LLM Exclusive Weekend / Don’t Miss The Latest From Luxury Travel / July 2026 / Victoria Golf And Spa Resort Managed By Accor, The Algarve in Portugal / By Michael Edwards

For over 300 days a year the sun shines on Portugal’s golden Algarve. A mere 12 miles from Faro International Airport, Victoria Golf Resort and Spa, managed by Accor since May 2025, stylishly sunbathes at the heart of a golfing Mecca.

Complimentary shuttles depart from the resort to half a dozen top class golf courses, all within a 10-minute-drive. Another delivers guests to the sophisticated bars, cafés and shops of Portugal’s take on Nice and Cannes – Vilamoura’s marina.

Victoria Golf Resort and Spa attracts guests throughout the year, even averaging five hours of sunshine in December and January, ideal for golfers fleeing the UK’s bleak midwinter.

Throughout the year, guests seeking a peaceful sanctuary can always find a secluded cabana, day bed or sun lounger.

The resort

Resort facilities include a stunning outdoor pool fringed with palm trees

Sparkling fountains playing amongst soaring palms immediately create a sense of grandeur as guests arrive at this contemporary palazzo. Porters immaculately dressed in cream shirts and white slacks look as if they are heading for the first tee as they instantly load our luggage onto a trolley.

The entrance hall, with marble floors and white orchid displays, is opulent but still welcoming. Three reception desks, with armchairs, ensure that check-in is as instantaneous as it is relaxed.

All eyes are drawn to floor-to ceiling window views across a photogenic pool area that would be perfect for a swimwear fashion photoshoot. Beyond are the emerald fairways, sky-blue lakes, yellow sand bunkers and even more emerald greens of the adjoining Ernie Els golf club.

The Palms Suite

Spacious accommodation includes the one-bedroom Palms Suite overlooking the pool

The one-bedroom Palms Suite spaciously collates a collection of wood finishes and textures; from pine to traditional Portuguese dark wood furniture; and woven textures featuring on light fittings too.

Essentially, for sharing golfers, the suite becomes two bedrooms, as the lounge has a sofa bed. Both rooms have their own bathroom with bath, shower and lemon-infused Banho toiletries.

A dining table is useful for room service, perhaps a Golfer’s Breakfast before a cool early morning tee-off?

For post-round relaxation each room has a balcony, with irresistible daybeds, giving palm-fringed views of the pool.

Food and drink

At the Asian-themed Sensai restaurant, a sushi menu previews many options

The Victoria Restaurant meanders out onto a sun-warmed terrace for an al fresco breakfast. Waiters deliver tea and coffee whilst guests peruse five extensive buffet stations, one cooking eggs to order. The local specialities of Portuguese eggs and pastel de nata are firm favourites. Mid-day light lunches are served at the Palm Restaurant.

The RIA Restaurant, again al fresco in fine weather, is the star of the show at the property. A light creativity inspires the menu. A chilled strawberry gazpacho, shaken cocktail-style at the table by the waiter, is poured onto a cluster of caviar and delicately sliced slithers of strawberry.

Similarly, the grilled catch of the day – perhaps turbot, sea bream, red snapper or sea bass – is filleted at the table. Although there is an extensive wine list, on the Algarve a Portuguese vinho verde – chilled, crisp and with the merest youthful flicker of green – seems the perfect choice for a menu predominantly featuring seafood.

As the Asian-themed Sensai restaurant only opens for peak season, a sushi menu previews many options. Astoundingly fresh sashimi served on salad and ice competes with ebi maki – shrimp cooked in almonds with avocado, Japanese mayonnaise and asparagus – for the accolade of sushi dish of the day.

Following the resort’s move from Anantara to Accor, the Botanic Bar has ascended to a rooftop location overlooking the Els golf course. Some evenings a DJ curates a chilled play list whilst ice clinks in sunset cocktails.

To do

The resort is in pole position for some of the world’s best golf including the nearby Laguna course

Victoria Golf Resort and Spa is in pole position for some of the world’s best golf. The Old Course Vilamoura has the credo, ‘Made by God, sculpted by humans’ as the green keepers mow fairways daily and create some of the best greens on the planet. Opened in 1969, it is a mature course where Eurasian hoopoes and Syrian warblers flit between gnarled umbrella pines.

Featuring GPS navigation for pin distances and ice-boxes, buggies are state of the art – not just on the Old Course, but also some of the nearby courses. A snack cart patrols and restrooms are frequent. After the final green the starter presents chilled flannels on a silver platter.

Neighbouring Victoria Golf Resort and Spa, the Els Club provides practice facilities and a challenging lengthy course requiring some big drives, plus precision hitting across scenic lakes.

Some guests never set foot on a golf course. Instead, they indulge in treatments at the spa, take the complimentary shuttle into Vilamoura marina or head out to sea for some dolphin watching. Book a private boat with the resort’s concierge to sail along some of the Algarve’s quieter Benagil beaches and hidden coves.

In a nutshell

More than a golf resort and much more than a spa, Victoria Golf Resort and Spa is a refined five-star Algarve retreat that captures the very essence of the Algarve: superb restaurants, sunset cocktails, a glamorous pool area, and perfect positioning for exploring the Algarve’s charms.

Factbox

Rooms begin from £132 per night including breakfast.

Address: Av dos Descobrimentos nº 0, 8125-309 Vilamoura, Portugal
Phone: +351 289 317 000
E-mail: reservation.victoria@accor.com
Website: victoriaresortvilamoura.com

Images courtesy of  Victoria Golf Resort and Spa