Travel: Beaches, boat trips, bars and golf in the Algarve

Vilamoura Marina has been voted best marina in Portugal for the 13th year in a row.

The Algarve needs little introduction for anyone who is fond of a convenient and inexpensive holiday destination.

Although the seaside resorts of Quarteira and Albufeira with their lively nightlife and beachfront hotel zones have been welcoming visitors since the ’60s, the newly developed resort town of Vilamoura is where the next generation of water-babies are heading – partly due to its impressive marina, which completed a multi-million-euro extension last year.

It is conveniently situated just 30 minutes from Faro international airport and you may want to allocate a day to enjoy the city’s picturesque Old Town with its medieval walls, winding cobbled streets, “golden” church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo and Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture – before heading south to the relatively new holiday destination of Vilamoura. Conceived with a humble goal in 1974 – to create the largest marina in Portugal – 50 years later, in 2024, Vilamoura Marina won the “Best Portuguese Marina” award for the 13th year in a row.

The beach at Vilamoura. — The beach at Vilamoura, the Algarve.

It already provided 825 berths and a new ‘Nova Super Marina’ with three further pontoons and 68 berths has been completed to cater for the upsurge in the luxury market, whose clientele are choosing to spend more time on the Atlantic and enjoy the delights of the Algarve. Partly due to this impressive marina and partly to do with the six award-winning golf courses, I spent a delightful long weekend soaking up some winter sun – with a few beginner lessons and boat trips for good measure!

The high seasons for golfing are March, April and May, then September, October and November, but the greens are open all year round. However if you’re not a fan of teeing off, you can turn your hand to lawn bowling, tennis, shooting, spa days or horse riding – ensuring the epitome of an upmarket resort. Or you can enjoy the luxury of doing absolutely nothing but lounging by a pool or beach club and enjoying Michelin-starred dining in award-winning ‘Willies”, with countless other fine-dining options available.

If relaxing is more your bag, the nearby Vilamoura Beach (Praia da Marina) boasts nearly two miles of sand dotted with beach bars and loungers every 500 yards or so. In the peak of summer, when it’s too hot to play golf, you can rent jet-skis and paddleboards and expect buzzy beach parties and late-night drinks. In the winter, when it is rare for the temperatures to drop much below 10 degrees in the daytime, you can still enjoy reviving strolls and refreshments at the bars and diners.

It’s worth a visit to Praia da Rocha Baixinha if you have a car – head towards Olhos de Agua in Albufeira and you’ll be treated to a long beach with white sand that is popular with families. Known for its long boardwalk and sunset parties, it has the perfect water temperature for bathing. Quinta do Lago Beach is found in the Ria Formosa Natural Park; a respite from Vilamoura’s urbanity, it boasts an estuary, endless golf plains and great waves.

Alternatively, Praia da Falesia boasts more than three and a half miles of golden sand backed by bluffs, dotted with pine trees and accessed by steps down from a clifftop car park. Being much more secluded, it is adult and child friendly and the water is perfect for paddling and swimming or just topping up your tan.

No visit should be complete without a boat trip, cruising down the coastline past fishing villages and the Algarve’s unspoiled beaches. I joined a three-hour jaunt on the Condor de Vilamoura, a traditional wooden sailing schooner. Alas, we didn’t see any dolphins, but the boat docked close to the impressive Cave of Benagil (Gruta de Benagil) and we had the chance to jump into a motorised dinghy to view them in detail. It was also an opportunity to take a dip and enjoy the sea life.

Whether you’ve come to improve your swing, learn how to fish or charter a yacht for a special occasion, Vilamoura is designed to impress. With international investors snapping up sustainably focused villas, townhouses, apartments and penthouses in swanky developments The Nine and the Natura Village, the town has a cosmopolitan vibe with more people realising that the Algarve offers an attractive prospect for a permanent residency.

The greens are open all year round. — The greens are open all year round in the Algarve

Although it’s modern, you still feel like you are in the heart of Portugal as it is only a short drive to the Roman ruins of Cerro da Vila, where you can see the remains of two residences and baths composed of compartmentalised walls made of bricks. Pick up traditional crafts at the adjacent town of Quarteira. Known for handmade linen, embroidery and pottery, it hosts a weekly market and plenty of galleries, plus a flamboyant Carnival held during three days in February.

From its humble origins as a harbour town, Vilamoura has transformed into a prominent beach and marina destination, with modern amenities that are attractive to golfers in the winter and families in the summer – making it a popular vacation spot all year round.