Memories of Vale do Lobo… 1965

Dear Editor,
In 1965, my wife and I, together with five friends, drove to the Algarve in her M.G. Midget.
Our overnight stops en-route were Poitiers, San Sebastian, Madrid, Caceres, Lisbon and on to Albufeira. Quite an adventure in those days in a little open sports car!
On the old road south from Lisbon we were in danger of running out of petrol, but we managed to reach Monchique, have some Monchique water to drink and fill up with petrol.
Two interesting facts – to me, anyway – of that holiday long ago. Seven of us were renting a very luxurious village at Albufeira, with a swimming pool – okay, that’s fairly standard – but there was also a cook, her husband who was the gardener, and a maid. So every evening, if we wanted, she would cook a meal for us. The rent? £50 per week between the seven of us!
Secondly, the four lads were all golfers, so we drove to Vale do Lobo to play. At that time it was only nine holes, including this world-famous short hole. Not only were we the only people on the course all day, but the Secretary, a Mr. Vansittart, helped us unwrap boxes of brand-new clubs for us to hire – the first people to do so. I’m afraid I cannot remember what the green fee was!
Philip Mitchell
Berkshire, UK