Sky and sea. Luxury and tranquility. Welcome to Praia D’El Rey, the finest
resort on Portugal’s Silver Coast.
With year-round sunshine, a championship links golf course, luxury accommodation, world-class spa and a
vast range of outdoor activities, this is the best holiday location under the sun. Set along a beautiful sandy beach
less than one hour from Lisbon, in an area of protected rural landscape of rolling sand dunes and pine tree
forests, Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort is an oasis of relaxed style and world-class comforts created to
reflect the unspoiled natural beauty of its location.
Can you imagine a luxury hotel, worthy of a capital city, but overlooking a sandy beach on one of
Europe's most serene and natural coastlines?
THE RESORT
Sky and sea. Luxury and tranquility. Welcome to Praia D’El Rey, the finest resort on
Portugal’s Silver Coast.
With year-round sunshine, a championship links golf course, luxury accommodation, world-class spa and a vast range of
outdoor activities, this is the best holiday location under the sun.
Set along a beautiful sandy beach less than one hour from Lisbon, in an area of protected rural landscape of rolling sand
dunes and pine tree forests, Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort is an oasis of relaxed style and world-class comforts
created to reflect the unspoiled natural beauty of its location.
The Silver Coast - The Real Portugal
Few people know much about the recent history of the Silver Coast, but it's well known
that until Praia D'El Rey was built on its rugged, unspoilt and savagely beautiful
coastline few people outside the Western Region of Portugal appreciated or had even
heard of the Silver Coast's natural allure.
The region includes the municipalities of Alenquer, Arruda dos Vinhos, Bombarral, Cadaval, Caldas
da Rainha, Lourinhã, Óbidos, Peniche, Rio Maior, Sobral de Monte Agraço and Torres Vedras
but it is much more than an exotic list of names. The Silver Coast is rich in archaeology,
from pre-historic caves to Moorish castles and Roman villages, aqueducts and bridges, medieval churches and monasteries,
15th century forts, 17th and 18th century manor houses and a number of fortifications from the Peninsular Wars of the early
19th century.
For nature lovers, over 120 kilometers of paths have already been established and signposted around Salir do Porto and the
protected landscape of the Serra de Montejunto. Or visit the Environment Interpretation Centre on the Berlenga islands
(which is Portugal’s only marine nature reserve). North of Praia D’El Rey, the Óbidos lagoon offers a wide choice of
activities for watersports lovers.
Other attractions of the region include its foodie reputation. Although not necessarily famed for its upmarket restaurants
(although there are quite a few)
instead it offer simple, mouthwatering seafood and fish in
the small restaurants on almost every street corner or beachfront – including several in Peniche and Lourinhã/Porto Barcas.
And the ancient recipes handed down from generation to generation can be tasted in the region’s egg rolls and “cavacas”
(light crisp cakes) from Caldas da Rainha, the bean pies from Torres Vedras and the sponge cakes from Landal, Painho and
Rio Maior.
The region also has a genuinely fascinating handicraft history and culture, including ceramics from the studio of Rafael
Bordalo Pinheiro in Caldas da Rainha and the bobbin lace produced in Peniche.
The Real Portugal
Praia D'El Rey Golf & Beach Resort is in the heart of the Silver Coast, in an area of protected and outstanding natural
beauty with unspoilt beaches and villages steeped in history.
And unlike the Algarve, the
Silver Coast delivers more than just a flavour of the real Portugal. It's a quiet and peaceful region blessed by mild winters
and hot summers (cooled by the breezes off the Atlantic) as well as countryside dotted with medieval castles, ruins, manor
houses and churches.
Drive along the coastline stretching from Lisbon to Figueira da Foz and you'll see how the Silver Coast (or Costa de
Prata) gets its name. Fine sandy beaches shimmer like silver as they are washed by the Atlantic; cliffs, coves and fishing
towns dot the coast; orchards, vineyards and tranquil, historic towns and villages are peppered over the countryside.
Another thing you'll notice about this region is how tranquil it is. Roads are empty. Beaches are pristine. Towns and villages
run at their own pace. In other words, the Silver Coast is a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Algarve.
Living History - Óbidos
Óbidos is located 10 km west of Praia D’El Rey. This mediaeval walled village, with a turbulent past full of historical
events that have marked the country, has been declared a national monument. Indeed, the whole village is no less than a
royal “wedding present" - back in 1282 King D. Dinis offered it as a gift to his new Queen Isabel on their marriage.
