The Algarve and its houses by the sea
The Algarve keeps its luxury on the central coast, where the ocher cliffs break into coves between Lagoa and Albufeira.
Luxury hotels in Algarve
3 hotels
Vila Vita Parc
Five-star · Porches & Armação de Pêra
The Algarve's grand resort since 1992, on the cliffs of Alporchinhos above its own coves near Porches.
From $700 per night
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Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
Four-star · Portimão & Praia da Rocha
A 19th-century family residence on the rock above Praia da Rocha, renovated without a scorched-earth overhaul.
From $350 per night
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Vila Joya
Four-star · Albufeira & Galé
One of the Algarve's smallest and poshest escapes, a Moorish-style former private home on the Galé beach at Albufeira.
From $600 per night
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The Algarve keeps its luxury on the central coast, where the ocher cliffs break into coves between Lagoa and Albufeira. We list three houses in three places, from the cliffs of Porches to the beaches of Albufeira and Praia da Rocha: a grand resort on its own clifftop at Alporchinhos above Armação de Pêra, a Moorish villa turned house-hotel on the Galé beach, and a 19th-century family residence on the rock above Praia da Rocha at Portimão. None of the three is more than forty-five minutes from Faro Airport, with a concierge behind every stay.
“Because the resort has been one of the Algarve's most luxurious getaways since it opened in 1992 and keeps renovating, with whitewashed buildings of rooms, suites and villas on parquet floors in blue and white, terraces to the sea or the flower gardens, hand-painted pottery from Porches, Portugal's first Sisley spa, a golf course, a beach club, six bars and ten restaurants including the two-star Ocean, and clifftop villas with infinity pools.”
From our editors · Vila Vita Parc
The neighborhoods
Porches & Armação de Pêra
The cliffs and coves between Lagoa and Albufeira, with the pottery village of Porches on the hill. Armação de Pêra's long beach lies below, and the grottoes of Benagil are a short boat ride west.
Albufeira & Galé
The Algarve's busiest resort town and, to its west, the quieter beach of Galé. Galé has dunes and a few villas among the pines, and the coast road runs on toward Porches.
Portimão & Praia da Rocha
The western Algarve's town, with the wide sand of Praia da Rocha under its rock. The marina sits on the Arade estuary, and Alvor and Lagos lie beyond.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in the Algarve?
One. The five-star hotel we list in the Algarve is Vila Vita Parc, the clifftop resort at Alporchinhos near Porches. Two more houses hold four-star standing: Vila Joya, the Moorish villa on the Galé beach at Albufeira, and Bela Vista Hotel & Spa, the 19th-century residence above Praia da Rocha at Portimão. Each has its own page, reachable from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of the Algarve should I stay in?
Porches and Armação de Pêra for the cliffs, the coves and a resort that is a destination in itself, half an hour from Faro; Albufeira and Galé for the long beach and a small house-hotel above the sand, forty minutes from the airport; Portimão and Praia da Rocha for the wide town beach, the marina and the western Algarve toward Lagos, forty-five minutes. The three are within half an hour of each other along the coast road.
When is the best time to visit the Algarve?
May, June, September and October for a warm sea, open terraces and room on the beaches; July and August are peak, when the villas and the beach clubs fill and the roads slow; November to March is mild and green, with golf, the coast to yourself and some restaurants closed until spring.
How do I get to the Algarve — and do I need a visa?
Faro Airport takes direct flights from the United Kingdom, Ireland and every major European city, with seasonal services from North America, and is thirty to forty-five minutes from every house we list; Lisbon is under three hours by highway. Portugal is in the Schengen area: citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile enter without a visa for short stays, and others should check the Portuguese consulate before booking. A car or the hotel's transfer is the way between the three towns.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
