Monte Rei (North) - Algarve - Portugal

Played this towards the end of a week of golf in eastern algarve. As others have reported Monte Rei certainly stands out from a service point of view, with American 5 star approach to service from collecting your clubs, getting your cart ready and complementary benefits which actually make it a bit more reasonable in the end. If you are into that then this ticks all those boxes. For those more focused on the golf it is actually pretty special. It is very different from a lot of the other courses in the region, being situated in a pretty isolated area with little development around. They must have shifted a lot of dirt to get the course in play and although there are some houses (and what houses they seem to be) around a few holes in general you really feel like you are in the wilderness. Off the tee there is generally pretty generous landing areas and then as Nicklaus courses usually go it gets tighter and more hazard-filled as you approach the greens. There is perhaps an overuse of large bunkers with white sand that don't really fit in with the scrub landscape around it but there is plenty of fun to be had also with lots of elevated teeboxes and enough variety in the routing to require different shots. There are some badly designed long hops between some holes that means trying to walk this course is unfortunately a very taxing affair so you might as well use the complementary buggies. In summary, I found the course superior to Quinta de Lago South and the Oceanico courses (although the Old course had more charm) . The service, the landscape gets top marks, but perhaps the slightly conventional design drags it down a little, some of the holes looked like they could have been from anywhere and were just transplanted onto the course rather than making the most of a plot of land that is full of enough undulations and natural hazards to bend to what is there rather than the other way around.

there is not much more to add to all the earlier reviews. this place is special. don´t expect to play anywhere near your handicap, when you come here for the first time. just enjoy this fantastic but punishing course. One thing: don´t bring guest here that don´t buy a green fee. they will not be let on the range or on the course to follow you (same house rules as in Valderrama).

We played Monte Rei as the last round of a golf trip to the Algarve but unfortunately we saw it at far from its best. The course had just been closed for a week and the greens tined, the fairways tined, the tee boxes tined. In San Lorenzo they did it brilliantly - half of each greens at a time so the pin was always clear. At Monte Rei the greens were covered in sand and running pretty averagely. While I recognise they need to work on the course to keep the standards high it would have been nice if we had known in advance. Or had a discount on the highest green fee in Portugal (we paid 190 Euros a man). The work they had done on the fairway and tee boxes was probably more annoying than what they had done to the greens. Basically, there were holes everywhere and they had obviously been growing up the grass in preparation. That meant there wasn't much run on the ball and the course played very differently from the way it normally would. However, I recognise that most people will play it when the course isn't being patched up and the condition is great - hence the 5 balls.Without a doubt this is a challenging course. If you hit it off the fairway your chances of finding the ball are relatively low. It's not normal rough you are looking in but knee deep scrubby vegetation which just eats balls. They have a local rule which says if you go in you can treat it as red staked and drop out. That felt a bit weird to be honest but they probably need to do it for pace of play reasons. The course has an unusual set-up of five par 5s and five par 3s in the par 72 and I think they could have put a bit more variety into them. Generally, the par 5s are long (over 500 yards) and the par 3s mid to long irons. It would have been nice to have seen a few reachable 5s and shorter 3s in there to mix it up a bit.The service was great in the restaurant, pro shop and range. They really looked after you and I would say it was a good as anything I had seen - think Troon Golf style on a more personal level.So is good. It's long, it's tight and it's tough. Was it the most pleasurable 4 hours I've ever spent on a golf course? Probably not because I'm a 14 handicapper having a poor round and the condition was so disappointing. If you are a single figure golfer who wants a good challenge then probably the long holes and the green fee are worth it. But do check they haven't tined the whole thing to within an inch of its life first.......

Monte Rei is a real modern masterpiece blending beautifully into its natural surroundings. Each hole is routed so that there is no interference from adjoining fairways, many sculpted between the hills and sitting in secluded shallow valleys. The numerous raised tees without doubt add to the anticipation as each new challenge is laid out before you. Water comes into play on eleven holes but it’s the beautifully designed bunkering that leaves a lasting impression. Big, bold and plentiful especially around the greens which they frame to perfection. There are less than 100 bunkers in total but they are as impressive as anything I have come across on my travels. The greens putt superbly well and will certainly provide you with a few interesting challenges if your iron play is a little off line. There are no bad holes here, the short par4 12th over water and the long uphill par5 6th with a wide open second shot were possibly my least favourites but to be fair I still enjoyed them. All five par3 holes are very good, the long downhill 11th and pretty 14th hugging the waters edge being memorable but the 9th which is perched on the other side of a valley surrounded by a circle of huge bunkers is simply stunning. Favourites amongst the longer holes would be the 3rd where the green juts out into the lake and the 8th with its huge sculptured bunker sitting below a raised green. Clever run off areas around the green are a feature on the 8th and add to the interest around many of the other greens complexes also. The 15th provides an interesting challenge with water running the full length of the hole and the 18th is an interesting risk and reward par5 to finish on but the 13th is the best hole on the course for me. A good drive landing short of the fairway bunkers will leave you with a downhill approach to a very picturesque and undulating green sat on the edge of a lake. The green fee maybe a bit steep but when you add the standard of service and quality of food to great design and world class conditioning it may be sometime before Monte Rei gets knocked from its perch as the No.1 course in Portugal. Brian W