Óbidos is an extraordinary place. Its picturesque cobblestone streets are lined with colourful houses that are dressed with
geraniums and bougainvillea, while its Gothic windows and doorways and whitewashed churches are all surrounded by 12th
century castle walls, making this village a precious piece of history.
Heritage and Culture in Óbidos
WHERE ARE WE?
If you want to experience the real, unspoilt Portugal while enjoying the luxury of fivestar surroundings, then Praia D'El Rey Golf & Beach Resort on Portugal's gorgeous and
rugged Silver Coast has it all, less than an hour by car north of Lisbon airport.
But the resort also has much to offer outside its gates. History is at hand, including
nearby Peniche, a pretty and unspoilt ancient fishing port, that as late as the mid-16th century was an island in the Atlantic
but, following hundreds of years of silting up, is now joined to the mainland. The town is best known as one of Portugal's
surfing must-visits and is also noted for the sprawling landmark fortress overlooking its harbour.
Head out of Peniche, making for the peninsula's western headland (two kilometres from the town) and you arrive at Cabo
Carvoeiro, a favourite spot for sunset watchers seeking panoramic views of the Atlantic and the strange-shaped rocks of its
eroded coastline.
But while the days are hot, the area around Praia D'El Rey is prized by sunbathers for its empty, pristine beaches, especially
those near Baleal, a small island village five minutes from the resort which is set around an idyllic fishing cove reached via
a beach causeway. From Baleal, on a clear day, you can see the island of Berlenga, rising up out of the Atlantic 12
kilometres offshore.
Another tourist magnet is Caldas da Rainha, famed for its spa which, bubbling with sulphurous pools has enjoyed five
centuries of noble and royal visitors. The nearby towns of Cucos and Vimeiro are also famous for their therapeutic waters.
Almost every town near Praia D'El Rey can trace its history back to the 12th century but the 'jewel in the crown' is Óbidos,
15 minutes from the resort but a whole world away. Its untouched town centre is medieval in feel and many of its buildings
date back to the time of the Conquests, their whitewashed and ochre walls and blue-framed windows and doors crying out
to be photographed. Flower pots sit on verandas, swing from walls or cascade from terraces.
Óbidos castle, which contains a beautiful 'Pousada' (atmospheric old hotel), looks over the village ramparts towards the
plains and the sea beyond. And during the year Óbidos is the hub of numerous events, including an August Music Festival,
a July Medieval Fair and a February Chocolate Festival.
The region’s weather is temperate and mild and the area near Praia D'El Rey offers sports lovers a wide choice of activities.
Along the clear coastal waters there is good fishing, exceptional surfing, and deep sea diving near the Berlenga islands, and
abundant fauna and flora as well as waterskiing, windsurfing and canoeing on nearby Óbidos lagoon.
And you won't go home empty handed, either. The area is awash with shops offering traditional pottery, tiles, bobbin-made
lace, leather products, straw baskets and wood carving. But the biggest news about the Silver Coast is the improved road
links to Lisbon and the rest of Portugal. Not only does this make getting to Praia D'El Rey easier, but the new motorways
have made some of Portugal's famous religious and historical centres just a day trip away – including Fátima, Batalha,
Mafra and Sintra. And if you're boat rather than car-bound to the Silver Coast, the marinas in Nazaré and Peniche usually
have plenty of cheap berths for yachts.
Praia D'El Rey is arguably one of the most stunning golf courses in Europe. Set among extensive pine forests and
undulating dunes, with spectacular views over the Atlantic and the Berlengas Islands beyond.
The 18-hole golf course was designed by the renowned American golf architect Cabell B.Robinson and was inaugurated on
14th June 1997. Deep bunkers, sloping greens and sandy dunes contrast sharply with the lush fairways, making it the
complete golfing challenge.
Praia D'El Rey is rated amongst the top golf courses in Europe by Golf World Magazine and is one of Portugal's major
golfing destinations for both private and sponsored events.
The course is a mixture of seaside links and parkland holes with a par of 73, offering the golfer a unique experience. Players
are required to have a valid golf handicap certificate. Minimum handicap requirements are men 36, ladies 36.
TENNIS CENTRE
Choose from our seven courts and use our on-site tennis coaches
Our tennis facilities include a multi-purpose court that's also used for five-a-side football and basketball plus six dedicated
courts. And there's a tennis academy for adults and children, and private coaching and clinics for juniors during the Easter
and summer seasons.
Plus we offer mini-tennis programmes, and the ability to organise social tournaments for private or business groups, as well
as hosting national tournaments