VALE DO LOBO
37º 03´ 17´´ N; 8º 03´ 51´´ W
Vale do Lobo is a golf resort in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Vale do Lobo comprises one of the three corners of the Golden Triangle of the Algarve's most affluent and expensive communities.
The community hosted the Portuguese Open, part of the PGA European Tour, in 2002 and 2003.
History
Vale do Lobo was among the first tourist resorts to be built in Portugal, having been catalyzed by the Estado Novo's decision in 1962 to build Faro Airport following the success in the 1950s of luxury Spanish resorts such as Torremolinos. In 1962, Trust House Forte acquired the land which became Vale do Lobo to turn it into a luxury resort. At the time, the region was a stone pine forest with a sand beach. Townhouses and villas were built for tourists and permanent foreign residents. An 18-hole golf course designed by Henry Cotton was built and Vale do Lobo quickly became a popular destination with the British market. In 1968, Trust House Forte and Costain Group opened the first five-star hotel in the Algarve, the Dona Filipa, named after Philippa of Lancaster, whose marriage to John I of Portugal confirmed the 700-year-old Anglo-Portuguese Alliance.
In 1977 the, Venlo-born, Dutch entrepreneur Sander van Gelder acquired the resort out of receivership, after it had struggled financially following the 1974 Carnation Revolution. He had originally intended to acquire just a small plot of land in the area but ended up taking the opportunity to acquire the whole resort. The resort was run under van Gelder's ownership for the next thirty years, adding another eighteen-hole golf course and many facilities including bars, restaurants and shops. The resort hosted the Portuguese Open in 2002 and 2003.
NEW PHOTOS TAKEN IN 2024
💓💓💓💓💓
SEARCH IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
IN THE DISTRICT OF FARO
💓💓💓💓💓
Return to mainland Portugal &
the Azores and Madeira islands
