» Arrival
» Tournament presentation
23rd May
» 09h30 - 1st Round @ Isla Canela Old Course
» 18h30 - Wine tasting
24th May
» 09h00 - 2nd Round @ Quinta do Vale
» 20h00 - Dinner buffet at Vila Galé Isla Canela Hotel
25th May
» Free day
26th May
» 08h20 - 3rd Round @ Castro Marim Golfe
» 20h00 - Dinner buffet at Vila Galé Isla Canela Hotel
27th May
» Free day
28th May
» 09h30 - 4th Round @ Isla Canela Links
» 20h00 - Dinner buffet at Vila Galé Isla Canela Hotel
» Prize Giving Awards
29th May
Departure
- 7 nights stay at Vila Galé Isla Canela Hotel with buffet breakfast
- 1 round of 18 holes in Isla Canela Links
- 1 round of 18 holes in Isla Canela Old
- 1 round of 18 holes in Castro Marim
- 1 round of 18 holes in Quinta do Vale
- Welcome drink reception
- 3 Buffet dinners with drinks
- Wine Tasting
Price per person
Double/Twin Room: 982€
Non-golfer sharing Room: 654€
Single Room: 1371€
3rd Border Cup 2027
We are pleased to annouce the 3rd Border Cup Tournament in 2027 to be held at Vila Galé Isla Canela Hotel with 4 golf rounds between Portugal and Spain and wine tasting.
Golf Competition
Isla Canela Links (Spain) Ayamonte, Algarve
Isla Canela Links sits on the left bank of the Guadiana river, right where Spain meets Portugal, inside the protected Costa Esuri nature reserve near Ayamonte. Designed by José Canales and originally opened in 2007, the course was bought by Isla Canela in 2019 and fully relaunched that November, with new Bermuda greens and a rebuilt clubhouse, giving it a genuinely fresh foundation under new ownership. It's a riverside parkland layout with real links character, doglegs and water hazards on close to half the holes, and some lovely, slightly elevated tees that open onto the water. The back nine along the river is the highlight, with views across to Portugal that few courses on this coast can match. Reviewers who've played both this and the older Isla Canela course tend to rate this one as the more varied and enjoyable test. With a driving range, practice facilities and a clubhouse restaurant on-site, it's well set up for a full day out. Given the relaunch is still relatively recent, conditioning has had its ups and downs according to recent players, but the trajectory under the new ownership has been a positive one. For a genuinely scenic riverside round with real character, this is worth booking. (...)
Isla Canela Old (Spain) Ayamonte, Algarve
Isla Canela Old sits inside a nature reserve at the mouth of the Guadiana river, where it meets the Atlantic, on the western edge of the Costa de la Luz near Ayamonte. Designed by Juan Catarineu and opened in 1993, the course is built on flat, easy-walking terrain, with wide fairways running between natural dunes. Don't let the flat layout fool you: olive, orange, eucalyptus and palm trees were deliberately placed to create natural hazards rather than just decoration, and the course has a habit of catching golfers who underestimate it on first sight. It's genuinely accessible for higher handicaps while still giving low handicappers plenty to think about, and the greens are known locally for their firmness and pace year-round, a hallmark that holds up across most of the course. With a driving range, academy, locker room and putting green on-site, it's well set up for golfers wanting to work on their game before or after a round. Set within such a scenic stretch of protected coastline, this is one to book for golfers who want a proper strategic test alongside the setting. (...)
Castro Marim Golf Course Castro Marim, Algarve
Castro Marim sits right on the border, with the Guadiana river and Spain visible from its higher ground and the Atlantic glinting to the south. Terry Murray laid out the original Atlantic and Guadiana nines in 2001; a third, the Grouse, followed a few years later, giving the resort three genuinely different nine-hole loops and two ways to build an eighteen.
The Atlantic and Guadiana wind through mature pine, tight and demanding of accuracy, with elevated tees and dogleg fairways carved into the hillside. The Grouse opens things up considerably, rolling over higher ground with wide inland views and fewer trees to hide behind. Two holes on the Atlantic stand out for very different reasons: the par-5 4th, a sharply doglegging hole with a lake and elevated green that's been singled out in international golf writing, and the par-5 9th, which runs downhill all the way to the sea. Keep an eye out beyond the fairways too, this is genuine wildlife country, with wild boar, partridge, and even the occasional Iberian lynx spotted on the Grouse in the early morning.
Facilities include a driving range, a resident academy, and a clubhouse restaurant with a terrace looking back over the course. The greens here are consistently the best-praised part of the round; the wider infrastructure shows some age, so this suits golfers who value variety, views, and a quiet, unhurried atmosphere over polished modern conditioning. For a genuinely different corner of the Algarve, right at its eastern edge, Castro Marim is worth the drive. (...)
Quinta do Vale Golf Course Castro Marim, Algarve
Seve Ballesteros only put his name on a handful of courses, and Quinta do Vale, set in a natural valley above the Guadiana River with Spain visible across the water, is one of his most distinctive. The layout itself tells you as much: six par 3s, six par 4s, and six par 5s, a deliberately unconventional structure that keeps the round from ever settling into a rhythm.
Water is the story on the front nine, coming into play on most of the opening holes and demanding real discipline off the tee, especially with the coastal breeze that tends to pick up as the round goes on. The back nine moves into more sheltered, undulating ground, giving some relief before the closing stretch asks for one more decision. This is a course built on options rather than a single correct line, true to Seve's own game: every hole rewards the golfer willing to take on a risk, while still leaving a safer route for anyone playing it smart. Bring a few spare balls for the water, and treat a calm day here as a gift.
Facilities include a driving range, a resident academy, and a clubhouse restaurant with sweeping views back over the valley and river. Quinta do Vale pairs naturally with the other east Algarve courses nearby for a golfer looking to build a full trip around this quieter, less-crowded corner of the region. (...)
