Vilamoura has everything that people look for in a holiday. It has excellent beaches where one can walk mile after mile on the beautiful sand and enjoy the sun. The marina is gorgeous, with abundant area to play or sit on the sand under the sun. Various tours offer sailing opportunities, which are unforgettable experiences.

Holidays in Vilamoura are a golfer’s paradise, as the golf courses in and around the place lure golfers from far and wide. Golf addicts are thrilled at the prospect of having wonderful courses at their doorstep. “The Old Village”, located at the edge of the Pinhal course, is a residential area and is very close to the marina. Tourists love this part of the town.

Vilamoura has a large number of restaurants that offer delicious food and a wide range of choices. Most of the well-known restaurants are located around the marina. The restaurant adjacent to the Fotobrinca Toy Shop has never disappointed guests with the quality of food that it serves. “The Old Village” has conventional “British” restaurants that serve traditional British food. Central Vilamoura, on the other hand, is a relatively luxurious area with a wide range of both plain and up-market restaurants. O Taco is very famous and is loved by tourists. The Mayflower also serves excellent food and has impeccable service.

The shops offer a range of souvenirs that always attract the tourists. Items are sold that are both expensive and affordable. Brands like Benetton, Boss and Gant are also sold for the affluent society.

The best thing about Vilamoura is that it is comparatively unspoilt, and city-dwellers love the essence of this place. The best time to visit Vilamoura is the month of October when the climate is not very hot. It is a calm and quiet place, which has something for everyone. Though it is a small place, it offers enjoyment to both older tourists and younger travelers. It is a beautiful resort blessed with a colorful variety of tropical flowers and stunning trees. Tourists can also enjoy a cliff-top walk of which has wonderful views of the sea.

Holidays in Vilamoura can be exciting, thrilling and full of activities. Holidays can also mean incessant visits to historical relics, museums and churches. Holidays can also be meant for pure relaxation, where there is no early rising to board the tour bus that leaves at six in the morning. Vilamoura offers that kind of a holiday where tourists, irrespective of their age, taste, country and background, roam around in a leisurely manner enjoying the sun, sand and seaside views. Golfers can spend hours at the golf course and shoppers can indulge themselves to their hearts’ content. A holiday in Vilamoura is a holiday in the truest sense of the term.

The Algarve is a beautiful destination that is suitable for everyone, you have a large new town called Albuferia which is very commercialised and is very lively most stag and hens dos take place here! The transfer time is approx one hour by car but very easy down the A22, which is a long stretch of motorway that is never busy. The old town of Albufeira is suitable for the adult couples and older families with a beautiful beach and a few steep hills with magnificent views over the sea, definitely one for the camera!

I liked the Algarve very much as it it would suit anyone. The Algarve Shopping Centre is the main place in the Algarve for the shopaholics, where you will find all your shops from Zara to C&A. It’s only ten minutes from Albuferia, which is great. For Golf lovers, Vilamoura and Qunita Da Lago are famous for the Golf championships and their five star hotels.

A lot of the towns in the Algarve start with ‘Praia’ which means beach. The beaches are always cleaned around 6am ready for the day ahead and is clean and family friendly. Food is great value; for a three course meal it would cost you approx 20 Euros each – and that’s with a free glass of wine! If you go back to the same restaurant, they never forget a face.

In fact the locals admire the English, and will often chat to you and ask lots of questions about London. They like it also when you attempt to speak Portuguese, like ‘Obrigade’ (for a woman) and ‘Obrigad’ (for a man) which means ‘thank you’. Try it if you are venturing to this beautiful country.

Hopefully this is where I’ll retire when I’m old! It’s somewhere I am very fond of, and I will return year after year as it will always be special to me.