Family holiday in Algarve
Discussion
We're looking to get a week away in the Algarve late in September and will be taking the kids with us - both boys, one of 2 and other of 3 months. We'll also likely be going with another couple who have an 18 month old boy of their own. We've got as far as working out we can fly to and from Faro for reasonable money and have seen a decent selection of nice villas and apartments etc. on Airbnb.
None of us, however, have ever been to that region so we don't know it at all really, we just picked it because we (the adults) have said we fancied trying it there for a change.
We're looking for suggestions for things to do with the kids (zoos, water parks, theme parks etc.) for a couple of days so we have an idea where to try and find a place to stay near. We don't mind hiring a car for the week but if we can get somewhere nice that's within walking distance of stuff to do and some amenities then that's preferable as it's one less thing to arrange and pay for.
Happy to hear any input?
None of us, however, have ever been to that region so we don't know it at all really, we just picked it because we (the adults) have said we fancied trying it there for a change.
We're looking for suggestions for things to do with the kids (zoos, water parks, theme parks etc.) for a couple of days so we have an idea where to try and find a place to stay near. We don't mind hiring a car for the week but if we can get somewhere nice that's within walking distance of stuff to do and some amenities then that's preferable as it's one less thing to arrange and pay for.
Happy to hear any input?
Vilamoura is nice, lots of places to eat round the harbour, just get a nice hotel with a pool near the beach and you will have a great holiday in the sun. Kids that age don't need theme parks, they will be happy with a pool and play ground, just get a taxi to and from the airport.
Edited by greygoose on Tuesday 9th August 22:37
You'll need a car, it's all quite spread out.
We went last year with two kids (2 & 4), stayed in a villa in Carvoeiro that we found through TripAdvisor, three bedrooms and a pool which was more than ample for us. Nice town and beach, not too busy but enough restaurants & bars for evenings out.
The water park just up the road in Lagoa is very good (Slide and Splash), also went to Zoo Marine which was excellent - dolphin show, seal / sea lion show etc. + some rides for the kids and a smaller water park. We drove up to Monchique / Foia which is the highest bit of the Algarve and beautiful. Also drove out to Cape St. Vicente which is the most south westerly point in Europe. Went to Martinhal beach on the way back near Sagres, again stunning. Final trip of the holiday was on the "Pirate" ship that goes along the coast from Portimao, really enjoyed this, at a certain point you get off the big boat into smaller ones and go into the caves in the cliffs. Kids loved it.
We went last year with two kids (2 & 4), stayed in a villa in Carvoeiro that we found through TripAdvisor, three bedrooms and a pool which was more than ample for us. Nice town and beach, not too busy but enough restaurants & bars for evenings out.
The water park just up the road in Lagoa is very good (Slide and Splash), also went to Zoo Marine which was excellent - dolphin show, seal / sea lion show etc. + some rides for the kids and a smaller water park. We drove up to Monchique / Foia which is the highest bit of the Algarve and beautiful. Also drove out to Cape St. Vicente which is the most south westerly point in Europe. Went to Martinhal beach on the way back near Sagres, again stunning. Final trip of the holiday was on the "Pirate" ship that goes along the coast from Portimao, really enjoyed this, at a certain point you get off the big boat into smaller ones and go into the caves in the cliffs. Kids loved it.
ikarl said:
I don't mean to be "that guy", and I'm sure you'll still get some good suggestions, but try the search function (or pistonheads + algarve into Google)
It's been discussed a lot on here and to get the best info it's probably spread over multiple threads.
I did use the search. The most relevant posts (according to the results page) are mostly a few years old and things change. A lot of it was golf-related, none of our party are golfists or remotely interested in golf. Finally, I didn't see anything that really answered the same questions I specifically asked.It's been discussed a lot on here and to get the best info it's probably spread over multiple threads.
C0ffin D0dger said:
You'll need a car, it's all quite spread out.
We went last year with two kids (2 & 4), stayed in a villa in Carvoeiro that we found through TripAdvisor, three bedrooms and a pool which was more than ample for us. Nice town and beach, not too busy but enough restaurants & bars for evenings out.
The water park just up the road in Lagoa is very good (Slide and Splash), also went to Zoo Marine which was excellent - dolphin show, seal / sea lion show etc. + some rides for the kids and a smaller water park. We drove up to Monchique / Foia which is the highest bit of the Algarve and beautiful. Also drove out to Cape St. Vicente which is the most south westerly point in Europe. Went to Martinhal beach on the way back near Sagres, again stunning. Final trip of the holiday was on the "Pirate" ship that goes along the coast from Portimao, really enjoyed this, at a certain point you get off the big boat into smaller ones and go into the caves in the cliffs. Kids loved it.
Sounds great!We went last year with two kids (2 & 4), stayed in a villa in Carvoeiro that we found through TripAdvisor, three bedrooms and a pool which was more than ample for us. Nice town and beach, not too busy but enough restaurants & bars for evenings out.
The water park just up the road in Lagoa is very good (Slide and Splash), also went to Zoo Marine which was excellent - dolphin show, seal / sea lion show etc. + some rides for the kids and a smaller water park. We drove up to Monchique / Foia which is the highest bit of the Algarve and beautiful. Also drove out to Cape St. Vicente which is the most south westerly point in Europe. Went to Martinhal beach on the way back near Sagres, again stunning. Final trip of the holiday was on the "Pirate" ship that goes along the coast from Portimao, really enjoyed this, at a certain point you get off the big boat into smaller ones and go into the caves in the cliffs. Kids loved it.
ArsE92 said:
Did you find anything OP? We are looking for something similar.
We did, in fact just booked flights and villa last night.We're staying in a villa in Carvoeiro, just off the main strip that we found on www.ownersdirect.co.uk so probably worth a look there. We also found a number of places on www.affinityvillas.com but the ones that were available on the dates we could go were unsuitable for one reason or another but they look to be worth bearing in mind for the future.
We haven't bothered hiring a car, we're only going for 7 nights and from what the villa owners and others familiar with the area tell us there should be enough to do for the week. There looks to be a couple of car hire places in the town so if we wanted to get one for a couple of days then that's still an option.
Roll on the end of next month...
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