Aerial view at Fairmont La Hacienda, La Alcaidesa, Costa del Sol, Spain. Golf Planet Holidays.

Golf Guides · 2 June 2026

Golf Holidays in Europe: Where to Go in 2026/27

Costa Del Sol By The Golf Planet Holidays Team · Golf-travel specialists since 1981 · Published 2 June 2026 At a glance Where are the best golf holiday destinations in Europe for 2026/27? For 2026/27 the standout regions are Portugal’s Algarve (Vilamoura, Carvoeiro, Portimao and Tavira), Spain’s Costa del Sol around Alcaidesa and Sotogrande, the […]

Costa Del Sol

Europe is the most rewarding continent in the world for a golf holiday, and not simply for the quality of the courses. Within a short flight of the UK you can move from the pine-and-lake fairways of the Algarve to the cliff-top drama of the Portuguese Atlantic, the championship links-land of the Costa del Sol, or the eternal spring of Madeira and Gran Canaria. The question for 2026/27 is rarely whether to go, but where, and how to build a trip that plays to your group’s tastes.

This guide draws on more than four decades of arranging golf travel to set out the destinations worth your time, the courses worth your green fees, and the resorts worth waking up in. Every itinerary we create is tailor-made and ground-only, so the golf, the stay and the transfers are shaped entirely around you, with flights added as an ATOL-protected option.

The Algarve: Europe's most complete golf coast

If you are choosing a single destination for a first or a fiftieth golf holiday, the Algarve makes the strongest case in Europe. Its golf is unusually concentrated and unusually varied, from the storied championship turf of the Penina Golf Course at Portimao, Henry Cotton’s enduring masterpiece, to the resort-town buzz of Vilamoura, where Vila Gale Ampalius places you within easy reach of several celebrated layouts. For something quieter, Tivoli Carvoeiro commands one of the prettiest stretches of the western Algarve coast, while the AP Cabanas Beach & Nature Hotel near Tavira opens up the unhurried, lagoon-fringed eastern golf that many regulars consider the region’s best-kept secret. A week here can comfortably blend three or four contrasting courses without ever feeling like a march.

Spain's Costa del Sol and Sotogrande: golf with genuine polish

The stretch of Andalucian coast around Alcaidesa and Sotogrande is where serious golf meets serious hospitality. Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol gives you two highly regarded courses on the doorstep and the kind of effortless service that turns a golf trip into a proper holiday, while SO/ Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort is one of the most stylish bases in southern Europe, set among rolling cork-oak country a short drive from the region’s most famous fairways. This is the part of the Mediterranean to choose when the group wants its golf taken seriously and its evenings taken slowly, with the spa, the dining and the Andalucian light doing as much work as the courses themselves.

Where our specialists would stay in Costa Del Sol

The Lisbon coast and the Atlantic islands: drama and year-round warmth

Just west of Lisbon, Cascais offers two of Europe’s most photogenic rounds. Oitavos Dunes Golf Club is a windswept, cliff-and-pine links routinely ranked among the continent’s finest, and Quinta da Marinha sits handsomely beside it, with Vila Gale Cascais a refined and well-placed base for both alongside the city’s restaurants and beaches. When the mainland cools, the Atlantic islands come into their own: Pestana Casino Park in Funchal pairs Madeira’s mild, evergreen climate and Oscar Niemeyer architecture with the island’s dramatic mountain golf, while Kumara Serenoa at Maspalomas delivers reliable Gran Canaria warmth and easy fairways through the depths of the European winter. For a northern French alternative, the belle-epoque elegance of Hotel Barriere Le Westminster at Le Touquet is a summer pleasure all its own.

Why a tailor-made trip beats a package

The difference between a packaged golf holiday and a tailor-made one is the difference between fitting yourself to an itinerary and having one built around you. Rather than a fixed bundle of nights and tee times, we shape the whole trip to your group: the courses you most want to play, the room category that suits each traveller, the pace of golf against leisure, and the transfers between hotel and first tee handled so you never think about them. It means the foursome who want championship golf every morning and the partners who would rather have a spa afternoon are both looked after on the same trip. With more than forty years of relationships across these resorts, we secure the tee times and the rooms that genuinely matter, and price the holiday from £165 (≈ €185) (≈ $215) (≈ CA$305) (≈ AU$305) (≈ NZ$375) (≈ CHF 175) per person around what you actually want, not what a brochure decided in advance.

