West Cliffs Ocean & Golf Resort

After a great 18 holes on Monday 8 November in lovely weather, we went to the restaurant. The bottle of wine cost 34 euros, even though it was 5 euros at the supermarket. A margin is fair enough, but this was ridiculous. I felt robbed.

The team made us feel welcome from the minute we arrived, and the clubhouse was spacious and modern. We really enjoyed playing west cliffs and will be back. The front nine is definitely tougher than the back, and the wind feels like a third player on this challenging course. The course was in good condition, with grass that felt like velvet under the irons, and the views were stunning. Very thankful for the experience.

The location is beautiful, but the resort was so poorly run that it ruined the stay. The villa felt abandoned, with bare walls, curtains half hanging down, and a damp, musty smell as soon as we entered. It was cold and lifeless, nothing like the luxury setting we expected. The reception staff were rude, uninterested, and dismissive, even at check-in. They seemed not to want to be there. Nobody offered to inspect the villa or even apologize. It was shocking and uncomfortable to deal with. There was no friendliness or care, which made it hard to enjoy the rest of our holiday. We'd booked this as a peaceful getaway for our first visit to Portugal. Sadly, the experience has put us off coming back to the country. Misleading, overpriced, and nowhere near five-star. Avoid.

Views are nice, but the course is a bit of a slog. For the green fee, I came away surprisingly disappointed. I'm a decent golfer, off 11, yet found the layout, especially the greens, unkind to amateurs. In our group of 12, the best score was 26 points, by a player with a 1 handicap. I wouldn't choose it for a golf trip in or around Lisbon.