Santo da Serra Golf Course
Above the bay of Machico, where Portuguese navigators first landed on Madeira, Santo da Serra is one of the island's genuine golfing landmarks. The original nine holes opened in 1937; in 1991, Robert Trent Jones Sr. rebuilt the site entirely into the 27-hole course played today, split into three distinct nines: Machico, Desertas and Serras. Machico and Desertas have long hosted the Madeira Islands Open on the European Tour, a mark of a course built for serious competition.
Each nine has its own character. Machico and Desertas climb through pine, mimosa and eucalyptus with real elevation and demanding, undulating greens, while Serras offers a gentler, more forgiving round without dropping the standard. Four lakes and four tee options at every hole mean the course flexes from a relaxed round to a genuine championship test, whichever you're after. Book the full 27 if you've got the time, since each loop plays differently enough to be worth its own round.
The clubhouse, fairways and roughs are kept to a high standard throughout, and the mountain setting delivers Atlantic views at almost every turn. Buggy hire runs a little higher here than on the mainland, so factor that into your budget. For golfers wanting a proper mountain test with tournament pedigree behind it, Santo da Serra is one of Madeira's essential rounds.
Reception: Everyday from 7:00am to 7:00pm
Golf Clubs: Callaway / Dunlop
Club House: With Restaurant and Snack bar
With driving range
With an Academy
Trolleys: Manual
Without locker room
Pro Shop: Everyday from 7:00am to 7:00pm
Golf Lessons: Resident professionals
Buggies: Without GPS
With putting green
Juniors: Up to 16 years oldSanto da Serra Golf Course - latest comments and reviews
Edmonde
2026-06-02
Thank you for the good service. Very nice course.
Neil Blatch
2026-03-16
The course is definitely the best on the mainland although the variations in weather can be quite extreme during your round. What we didn’t like is the price they charge for buggies at €60 is a complete rip-off even Palero Golf Club charges €50 , this is not justifiable against European mainland fees.
Andreas Mitterer
2026-01-06
for our time of year - December is very wet
Ellersiek
2025-10-31
Lovly Place
Dennis Meredith
2025-10-16
Beautifully scenic course. Course was in really good condition, only thing that let it down was the pace of the greens they were very slow. Food was good and well priced. Staff very friendly and overall a very enjoyable day. Our only complaint would be the price of the golf buggies, €60 is very high.
Chad Polowich
2025-09-04
Course in great condition, very scenic and elevation changes made this quite challenging. The weather here is very unpredictable, cool in the morning and you can always count on it to be windy due to its location. A very scenic ride to this location. Food and staff great
Stephen Melrose
2025-08-29
Golf course was great, buggies were over-priced.
Guilmeau
2025-08-11
Great golf course. Fantastic views. Very nice conditions. But too expensive in my opinion.
Stanislav Cekovsky
2025-08-07
308 / 5 000
Excellent golf resort with three nines. Magnificent holes. There is no shortage of steps.
It would be nice to have the option of renting electric trolleys. We don't enjoy using a golf cart and a manual trolley is quite tiring due to the hilliness.
But the architecture, quality, views and overall golf experience is unforgettable!
Martin Craddock
2025-05-22
Beautiful course and challenging
Vojtech PESAT
2025-05-19
Santo da serra is in excellent shape
Garry Hebert
2025-03-08
The course was spectacular, pace of play was perfect and the staff was friendly
Tecnicals
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