Our specialists’ favourite stays in Costa Del Sol

Barcelo Occidental Fuengirola — Costa Del Sol golfBarcelo Occidental FuengirolaMijas Golf · Chaparral Golf Coursefrom£185 (≈ €205) (≈ $235) (≈ CA$345) (≈ AU$345) (≈ NZ$425) (≈ CHF 195)per personDiscover this hotel →Hard Rock Hotel Marbella — Costa Del Sol golfHard Rock Hotel MarbellaReal Club de Golf las Brisas, Marbella · Los Naranjos Golf Club, Marbellafrom£325 (≈ €365) (≈ $425) (≈ CA$605) (≈ AU$605) (≈ NZ$745) (≈ CHF 345)per personDiscover this hotel →Barcelo Occidental Banus, Puerto Banus — Costa Del Sol golfBarcelo Occidental Banus, Puerto BanusReal Club de Golf las Brisas, Marbella · Los Naranjos Golf Club, Marbellafrom£355 (≈ €405) (≈ $465) (≈ CA$655) (≈ AU$665) (≈ NZ$815) (≈ CHF 375)per personDiscover this hotel →SO/ Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort — Costa Del Sol golfSO/ Sotogrande Spa & Golf ResortAlmenara Golf Club, Sotogrande · The San Roque Clubfrom£385 (≈ €435) (≈ $505) (≈ CA$715) (≈ AU$725) (≈ NZ$885) (≈ CHF 405)per personDiscover this resort →Hotel Exe Estepona Thalasso & Spa — Costa Del Sol golfHotel Exe Estepona Thalasso & SpaFlamingos & Alferini Golf Courses, Benahavis · El Paraiso Golf Course, Costa del Solfrom£405 (≈ €465) (≈ $535) (≈ CA$755) (≈ AU$755) (≈ NZ$925) (≈ CHF 425)per personDiscover this hotel →Hotel Encinar de Sotogrande — Costa Del Sol golfHotel Encinar de SotograndeLa Canada Golf Club, San Roque · La Reserva de Sotogrande Golf Coursefrom£420 (≈ €475) (≈ $555) (≈ CA$785) (≈ AU$785) (≈ NZ$965) (≈ CHF 445)per personDiscover this hotel →The Westin La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa, Marbella — Costa Del Sol golfThe Westin La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa, MarbellaLa Quinta Golf and Country Club, Marbella · Los Naranjos Golf Club, Marbellafrom£420 (≈ €475) (≈ $555) (≈ CA$785) (≈ AU$785) (≈ NZ$965) (≈ CHF 445)per personDiscover this resort →Hotel Lima, Marbella — Costa Del Sol golfHotel Lima, MarbellaRio Real Golf Course, Marbella · Santa Clara Golf Club, Marbellafrom£430 (≈ €495) (≈ $565) (≈ CA$795) (≈ AU$805) (≈ NZ$985) (≈ CHF 455)per personDiscover this hotel →Los Monteros Spa & Golf Resort, Marbella — Costa Del Sol golfLos Monteros Spa & Golf Resort, MarbellaSanta Clara Golf Club, Marbella · Marbella Golf & Country Clubfrom£445 (≈ €505) (≈ $585) (≈ CA$825) (≈ AU$835) (≈ NZ$1,025) (≈ CHF 465)per personDiscover this hotel →

What our golfers say

4.997 reviews

Thanks Martin, glad you enjoyed your golf around Fuengirola

Martin Anne · Costa Del Sol · 3 years ago

Hi David, glad you had another great golf trip at La Cala and the sun shone! Have ordered the same for next September…;)

David Datson · Costa Del Sol · 8 months ago

Party of 16 to El Rompido- superb organisation- the best personal attention to detail of any company I have dealt with. Now into our 3rd year using their excellent rep- Simon Crawley

BEV BELL · Costa Del Sol · 7 years ago

Frequently asked questions

Is my money protected when I book a golf holiday with you?

Yes. Golf Planet Holidays has arranged golf travel since 1981, and your money is held securely in trust through PTS until you return home, so your booking is financially protected throughout. Because we operate ground-only, flights are arranged as a separate ATOL-protected add-on when you would like us to include them, giving you full protection on the air element too.

How far in advance should I book for 2026 or 2027?

For the prime spring and autumn windows on the Algarve, Costa del Sol and Cascais coast, we recommend booking three to six months ahead to secure the best tee times and room categories at sought-after resorts such as Penina, SO/ Sotogrande and Oitavos Dunes. Winter golf in Madeira and Gran Canaria is in steady demand from October onwards, so earlier is better there too. That said, our relationships across these resorts mean we can often arrange a memorable trip at shorter notice.

Can you arrange golf for mixed-ability groups?

Absolutely, and it is one of the things tailor-made travel does best. We can pair championship courses such as the Penina Golf Course or Oitavos Dunes with gentler, more forgiving layouts so every handicap enjoys the week, and build in spa, dining or sightseeing for non-golfers. Resorts like Tivoli Carvoeiro, Fairmont La Hacienda and Pestana Casino Park lend themselves particularly well to groups with a range of interests.

What is included in the price, and what does ground-only mean?

Ground-only means we arrange everything on the ground, your hotel, your green fees and your transfers, as a complete tailor-made itinerary from £165 (≈ €185) (≈ $215) (≈ CA$305) (≈ AU$305) (≈ NZ$375) (≈ CHF 175) per person, with the exact figure depending on resort, courses, season and room choice. Flights are not bundled in; instead we offer them as an optional ATOL-protected add-on, so you can use your preferred airline or airport while still enjoying full financial protection on the whole arrangement.

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