Portugal travel: picture-perfect golf in Lisbon offers an impressive range of challenges

It's 21 degrees Celcius on a beautiful sunny November day and I'm sat in a relaxing beach bar on the stunning Costa da Caparica near Lisbon sipping a refreshing cocktail. Just a few minutes earlier, I had completed a memorable round of golf at one of the five impressive courses offered by Orizonte Lisbon Golf.

It was the first time I had visited the Portuguese capital and my eyes lit up from the very first moment I arrived. Along with fellow journalists, I was a guest of the elegantly designed new Aroeira Lisbon Hotel, Sea and Golf Resort.

The resort hotel is situated about 18 miles south from the centre of the city heading toward the coast and the Costa de Caparica. Herdade da Aroeira is a private, residential resort adjacent to the seas and surrounded by the protected landscape of the fossil cliffs of Caparica's coast.

Just a short drive from the hotel was the first of our test courses, Aroeira Pines Classic, part of the five courses offered by Orizonte. The course was the venue for the Portuguese Open in 1996 and 1997 and, in addition to staging several Ladies’ European Tour events, played host to the prestigious European Men’s Club Trophy in 2013. At just over 6,200 yards off the yellow tees and the first hole being a par five with a tee shot over water, I had the feeling this was going to be another memorable round of golf.

I volunteered to go first, and as I pulled out my driver to tackle the first hole, the rain began to fall adding to the challenge ahead. With limited sleep after a 3am start to the airport that morning, and no warm up, I nervously swung out my hired M4 Taylor Made driver towards the 50 yard long expanse of water ahead. And to my total relief, my ball sailed 200 yards up the pine tree lined fairway ahead applauded by my fellow journalists who I was playing with for the first time. It was the start of a solid round of golf as I tackled a wonderfully designed course in a beautiful pine woodland setting.

The Classic offers a reasonable challenge for all levels of golfer. There are well-laid out par threes protected by wide open bunkers, parable par fives and dog leg par fours which demand accuracy at all times as water awaits the stray ball on several holes. The pine cone laden rough is easy to negotiate and still offers the chance of a par if shots go slightly astray. And as you head around the course, it's hard not to stop and admire some of the homes built alongside it from some quaint traditional countryside chalets to modernist inspired villas.

Day two saw our group head to the more testing Aroeira Challenge course. Opened in April 2000, it was designed by the architect Donald Steel, who took care to comply with the recommendations of the European Tour and design a course capable of hosting the highest level of tournaments.

With the course bordering five large lakes, there is plenty to think about when picking your tee shot and approaching the green. Holes 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 18 all need you to negotiate water. With tighter fairways and more water hazards, this 6,400 yarder provided a sterner test. From the moment you set eyes on the first fairway from the tee, you realise this is going to be a different kind of challenge. With narrower tree lined fairways and some difficult par threes, including one with a deceptive 150 yard water carry, it was the biggest test of my visit. A real testing course at times with plenty of water to avoid but set in the most scenic and picturesque of woodland.

Day three saw us visit my favourite venue course of the trip, Ribagolfe. Situated around 45 minutes drive from Lisbon via the phenomenal eight mile long Vasco da Gama bridge, the course is set in glorious countryside adorned with Cork trees.

We played the 6,200 yard Oaks course which offers a test for golfers of all ability with lots of good opportunities to drive the fairway and all greens in superb condition for November. The water feature on the 6th hole was particularly impressive. A long stone wall lines a pond over which you must negotiate to hold the green providing that nerve-jangling second shot test.

Ribagolfe offers a welcome change of scenery and a different challenge and is well worth the drive out. The major draw for golfers to this region is the proximity to Lisbon and all the unique cultural delights, sights and sounds that it offers.

We spent one night at the Aroeira Lisbon Hotel and one night in the CR7 Pestana Hotel in the centre of Lisbon. Both offered superb dining and comfortable, first class accommodation.

We were also guests for lunch at the Aroeira Beach Hotel in Fonta de Talha, close to the Aroeira Hotel. A tapas style assortment of mouth-watering dishes were served as we sat close to the beach looking out at the waves of the magnificent Atlantic Ocean.

We also dined one evening at the delightful Lisboa a Noite Restaurant which offered some of the finest Portuguese dishes in a relaxed setting with superb service.

Slightly closer in travel time to the UK than the Algarve, Orizonte Golf Lisbon is an exceptional destination and well worth a visit. For more information visit www.visitlisboa.com.