night. More options are in hotels near Monte Rei.
So which side should you choose?
Choose the west if you want the most courses within reach of one base, lower green fees for most rounds, the history of Penina or the sea views at Palmares and Boavista. It suits longer trips, where playing somewhere different each day matters.
Choose the east if you want a shorter transfer from Faro, a round at Monte Rei, 36 holes from a single base at Quinta da Ria, or an all-inclusive stay at the Robinson Club.
The two ends of the region are well over an hour apart by car, so most golfers pick one side rather than splitting the week. If you would rather have everything within half an hour, compare the central golf resorts or browse every course on the Algarve golf map. Green fees above are the lowest published visitor rates for the 2026/27 season; each course's page has the full price list by month.
