Santo Estevão Golfe: It is early days for the Vila Nova de Santo Estevao project, but its owners have made the perfect start by putting in place a very good calibre golf course - the luxury hotel and further housing will follow. Eventually, largish villas will line the course's perimeter, but never too closely to interfere with your shots, however wide they might be. Inside this expansive and very gently undulating layout, there is a real feeling of natural openness, with several cork-oaks dotted around and water hazards coming into play on only a couple of holes. Beyond the generous width fairways and semi-rough lie large areas of grassy deep rough, teeming with wild flowers of many types and best avoided with the golf ball if possible. The excellent bunkering is not excessive but strategically placed to require good shot-making, especially into the large and sloping greens. Santo Estevao is certain to establish an excellent reputation, while adding to the golfing attractions of the Ribatejo region, located just half an hour or so east of Lisbon.