# The Algarve



## dansimms (Jan 25, 2015)

I have a trip book for mid May on The Algarve and have yet to choose a town or resort.  I will be driving into Portugal from Marbella.  Looking for a naturally beautiful area with views of the sea.  Thanks in advance!  Anniversary trip.


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## classiclincoln (Jan 25, 2015)

We stayed at the Four Seasons in 2008; which was great.  Not on the beach, but the units are HUGE!!  Our 2 BR unit was bigger than our rental properties!!


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## dansimms (Mar 14, 2015)

*Best Towns in Algarve*

For those that have been to The Algarve.......  Would you recommend staying near Faro..........to the east of it or to the west of it?  It looks like there are spectacular beaches further west.  I need to book a hotel for an anniversary trip.


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## Passepartout (Mar 14, 2015)

dansimms said:


> For those that have been to The Algarve.......  Would you recommend staying near Faro..........to the east of it or to the west of it?  It looks like there are spectacular beaches further west.  I need to book a hotel for an anniversary trip.



There are pretty great beaches to the West, but many are down fairly steep bluffs. The towns nestle along the decent harbors and beaches. We stayed in Portimao and drove all over the Algarve. There were good beaches all over, but that said, we are not really 'beachy' people, so ymmv. The whole Algarve coast is a major junket destination for British tourism. You'll find no end of fish & chips joints and 'Irish' pubs. Be sure to find a 'cataplana', seafood stew. Be patient, it takes nearly an hour to prepare. This is a good resource: https://www.visitportugal.com/en/destinos/algarve

Have fun!

Jim


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## Blues (Mar 14, 2015)

I second the Four Seasons Vilamoura.  Very roomy accommodations, beautiful resort.  Yes, it's a mile or so out of town; but IIRC there are no timeshares in Vilamoura that are in town; you'd need to book a hotel for that.  And I loved staying near that town.  There are enough restaurants clustered around the marina that you couldn't try them all in a month.  Most of them have great local seafood.  Wandering around the marina and the beach are fun, too.

As far as sights, yes, most of the interesting seaside towns are west of Faro.  I considered Faro to be the start of the Algarve towns, starting from Spain.  My favorite day trip town was Lagos.  If you don't stay in Vilamoura, Lagos would be my next choice.  In any case, visit for a few hours, and make sure you hit the point of land known as Ponta da Piedade.  There are steps down the rocky cliff (easy to navigate), and at the bottom local fishermen run tours of the sea caves and rock formations from their small boats.  It was a very nominal cost as I recall, and a highlight of the trip.  The town was awesome, too.

-Bob


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## Laurie (Mar 15, 2015)

We have a future timeshare trip planned to the Algarve, and chose 2 ocean-oriented timeshares, in Carvoeiro and Vau, specifically for easy beach access where we don't always have to jump in a car, over more luxurious accommodations further away. But if we weren't restricted to timeshares, I would probably look to someone like Rick Steves for advice - plus google images for beach beauty.

Here's what Rick says:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-steves/salemamy-favorite-stretch_b_3460985.html

I have his Portugal book, and he gives most of the Algarve coast covered by timeshares a miss, but really likes those areas more to the west, and the east.

I hope you'll report back after your trip, enjoy!


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## richontug (Mar 20, 2015)

Check out the Pestana resorts.  We were very pleased with our Algarve trip.

Rich


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## nerodog (Mar 21, 2015)

*algarve*

Lovrd Villamoura...Four Seasons resort was fantastic.


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## seema (May 8, 2016)

We will be staying at the Hilton Vilamoura timeshare for one week from May 15.
We would prefer not to rent a car. 

Can we do adequate sightseeing with bus tours or taxis? - what things should we see?

My wife and I have seen Lisbon in the past - but our 20 year old daughter has never visited Portugal. So we want to show her Lisbon, if possible. How would you rate the one-day bus tours?


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## Marathoner (May 8, 2016)

Vila Vita Parc Resort is beautiful and very relaxing.  Top rated in TripAdvisor.  You should take a boat tour in the area - there are beautiful cliffs and rock faces along the water in that area.

I thought the bus tour in Lisbon was pretty good.  I stayed at the 9Hotel Mercy which is a nice boutique hotel.  The location was fantastic - I highly recommend staying in the hotel for its location.


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## Laurie (May 9, 2016)

To the OP, maybe you are here now and not reading TUG anymore, but in case not:

We have completed our 2 timeshare weeks in the Algarve, and both our units were lovely with ocean views: 

Jardim do Vau west of Portimao (the town itself is full of ugly high rises, but outside of town was great), and 

Monte Carvoeiro Clube, where our 1-br unit had an ocean view, the larger 2-br's don't.

We also did the boat tour of caves - ours sold tickets and launched from the beach in Carvoiero, and I recommend it, we went into about 20 caves including the famous one at Benagil - your cave access will depend on the tides, time of day. 

I didn't agree with Rick Steves' assessments, fyi. He's more about historic and cultural features, and not so much about natural ones. Much of the most spectacular scenery we saw was by cliff-walking and beach-walking in the areas he said to miss. 



seema said:


> We will be staying at the Hilton Vilamoura timeshare for one week from May 15.
> We would prefer not to rent a car.
> 
> Can we do adequate sightseeing with bus tours or taxis? - what things should we see?
> ...



IMO a rental car is the best way to reach many of the most beautiful locations, and driving in the Algarve isn't difficult. I don't know your interests, nor what is available from your resort, but I would consider it seriously, aside from inside Lisbon.

We have yet to visit Lisbon, but are looking into a walking tour with Sandemans, and they give one that covers a good part of Lisbon (thank you Lynne!):

http://www.newlisbontours.com/daily-tours/free-tour-of-lisbon.html


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