9th December 2008 sees the official inauguration of Praia D'El Rey's new state-of-the-art Euro 650,000 golf maintenance facility, near the 5th fairway. Here special treatment areas have been built into each work station to enable the proper separation, disposal and recycling of all the residues and waste materials from the course.

"For much of the year we cut the grass on the fairways every day", says Director of Golf Eduardo da Silva, "And this new facility ensures that we can now deal with all the grass and residues in an environmentally friendly way. It has lots of other benefits too. By the end of 2009 the Praia D'El Rey course will be officially certified under ISO 14001, making us one of the most forward thinking and environmentally aware golf courses in Portugal. And it also improves working conditions for all our 22 green keeping staff".

This new environmental management system minimizes the resort's use of water, focuses on the use of organic fertilizers and protects the 54 endemic species of flora found on the course.

The rest of Praia D'El Rey is equally committed to efficient energy use and providing eco friendly homes.

• All 53 new properties at The Beachfront (currently for sale from E458,000 - E1.4m) use high quality thermal insulation throughout, and natural vegetation on the roofs, helping energy efficiency by eliminating the need for air conditioning and heating units. Solar panels provide hot water and heating, and courtyards around the new properties are heavily planted with indigenous local species, ensuring a healthy microclimate.
• All street lighting in the resort uses low energy light bulbs, resulting in a 40% energy saving in 2008.
• All glass, plastic, cardboard and newsprint is recycled in dedicated recycling points (or eco pontos) around the resort.

This commitment to recycling and energy saving is part of the Beltico Group's longer term strategy to ensure that Praia D'El Rey retains its market leading position as one of the most famous golf resorts in Portugal.

Golf Director Eduardo da Silva is available for interview - please call 00 351 262 90 51 00 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ISO 14001 and EMAS

ISO 14001 forms the basis of the Environmental Management Audit Scheme (EMAS), the only environmental certification supported by the European Union.

The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to help organizations

a) minimize how their operations negatively impact the environment , i.e cause adverse changes to air, water, or land

b) comply with the relevant international laws and regulations.

Irrigation water management at Praia D'El Rey

Approximately 75% of the water used to irrigate the golf course comes from a natural stream that runs through the resort, i.e. non-drinking water, so only 25% of the water used for irrigation has to come from boreholes.

The Praia D'El Rey course has installed the Rainbird Nimbus irrigation system, which allows all available water resources to be managed very precisely.

Furthermore, most of the golf drainage network links into the resort's natural underground drainage system, which in turn flows back into the natural stream. From there it is once again pumped by the golf course up into their primary water reservoir and reused for irrigation.

Download the Environmental Policy

Homes Overseas magazine has been the UK's leading international property title for over 40 years. The 2008 Homes Overseas Magazine Awards - the ‘Oscars' of international real estate - are the only global property awards where every short-listed entry is visited by a judging panel made up of respected professionals from across the industry, including architects, surveyors and renowned property journalists.

In an overcrowded market, the Homes Overseas Awards have become one of the most credible and reliable industry standards for judging international property, allowing a discerning purchaser to know where to start searching.

The judges were impressed by Praia D'El Rey's enduring reputation as one of the world's best integrated luxury resorts, and by the fact that its famous golf course (ranked 13th in Europe by Golf World magazine) is the first course in Portugal's Silver Coast to start implementing ISO 14001, the environmental certification programme now recognized all over the world.

Joao Richard Costa, Sales and Marketing Director at Praia D'El Rey, says "We are thrilled to have won this award, which recognizes how hard we have all worked to make this one of Portugal's most famous and best established resorts.

"Over the last 10 years we have won many awards, among them Portugal's Leading Resort at the World Travel Awards (2007 and 2008), European Golf Resort of the Year from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (2007) and previous Homes Overseas awards (2004 and 2006) but we all feel this most recent award for Best Golf Development 2008 is a great honour."

Praia D'El Rey, only 50 minutes north of Lisbon's international airport, has over 250,000 visitors a year and the 230-hectare beachfront resort is already home to 850 international residents, who own a range of beautiful villas and townhouses spread around the golf course and overlooking the wide sandy beaches.
New off-plan 3 and 4 bedroom golf homes at Vila do Golfe 2, overlooking the fifth fairway, are currently for sale from €570,000.

Spectacular off-plan beach homes at The Beachfront, only 100m from the water's edge and all with full sea views, are for sale from €458,000 - €1.4m.
Property owners have the automatic right to join the famous golf club, and can use the resort's large tennis centre and the top quality Atlantic Health Club and Spa at the 5-star Marriott hotel. Owners can also rent out their homes all year round through the resort's busy rentals programme.