Padraig Harrington buys in Portugal

The Irish professional golfer, Padraig Harrington, will be able to practise his swing on five renowned courses at the central Algarve Vilamoura resort where he has bought his holiday home alongside other celebrity golfer owners, including Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, David Howell, Paul McGinley and Retief Goosen. The Oceanico Group (www.oceanicogroup.com) that owns Vilamoura also is building two Nick Faldo and Christy O'Connor courses at nearby Amendoeira Golf Resort near Silves, where Mr Harrington can play when they are ready next year. Mr Harrington has opted for a five-bedroom villa with a private swimming pool and services including the use of a Sunseeker luxury cruiser, executive car transfers and in-house concierge. ‘Buying at Vilamoura Golf and Garden Resort not only gives me the security of a quality property investment, but it will allow me to practise on a different course every day of the week, something very few resorts can offer,’ says Mr Harrington. ‘Away from the golf courses, there are swimming pools, great beaches and fantastic leisure facilities, so I can spend some quality time with friends and family and I’m already looking forward to it,’ he adds. Designed in a Moorish theme in keeping with the local architecture, the scheme on 170-acres consists of two and three-bedroom apartments and three to four-bed villas priced from £381,500 to £1.852 million. Celebrity landscape designer Diarmuid Gavin has created the gardens. Oceanico’s group director Simon Burgess comments, ‘Vilamoura Golf and Garden Resort has been designed to offer the highest standards for owners, not just in terms of the build quality and design, but also the facilities we include for investors. Padraig, together will all our owners, will benefit from membership of seven championship golf courses – an offer unsurpassed in Europe.’

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