Millennium sits alongside the Old Course, Pinhal, and Laguna in the Vilamoura Collection (formerly Dom Pedro), and it’s the layout most visitors come away talking about. Martin Hawtree built it in 2000 by refurbishing nine holes from the former 27-hole Laguna course and adding a brand-new nine. The result is a par 72 measuring 6,176 metres off the back tees with a slope of 125 – long enough to test a low handicapper, but rarely cruel.

The front nine eases you in over open ground before holes 3 to 7 narrow sharply through stands of pines, a stretch reminiscent of Pinhal or the Old Course next door. Accuracy matters here. The standout is the par-3 6th, where a lake guards the left side of the green and a big bunker sits to the right – one of the most photographed shots in Vilamoura. The back nine opens up again, but Hawtree saved the drama for last: lakes guard both the 17th and 18th greens, where a simple strategy is always the best approach.

Conditioning is generally strong year-round – greens run true and fairways hold up well through the cooler months – and pace tends to sit around four to four and a half hours, occasionally longer in peak season. As a Vilamoura all-rounder, it’s a smart first day of a trip: gettable, varied and built for fun.