Amadeu Gil de Rocha nd his wife Janeth have run the Vilamoura lawn Bowls Club for 20 years, with the club recently hosting a 20th year anniversary competition. In that time they have made many friends in the sport and have built up a reputation for catering for the needs of hundreds of bowling tours.
The Vilamoura Lawn Bowls Club consists of ex-pats and the friendly members enjoy playing all of the touring teams that come to the Algarve for a wonderful bowls holiday. Amadeu and Janeth can sort out accommodation, transport from the airport, hire cars and anything else that will take away the hassle of organising a bowls tour. Both Amadeu and Janeth play for the Portuguese national side and have travelled all over the world to represent their country.
Bowls International magazine asked Amadeu some questions to give the BI readers the opportunity to learn more about the club, the Algarve, and why a bowls tour to Vilamoura Lawn Bowls Club always gives people pleasant memories and why so many touring sides come back again and again.
What made you want to establish Vilamoura as a bowls club?
We were talking to one of our clients from Scotland in our travel company and he spoke about this weird and wonderful sport called ‘bowls’ that can be played on grass. We asked him to give us further details on his next trip to the Algarve, and we started searching for more information. After researching the sport, we thought it was a great idea! After a few months, we started looking for a suitable plot and we found a good location. Then we bought the land and initiated the construction of the bowling green. The rest, as they say, is history.
What do you and Janeth do in the day-today running of Vilamoura?
We arrive early in the morning and Janethprepares the bar for the day and then she will do some treasury and accounts business. After this, she might give some bowling lessons.When I arrive I will inspect the greens, talk with the greenkeeper, prepare matches, check all of my e-mails and deal with all the reservations with our suppliers – this includes car hire, booking hotels, any private cars or anything else that the guests need. However, most importantly, I will make sure that our customers (or shall I say friends), are taken care of. After all of this, if I still have time, I will have a game of bowls.
What are the biggest challenges you face when organising a tour for teams?
To make sure that they understand our proposals, to try to reassure them that they will be well taken care of and above all, make sure people know they will be warmly welcomed.
Tell us about the recent 20th anniversary competition. Was it successful?
It was very successful in the respect that the competitors were all faithful costumers and friends and that they all expressed their enjoyment.They all promised to come back as soon as possible and I must say they are a wonderful bowling community ‘family.’
What do people want most from a bowls holiday?
They want a nice green to play on, good weather, and they want a good chat with the members of the Vilamoura Lawn Bowls Club, who are all ex-pats. And finally, they want good food and good wine, and you get plenty of that in the Algarve!
What are the five main attractions the Algarve has for a touring team to come?
I couldn’t possibly just list five as there are so many reasons to come and so many things to do and see. However, if I had to be concise, I would have to say the bowls of course, and if you like golf there are 18 golf courses in the Algarve, and five in Vilamoura itself. You can visit the Moorish Castle in the town of Silves, dating back to the 10th century. The walled, old town of Faro is always a good attraction, and there are many other things and places to visit, including the fish market, many ancient buildings, the 13thcentury cathedral, the zoo marine, water parks, food festivals, music festivals and lastly, plenty of shopping. You can also go on mini-sea cruises to explore and have a really great time. There are also walking tours across 150 miles of land, and the Algarve is also great for bird watching.
And finally, what would you say is the one thing you most want people to take away from Vilamoura?
Happiness! We want everyone to feel at home when here and we would like them to remember their visits to our club.
Contact Information
E: info@vilbc.com
UK Free Phone: 0800 96 07 22
Website:www.vilbc.com
For more Bowls News visit www.bowlsinternational.com
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Toronto, Canada