Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep have both won three Oscars – but unlike Onyria Palmares Beach & Golf Resort, even they didn’t manage it in successive years.
The stunning family-owned 27-hole complex in Lagos this month landed the title of the country’s best golf course for the third successive year in Portugal’s ‘national tourism Oscars’ at the Publituris Portugal Travel Awards 2014.
It was the 11th year of the Publituris Travel Awards, which were created by the country’s leading travel trade magazine, Publituris, to reward the best in Portuguese tourism.
The awards, regarded by those who work in Portugal’s tourism industry as the ‘national tourism Oscars’, took place at the historic, 12th century Alcobaça Monastery, in the presence of several of the industry’s ‘major players’ including the Secretary of State for Tourism, Adolfo Mesquita Nunes. Votes are cast by people working in the Portuguese tourism industry and a selected jury of distinguished industry figures.
The award was presented to the resort’s operations director, António Pinto Coelho, who said: “As a country Portugal is fortunate to have fantastic golf courses, not least in the Algarve which is IAGTO’s European Golf Destination of the Year for 2014. So for Onyria Palmares Beach & Golf Resort to win an award for the best golf course three years in a row is a fabulous achievement – and we are, naturally, delighted to pick up this prestigious accolade.
“To be recognised in this manner by our peers – and our clients – merely reinforces our determination to stay at the top and continue to raise standards and awareness nationally and internationally.”
Designer Robert Trent Jones Jr was told about the award while travelling to Scotland for the Ryder Cup, and said: “As I think about what makes a course great – for both resort players and professionals – I have to say that Palmares has it all. Its facilities are capable of hosting a Ryder Cup, or a golfer looking for a great golf experience. Either way, the team at Onyria Golf Resorts has hit a hole-in-one!”
The election process began with the creation of a short list of seven golf courses by the Publituris editorial team before votes were registered on-line, with the determined in a weighted average of votes from both the public and a jury of industry figures.
The resort was joined in the list of award winners by some well-known and internationally renowned names, such as TAP, which won the award for best airline; easyJet, which was determined to be the best low-cost company; and Europcar, which took the award for the best car-hire service.
Onyria Palmares Beach & Golf Resort reopened only in 2011 following an extensive redesign by Trent Jones Jnr. The multi-award-winning 27-hole set-up is following Onyria’s traditional business model, with plans for a five-star hotel and a selection of plots for villas which have been released on to the property market. With breathtaking views, Onyria Palmares Beach & Golf Resort offers a unique location in the Algarve with dazzling views to the Ria de Alvor, Meia-Praia and to the town of Lagos, TripAdvisor’s ‘best holiday destination in the world’ for 2012.
The multi-award-winning, family-owned and run Onyria Golf Resorts has also developed golf, business, and pure leisure oriented projects at Cascais, Portugal (Hotel Quinta da Marinha Resort and Onyria Marinha Edition Hotel & Thalasso), and in Turkey (Onyria Claros Beach & Spa Resort).
Onyria Golf Resorts www.onyriaresorts.com
Onyria Palmares Beach & Golf Resort www.onyriapalmares.com