Lagoon views on one side, creek and carobs on the other.
Quinta da Ria is a 36-hole estate at Vila Nova de Cacela, in the eastern Algarve that locals call the Sotavento. Rocky Roquemore designed both courses, and they opened within four months of each other in 2002. The Ria course runs down gently sloping ground to the edge of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, with the Atlantic and the beach at Cacela Velha in view. Quinta de Cima, next door, is longer and rated harder.
Quinta da Ria & Quinta de Cima green fees and tee times.
Both courses are sold through the club’s own Golfmanager booking page, linked from the Book now button on quintadaria.com, which shows prices once you choose a date and course. You can also phone +351 281 950 580, message the same number on WhatsApp, or email info@quintadaria.com; the scorecards give reservations@quintadaria.com for bookings. The club does not publish a handicap limit or a full rate card online, so ask about both, and whether a buggy is included, when you request a time.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From €120
Club winter offer: one player with a buggy, December 2026; €220 for two players sharing a buggy. January 2027 is €125 and €230. Other dates are priced on the Golfmanager booking page.
1 player + buggy, December 2026
€120
2 players sharing a buggy, December 2026
€220
1 player + buggy, January 2027
€125
2 players sharing a buggy, January 2027
€230
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The courses at Quinta da Ria & Quinta de Cima.
Quinta da Ria (par 72, 6,053 m)
Large bunkers frame the landing areas and greens on the front nine; the 7th, 360 metres and stroke index 2, has sand tight to the putting surface. Water arrives after the turn, at the 10th, 14th and 17th. The 422-metre 10th is stroke index 1, and the 17th is a 161-metre par three.
Quinta de Cima (par 72, 6,586 m)
Cima opens with a 517-metre par five and has four in all, two on each nine. Old olive and carob trees line the holes, and the creek crosses several fairways. The 390-metre 14th is stroke index 1. The club singles out the last three, where doglegs, sand and water meet: the 517-metre 16th, the 173-metre par-three 17th and a 420-metre closing par four.
The round, in perspective.
The Ria course opened in March 2002 and Quinta de Cima followed in July. Both are par 72 and use bentgrass on tees, fairways, roughs and greens. They hosted the European Seniors Tour qualifying school from 2006 to 2008 and the Portugal Algarve Ladies Open in 2008. The scorecards show how different the two are. Ria measures 6,053 metres from the back tees, with a course rating of 71.6 and a slope of 131. Cima stretches to 6,586 metres, rated 74.4 with a slope of 135, the stiffest numbers on the estate.
Know before you go.
Pace of play
4 hours 20 minutes on both scorecards
Booking
Golfmanager online, phone, WhatsApp or email
Range
300 m, 70 grass bays plus 5 covered mat bays
Short course
9-hole pitch-and-putt academy course
Make the trip work.
The Ria Terrace restaurant occupies the renovated original farmhouse. Practice is well catered for: a 300-metre range with 70 grass bays on north and south tees, five covered bays on artificial grass, a Foresight simulator at the range, a putting green for each course and a chipping area with a bunker. A nine-hole pitch-and-putt academy course suits a warm-up. If you plan 36 holes in a day, play Cima first while you are fresh.
Faro airport is just over half an hour west along the A22, the club says. Tavira is about 20 minutes west and Vila Real de Santo António, the eastern end of the Algarve railway, around 20 minutes east. Seville airport in Spain, reached over the Guadiana bridge, is a workable alternative for Spanish connections, at a little under two hours.
The Robinson Club Quinta da Ria sits on the estate and is marked on the Ria scorecard map between the clubhouse and the 17th, so the first tee is a short hop. The club’s own list of recommended hotels points further afield: AP Cabanas Beach at Cabanas de Tavira, Maria Nova in Tavira, Octant Praia Verde in the pine woods by the beach east of Cacela, and Octant Vila Monte inland at Moncarapacho.
Make a trip of it.
Quinta do Vale, Seve Ballesteros’ course above the Guadiana near Castro Marim, is around 20 minutes north-east. Both clubs are run by DHM Golf, share a teaching professional and host the December Sotavento Golf Trophy together, so a three-course week needs little driving. Monte Rei’s Jack Nicklaus course is a short drive inland from Vila Nova de Cacela. Off the course, walk up to Cacela Velha, a whitewashed hamlet with a small fort on a bluff above the lagoon, or spend an afternoon among the churches and the old seven-arched bridge of Tavira’s old town.
Find your season.
The club’s published buggy offers run through December and January, which is when it chases visitors. Two events are on the calendar: the Sotavento Golf Trophy from 8 to 12 December 2026 and the DHM & Ombria Golf Cup from 15 to 18 January 2027, so ask about tee availability around those dates. July and August are hot; early starts are the comfortable choice then.
On the numbers, yes. From the back tees Cima is rated 74.4 with a slope of 135 against Ria’s 71.6 and 131. From the yellow tees Cima is 6,147 metres with a slope of 131, while Ria is 5,910 metres with a slope of 130, so the gap narrows for most visitors.
How long is Quinta da Ria from the forward tees?
Ria’s red tees measure 4,977 metres, rated 71.6 with a slope of 125, and its blue tees 5,348 metres. Quinta de Cima’s reds are 5,032 metres with a slope of 128, and its blues 5,552 metres. Both stay par 72 from every set of tees.
Can you see the sea from Quinta da Ria?
Yes. The Ria course covers about 660,000 square metres of land sloping down towards the Ria Formosa, and the club highlights views of the Atlantic, Cacela Velha beach and the small islands between lagoon and ocean. Quinta de Cima, on 620,000 square metres, is lined with centuries-old olive and carob trees and has less of the open lagoon outlook.
Last checked 11 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