Monte Rei is simply one of the best golf experiences that money can buy, it oozes class with a service standard unrivalled in the Iberian peninsula. Visually stunning, conditioned immaculately there are no weak holes at Monte Rei. High premium in price yet value for money with practice facilities and buggy included Tthey also have a chicken sandwich that's heavenly. Most definitely Portugal's finest golf course and experience.

I can just highly recomended to visit and to play a Monte Rei golf course! Top servis from the start to the end of your visit! And the course in very good condition with a perfect design!

What an experience! On arrival there is someone to clean your clubs and load them onto your buggy with valet parking. There is one employee who is assigned to each group to show them to the range and introduce the facilities, which are the best I've ever seen!. He will wait there until you are ready to tee off and he will show you the way to the tee and introduce the course. Now onto the golf. The course was incredibly well kept and the greens were fast. One of the toughest courses I've played with coffins for bunkers on every hole. This was all followed by a complimentary lunch overlooking the picturesque 18th. A wonderful course, it looks expensive but the experience was worth every penny! I would strongly recommend every golf fanatic to play.

Exzellent golfcourse in a very good shape with a great service. The only need of improvement is the very conservative Golfstore.

The North course at Monte Rei is a little removed from the main Algarve golf scene - situated as it is to the east of Faro, near the Spanish border - but don’t let the relatively remote location put you off playing here as this is a layout of epic proportions which fully deserves to share the exalted company of the likes of Valderrama and the Stadium course at PGA Catalunya at the top of the course rankings for the Iberian peninsula.

Nicklaus designs are not everybody’s cup of tea but, wow, what a fantastic job Jack did here on such a wonderfully diverse property – this is golf on a grand scale as fairways pitch and roll around heaving foothills in a clever routing that only ever allows the layout of the following hole to be revealed on arrival at the next tee. Bunkers throughout may well be enormous but they’re proportionate to the magnitude of the expansive fairways and green complexes.

The elevated tee shots on holes 1 and 10 set the scene at the start of both nines, with plunging drives hanging in the air for ages before finally falling to ground. Lakes come into play to the right of the fairway at holes 2 and 3 then again on the back nine at 12, 14 and the final two holes. I’m not a big fan of risk/reward golf involving water and so the short par four 12th - where the fairway horseshoes around a lake - is easily my least favourite hole on the course.

Fortunately, it’s followed by the hole I liked best; a visually stunning downhill par four that swoops sharply downhill to a raised green perched on the side of a lake. All five short holes at Monte Rei are thrilling par threes requiring heroic carries across gullies (or water, as on the 14th) to well protected greens where a “3” marked on the card will feel like a birdie.

Buggies are an absolute must when playing such a vast layout so traditionalists just have to swallow their pride and enjoy the motorized ride. A generous slope rating of 136 from the 6030-metre Championship markers has been assigned to the North course and some may view that particular indicator of playing difficulty as rather understated for such an engaging track. It’s definitely a course that’s not to be missed when visiting Portugal.

Jim McCann.

Having played here twice in the last week I can say that which ever way the wind blows this course is an exceptional and memorable track. You are treated exceptionally well; Valet Parking, porterage, range balls, Buggy and guidance are all part of the service. The faultessly maintained course is a fabulous challenge set through undulating natural scrub land. Every hole is pure eye candy and makes you think strategically. You are presented with inviting testing tee shots and challenging approaches to well protected but ultimately fair greens. Every hole is brilliantly designed and exceptionally varied using this wonderful bit of ground to full advantage. There are plenty of wow moments here as you play down to long par threes, over gauges, over massive lakes, along side huge bunkers and up to parapet greens. It is a transparent and honest challenge of monumental scale. it is in my top 5 of all time. Go. You will love it! JCB Lay