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A
Castle in Ireland and Little River, North
Carolina …
…all made possible with a visit to
Cobble Beach
By
Claudio DeMarchi
Read
on my friends – this information
may just change where you play golf for
the rest of your life. If I did not have
this job, I would surely take a close
look. Truth be told – I might yet
take a closer look.
I
have never been a fan of the time share
thing; maybe because of the bad raps of
pushy sales people. When fractional ownership
came along, I passed it off as more of
the same. Until now. The Oceanico Group
a world leader in luxury property developments
in Portugal introduced me to their world
of fractional ownership, and boy was I
impressed.
The
golf properties that they own in Portugal
are often called "The 7 Wonders of
the Algarve." Five are situated in
the Vilamoura area, including the Oceanico
Victoria Course - an Arnold Palmer design
that is home to the Portuguese Masters
– and two others are at the Amendoeira
Resort, which is about 20 minutes down
the road. One designed by Nick Faldo and
the other by Christie O'Connor Jr., both
of these courses have exceptional designs
with spectacular visuals. The accommodations
are ultra modern with meticulous attention
to detail both inside and out.
So
you are asking… where does the ‘Irish
Castle' come into play, and just how does
‘Cobble Beach' fit into this equation?
Well, among the dozen or so developments
that the Oceanico Group currently has
completed - or in the works - are properties
with golf on site.
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One
is the 600 year old Waterford Castle
& Golf Resort. Once owned by Medieval
Irish Lords, this unique island setting
is just one mile downriver from Ireland's
oldest city.
In
North Carolina the Oceanico Group
owns the Little River Golf & Resort
located just 4.5 miles from the Village
of Pinehurst.
And,
currently in the works is a 574-acre
resort adjacent to the Cobble Beach
Golf Course just north of Owen Sound,
Ontario that in a few short seasons
has racked up awards such as:
Best
new Canadian course 2008 (third)
Golf Digest
Top
10 Best New Courses in the World 2007
Travel & Leisure Golf
Ontario's
Best New Course 2007
Fairways and Ontario Golf
Best
New Course in Canada (third)
SCOREGolf
If
you are a golfer and you love to travel,
owning a little piece of this action
opens up many golf/travel combinations,
allows you to have your seasons covered,
and provides you with the opportunity
to always feel like you are in the
comforts of your own home.
Even
if owning vacation property is not
for you, The Oceanico Group offers
various options including a simple
vacation to any of their properties.
But for anyone interested in property
ownership, you may want to visit their
residence website (www.oceanicoresidenceclub.com).
A more general overview of the company
is available at www.oceanicogroup.com.
If
nothing else, this information could
provide you with a great excuse for
a trip to check it out. And speaking
of checking it out…
If
I were going to visit the Oceanico
properties in Portugal, as much as
I would like to stay close to the
golf courses, my preferred accommodations
would be at the Belmar Spa & Beach
Resort, located between Lagos and
Praia del Luz with magnificent views
overlooking Porto de Mos beach (Note:
scheduled to open its door in Spring
2010). The thinking here is that I
don't mind a 10-15 minute drive to
the golf course during the day, but
once the golf is over and it's time
to kick back and enjoy some good food
and wine, I prefer to be staying close
to the ‘after' options to eliminate
the drinking and driving dilemma.
Especially in a foreign country that
has small roads and many round-a-bouts.
See
side bar for the amazing deal that
is available NOW through March 2010.
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The
Faldo Course
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Amendoeira
Resort
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The
Faldo Course
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The
Victoria Course
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Belmar
Sunset
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Believe
me the golf in this area is exceptional
- and I will get to that in a moment - but
a visit to this area (and Lagos in particular)
can only be complete with a meal at one
of the finest restaurants in the town, Don
Sebastiao Restaurante. (An added
bonus is that this fine dining establishment's
cost is certainly well below what we North
Americans are used to.)
