Quinta do Lago
Quinta do Lago, on the Algarve, is a major destination for golf enthusiasts. Two thousand acres of land has been transformed into a resort
dedicated to a golfer's fantasy lifestyle, with villas spaced strategically
apart, all the comforts of a metropolitan centre and championship and
non-championship courses for any golf aficionado. Of course, aside from golf,
the resort has other attractions, such as horseback riding, tennis, two busy
shopping malls, two miles of golden beaches, a fine selection of restaurants and
nightclubs, and three thousand hours of sunny blue skies each year.
International superstars have made Quinta do Lago their home away from home,
including former soccer player Roy Keane, and the late auto racer Ayrton Senna,
whose fatal accident in 1994 inspired the naming after him of one of Quinta do
Lago's streets, the Avenida do Ayrton Senna da Silva. The majority of property
owners of Quinta do Lago are British and Irish, and is known to be the most
expensive area for real estate in the country.
Quinta do Lago is also a very appealing summer and holiday destination because
of its easy access to the rest of Europe. Only twenty minutes drive from Faro
Airport, Quinta do Lago is only two hours away from both Lisbon and Seville,
Spain.
While many of Quinta do Lago's luxurious villas are privately owned or for sale,
there are also villas and townhouses for rent for seasonal travelers. There are
two Four Seasons Resorts, each with a communal swimming pool, and sharing a
country club. If you desire a more private vacation, the Four Seasons Fairways
offers a pool within each villa. Other popular holiday rentals include Monte da
Quinta and Dunas Douradas.
Quinta do Lago's villas and townhouses are well spaced from each other, due to a
low density building policy that is strictly implemented not only to promote
privacy and a restful holiday, but also because it is the site of the Ria
Formosa Natural Park, which is a home of migratory birds and wetland that is
protected by the UNESCO. The beauty of Quinta do Lago is therefore more natural
than other developed holiday resorts.
The Four Seasons Fairways is an exclusive Private Members Club at Quinta do
Lago, but staying in one of their villas will make you a temporary member, with
access to all their amenities. Although each villa is equipped with its own
pool, you may visit their Clubhouse, which has three pools: a large, heated
indoor pool, a large outdoor pool and a children's pool. It also has a Jacuzzi,
sauna, a gym, several rooms for games such as snooker and billiards, and its own
restaurant and bar.
Villas often have 2 to 4 bedrooms, with 4-bedroom villas allowing up to 8
guests. Monte da Quinta, which is also a Private Members Club, may offer
5-bedroom villas which sleeps up to 9 guests, while Villa San Antonio just
outside Quinta do Lago offers 6-bedroom villas that may sleep up to 12 guests.
Algarve is a very popular tourist destination in Portugal. Making up the
southernmost region of the country, its Mediterranean-like weather and abundance
of fresh fish and produce nicely set the stage for the surprisingly low
lifestyle cost. So even if the prices of real estate at Quinta do Lago
definitely spell exclusivity, the cost of living in a Quinta do Lago Villa will
prove worth the initial expense.
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