The trip
Overview
Madeira sits in the Atlantic at a temperature the Gulf can only manage for four months a year — mild in January, comfortable in July, which makes it one of the few golf destinations that works as both a UAE winter break and a summer escape. The golf is played at altitude: Palheiro above Funchal bay, and Santo da Serra, the old Madeira Islands Open venue, on a mountain shoulder where clouds occasionally drift across the fairways.
Neither course is long by modern standards; both are unreasonably scenic, with elevation changes that make club selection the puzzle of the week. Around the golf, Funchal delivers levada walks, the old town's poncha bars, and a food scene built on espada and estupeta rather than resort buffets. Flights route via Lisbon, where Emirates flies direct from Dubai.
Access to both clubs is requested and verified before booking — the course list here is our suggested set, never a promise of tee times.
Highlights
- ✦Palheiro Golf, laid out in gardens five hundred metres above Funchal bay
- ✦Santo da Serra — the historic Madeira Islands Open venue in the mountains
- ✦Levada walks through the laurel forest between rounds
- ✦Funchal old town evenings and the Monte cable car
- ✦A climate that works in January and July alike
Who it suits
- ●Golfing couples who rate scenery and food as highly as the card
- ●UAE residents hunting a genuine summer-escape golf destination
- ●Walkers and golfers travelling together — the levadas fill every rest day
Why this journey works
- ✓Spring temperatures most of the year — a true UAE-summer escape
- ✓Two of the most scenic courses under the Portuguese flag
- ✓Funchal is a proper small city, not a resort strip
Day by day
Days 1–2
Funchal, then Palheiro
Arrive via Lisbon into Madeira's famous clifftop runway and transfer to Funchal — a hillside quinta-style hotel if you want gardens, the seafront if you want the promenade. Day two opens at Palheiro Golf among century-old trees with the bay far below; the clubhouse lunch terrace alone justifies the tee time.
Days 3–4
Mountain golf and a levada day
Round two at Santo da Serra, the mountain course where the Madeira Islands Open made its home — the fifth tee looks down the whole eastern coastline. Day four goes golf-free: a guided levada walk through the UNESCO laurel forest, the Monte cable car and toboggan run, or a Camara de Lobos afternoon.
Days 5–6
The decider, then home
The third round returns to whichever course split the group — most vote Palheiro — before a final old-town dinner. Fly home via Lisbon; an overnight stopover there turns the journey into a two-city trip if you have the leave.
The golf
Rounds
3
Handicap
Handicap certificate may be requested — confirmed per club at quote stage
Buggies
Buggies recommended on both hillside courses — availability confirmed at quote stage
Clubs
Club carriage quoted through to Madeira; hire sets available at both clubs
Palheiro Golf
Garden-estate golf five hundred metres above Funchal, threaded through old trees with constant bay views. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Clube de Golf Santo da Serra
The mountain-shoulder Madeira Islands Open venue, with coastline panoramas and real elevation change. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Third round — group's choice
The closing round repeats Palheiro or Santo da Serra by vote, booked once the first two are confirmed. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Tee times are requested and confirmed at booking — we never guarantee a tee time until the course has.
For non-golfers
When to go
Madeira is famously mild year-round: winter days usually reach the high teens, summer sits in the mid-twenties without Gulf humidity. Mountain golf means the odd cloud interruption at Santo da Serra, more likely in winter, and we build flexible tee times around it. There is no bad season — only different ones.
Planning around seasons, regions and style? Read the full Portugal destination guide →
What’s included
- ✓Return flights from Dubai via Lisbon to Madeira
- ✓Five nights in a Funchal hillside or seafront hotel with breakfast
- ✓Three rounds of golf with pre-booked tee times once confirmed
- ✓Golf transfers on playing days
- ✓PCT golf travel consultant support
Not included
- —Buggies and caddies unless stated
- —Golf club hire
- —Travel insurance
- —Personal spending
Ways to extend it
- +Ferry or fly to Porto Santo for the Ballesteros-designed island course
- +Two nights in Lisbon with a round on the Cascais coast
- +A canyoning or 4x4 mountain day for the adventurous half
Gallery
