Central Algarve

Central Algarve stretches from Albufeira to Faro with Vilamoura, Quarteira and Quinta do Lago as natural hubs. The golf courses are plentiful here: classics such as Vila Sol, the Dom Pedro golf courses (Old Course, Pinhal, Laguna, Millennium, Victoria) and Quinta do Lago. Vilamoura's marina offers restaurants, shops and a vibrant atmosphere, and the beaches are wide and gently sloping.

Vilamoura is the hub: from the marina you can walk to Praia da Falésia and reach several of the golf courses without a car. Loulé, a quarter of an hour inland, is home to the Algarve's best market hall, and Faro with its old town and the Ria Formosa lagoon is just twenty minutes to the east. The season runs year-round – winter brings green fairways, mild evenings and a great selection of open restaurants when the rest of Europe closes down.