Why October is the best month for golf in the Algarve

The received wisdom on the Algarve is that you go in spring or summer. The received wisdom is wrong.

October in the Algarve has four things that no other month can match simultaneously: course conditions at their annual peak, green fees at their lowest since February, temperatures between 22–26°C, and virtually no queues at first tees.

The summer crowds leave in early September. The autumn rains arrive in November. October sits in the gap between them. The rain that has typically fallen in late September and October restores the courses from their summer-baked state — the fairways turn green again, the rough grows back, and the surfaces firm up to produce the fast, true-bouncing links-adjacent conditions that make Algarve golf its best.

Quinta do Lago South in October plays at its fastest. The greens, which can be difficult to stop approach shots on in the dry summer, take spin properly again. Monte Rei's fairways in October are striped and perfect. San Lorenzo, never anything other than excellent, is at its most welcoming.

The economics: Quinta do Lago South green fees in peak (June–August) run to around €200. In October the same round is €150–160. San Lorenzo drops from €185 to €145. Over a 5-round week for a group of four, the savings are substantial.

My standing advice: book an October Algarve trip every other year. Go somewhere long-haul in the alternate years. October Algarve is the calibration — the benchmark against which you'll measure everywhere else you play.