Luxury Golf Villa With Private Pool in Alvor, Portugal
We just came back from one of the most relaxing and amazing vacations which we spent in a luxury private villa in Alvor, Portugal.
The small fishing village of Alvor is located 5 km from Portimão, near the Ria de Alvor National Park. It is the first-class destination with golf courses, small cozy streets, snow-white houses, a harbor with luxury yachts and, of course, Portuguese restaurants with famous wines and fresh fish. A kilometer away from its center you will find stunning sandy beaches framed by tall cliffs which are considered to be among the most beautiful in the world.
The beaches are located along the wide sandy barrier that protects the life of the Ria de Alvor lagoon from the salty waters of the ocean. Countless species of birds, fish, and mollusks inhabit in the reserve.
How to get there
The nearest major airport from Alvor is located about 50 kilometers away, in Faro. Since Alvor is a small village, it does not have a direct railway connection with Faro, but you can order a transfer from Faro to Alvor either via the Internet (this is cheaper and more reliable), or directly at the airport. A transfer by car will cost you around 60-70 EUR, but if you hire a minibus for a small company, it will cost around 91-105 EUR. In addition, at the airport you can rent a car. We traveled by car from Marbella, Spain, which took us about 6 hours.
Where to stay
We stayed in a luxury golf villa with a private swimming pool which you can book through their website. The villa has four bedrooms, 3,5 bathrooms, living room with fireplace, a large, fully equipped kitchen, a beautiful garden with barbecue, parking and heatable swimming pool. It is located located in Algarve’s Alto Golf Club and within walking distance from Alvor’s beach and stunning coast trail – a protected natural reserve and bird sanctuary.
From the upper floor, there is a magnificent sea view:
Adjacent to the villa is the tennis court and villa owners provide all the necessary equipment to play.
The golf course is spectacular:
Our first two days we just spent inside the villa enjoying its amazing facilities. It’s a great place to relax and unwind, especially after stressful work and hectic schedule.
One of the days we also organized a barbecue on the terrace. Portugal is famous for fresh seafood, fish and meat, which could be found in the nearest shops and restaurants.
Stunning beaches are very close to the villa and we spent some time walking along the coastline and sunbathing (it was too cold to swim in the ocean). The sand here is very soft, fine and clean – an absolute pleasure for barefoot walks! The beaches are protected from the winds by tall cliffs so that you can enjoy sunbathing even on a windy day.
What to see in Alvor
Little Alvor is proud of its beach. It is located within walking distance from the town and is perfect for swimming and surfing during the beach season, or for a leisurely walk in the winter months.
There are very few places of interest in Alvor, since most of the buildings were destroyed by the 1755 earthquake. The only building that remained more or less complete was the parish church of the 16th century. Before the notorious 1755, there was also an ancient Moorish fortress in the village, but after the earthquake, citizens used the stones to restore their houses, so now there is not a trace of it left.
Where to eat
There are several very good restaurants in the area, especially in Portimao. We recommend to try the following:
Maria Do Mar – here the specialty is sardines, that are prepared in a variety of ways. The owners suggest to try degustation menu and it’s really worth it. The prices are very moderate. We recommend this place for lunch or afternoon snack.
Churrasqueira Mercado de Alvor – if you like fish and chips, this is the place to go. Very simple, rustic ambience, but the food is amazing. You can try here grilled sardines, seabass, moist chicken, delicios potatoes and good house wine.
One of the most popular dish in Algarve coast is Seafood Cataplana which you can try in almost every restaurant and it is very tasty.
One interesting thing not to be missed if you travel to Algarve coast is Rota do Petisco which is essentially the Tapas Festival. It allows tourists to discover delicious traditional food and try new restaurants. Each participating restaurant offers only 1 dish that they believe you will like at a cost of just 3 Euros. You need to purchase a special “passport” which costs 1 euro – all money collected from sales go to charity. The passport contains the list of all restaurants that take part in the festival with the map showing its location, as well as the specialty dish. It was really fun to go to 3-4 places in the evening and mark in our passports the dishes that we have tried.
Have you ever been to Algarve coast in Portugal? Did you like it? Looking forward to your comments!