When
you begin your evening at this restaurant,
ask for Vitor Correia – he is an exceptional
server. In fact, if you let him order diner
for you (as I did), and if you are really
nice to him, he might bring you down to
the wine cellar. This wine cellar was very
close to the highlight of the trip. For
more on my Don Sebastiao experience, see
side bar.
While
I was in the area, one of the two courses
I played included the Faldo Course. I feel
it is definitely the most challenging, and
maybe the best overall of all seven courses.
Had you been taken blindfolded and planted
on the Faldo course, you might even question
yourself as to whether you were in the Algarve
or in the Arizona desert. Traditional Arizona
scrub and waste bunkers are replaced by
wild herbs, Holm Oaks, and ancient olive
trees on beds of crushed limestone and on
many holes limestone walls provide a rather
dramatic background.
The
other course, the Oceanico Victoria Course,
is home to the Portuguese Masters. There
is not much more I need to say about this
course other than it is top drawer all the
way. An Arnold Palmer design that is perfect
for all levels of golfers because of the
many tee boxes. The front 9, other than
the 7th hole, has little WOW factor –
nothing really dramatic typical PGA style.
The 7th, though, requires a rather intimidating
tee shot that could be as much as 250 yards
if you are playing the tips. This was just
a tease for what was to come.
There
is plenty of WOW factor from the 11th hole
through to the 18th. If you are anything
like me, you will be taking many more shots
with your camera than you ever would with
your clubs – we hope!
Holes
11 through 13 are nicknamed Victoria Corner,
but might be more appropriately named the
Lagoon Holes! Yes, water, water everywhere.
The 13th green gives you a glimpse of the
most spectacular bunker that you will ever
face, and it is just setting you up for
3 of the next 4 holes, and ending with cascading
waterfalls to take you to the clubhouse.
Do
yourself a favor click onto www.oceanicogolf.com
where you will not only find the Faldo and
Victoria courses, but all 7 of the Oceanico
properties in the Algarve and more.
Portugal,
one of my favorite countries in Europe…
and with the good folks at Oceanico, look
where else you may just end up.
12/09
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Oceanico
Special
The
Place:
One week at Amendoeira Golf Resort on the sunny southern
coast of the Portuguese Algarve.
The
Golf:
2 Rounds on both the Faldo and the O'Connor Course, plus
2 rounds on the Par 3 Academy course. Includes carts.
The
Accommodations:
7 nights in luxurious villa style accommodations with a
backdrop of the Monchique Mountains adjacent to both the
Faldo and O'Connor Course.
The
Extras:
Special discounts on other Oceânico Golf properties
including transfer to the courses. A practice session at
the Amendoeira Golf Academy and Callaway Fitting Suite.
Access to all sporting and leisure facilities: Tennis, Bowls
(lawn bowling) and Gym. 10% discount on all food and beverage
and a 20% discount at the Pro Shop excluding sale merchandise.
The
Deal:
€600 (approximately $900.00 CDN) per person, based
on double occupancy. Valid until March 2010.
Contact:
Oceânico Golf via email
or visit the website
for full package details. Please make reference to the "7
nights free accommodation special" when booking.
Don
Sebastiao Restaurante
On
my second visit to Portugal I made it all the way to Faro
Airport in the Algarve without a hitch. After traveling
most of the day, around 7pm I was the last lonely passenger
to make it to the car rental area to pick up a car –
and experienced a hitch! Even though I requested an automatic
– and had been assured that there would be one –
there was not.
My
first call for help!
I
had never had more than a couple of emails between the Oceanico
Group's Marketing Managers (a very delightful young lady
by the name of Severine), but my Canadian contact is one
of those people that goes out of his way to help you in
any way, so I had a hunch that Severine might just be that
way too! One call and it was Severine to the rescue!
It was not long before she showed up to take me to the spectacular
Amendoeira Resort so that I could get checked in. It seemed
like in no time we were there; had a quick change and we
were off to dinner at the first of three exceptional restaurants.
read
more...
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