Like always the days at paradise Óbidos were ending to fast and we had to leave this beautiful place. But my anticipation for the next stop was huge as well. Estoril Palácio Golf Club is one of the oldest courses in Portugal and is part of the venerable Palácio Estoril Hotel. We arrived at the Palácio Estoril Hotel in the early afternoon and I was more than impressed by the historical old building.

We were warmly welcomed by the amazingly friendly staff of the Palácio Estoril Hotel. Some guys of the crew have worked there all their live and you can feel this special atmosphere and spirit in every corner of this beautiful hotel.

The porter José Afonso for example, a lovely old man, meanwhile over eighty who is still working for the hotel because he loves his job so much. The hole hotel is rich of history, it´s so interesting to walk through this memorial building. The Palácio Estoril Hotel was the second home of some European Royal Families.

In their honour there was a Royal Gallery created where you can view impressive photographs of the Royal members who stayed in the hotel. Another amazing fact is that the Palácio Estoril Hotel served as the set for the James Bond movie „On Her Majesty´s Secret Service“ where even a member of the staff, José Diogo Vieira, can be seen and who is also still working for the hotel. It´s also said that Ian Fleming himself stayed here during the Second World War and it might have given him the inspiration for his first James Bond „Casino Royal“. After all this remarkable facts, I was really nosy about the accompanying Estoril Palácio Golf Course.

There is a shuttle service from the hotel to the course which takes only 5 minutes to reach the first tee. I decided to play a late afternoon round because it was way to hot. So we jumped on the bus and shortly afterwards we arrived in front of the old historical clubhouse of Estoril Palácio Golf Course.

We walked over to the first tee and started our round. After the first three holes I got a first impression of the old and stunning layout of the Estoril Palácio Golf Course. Many great tee shots high above the fairway, but always with very narrow fairways.

Yes, it was hot but the greens, the tee boxes and the fairways were in great conditions. While playing this course you can really feel the history and from some holes you can even see the Atlantic Ocean.

I was very impressed and I fully enjoyed playing this amazing course. The Estoril Palácio Golf Course is perfectly located in one of the most traditional and touristic areas of Europe. With a mild climate the perfect place to enjoy a round of golf throughout the year.

A stay at the Palácio Estoril Hotel combined with a round at this amazing golf course is really a great way to spend some days. Totally recommended!!