Vilamoura Holiday Review – Here’s Everything I Did

Vilamoura is a lovely holiday resort set in the beautiful Algarve region of Portugal. Not only does it have lovely beaches, it also has lots of green areas, golf courses, great hotels and a marina.

Check out my Vilamoura holiday review for everything you need to plan your own trip

Vilamoura

Vilamoura Holiday

(If you want a bit more detail check out my article ‘Is Vilamoura Worth Visiting?

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Is Vilamoura Safe?

Is Vilamoura Expensive?

My Solo Female Holiday in Vilamoura

Vilamoura Holidays

Getting There From the UK

The main airport in the Algarve is Faro Airport. It’s set a little outside the town of Faro, which is worth a visit if you get the time.

Jet2 has lots of holidays flying into Faro. Given the popularity of Algarve holidays, it’s no surprise to see plenty of flight availability.

Skyscanner currently has direct flights listed to Faro from the UK flying from the following airports;

• Doncaster
• London
• Aberdeen
• Bristol
• Newquay
• Belfast
• Cardiff
• Liverpool
• Manchester
• Birmingham
• Nottingham
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Leeds
• Newcastle
• Bournemouth

Cheapest flights for the upcoming year currently range from ?19 to ?73 one way.

Faro Airport is small and therefore easy to navigate.

The flight time is 2 hours and 50 minutes from Luton.

Below are flights from London to Faro Airport.

You can also travel to Faro from the UK by bus and train.

You will need to drive, take a local bus, get a taxi or a transfer to get from Faro to Vilamoura.

Get all the details in my ‘How to Get to Vilamoura’ post.

Holidays to Vilamoura

Weather During the Year

Check out the weather in Vilamoura throughout the year.

Given Vilamoura is on the coast there is also the cooling breeze coming off the Atlantic to consider too.

Here are the sunny hours for the Algarve region of Portugal.

Below is the current weather for the Algarve region of Portugal.

Vilamoura Holidays

Vilamoura Location

Vilamoura is located in the Algarve region of Portugal on the South Coast of the country.

It is on the mainland.

Vilamoura Holiday

Hiring a Car at Faro Airport

For our Vilamoura holiday, we hired a car from Faro airport.

We hired it from Goldcar and I have to say it was a pretty grim experience collecting the car. Firstly, there was quite a long delay. At the collection desk, the reservation agent was pretty grumpy that I wasn’t taking the car hire excess insurance cover, but that’s because I always buy a policy in advance which is much cheaper.

Having received the keys I went out to find the car which had a large number of scratches and dings. Given that no one had come out with me to the car I took photos and headed back into the office to let them know about the state of the car – I didn’t fancy a large bill at the end of the hire period. Again there was another long queue.

After what seemed like a very long time we finally got the keys and headed off to our hotel.

Check car hire prices for companies at Faro Airport

Holidays to Vilamoura

Check out Where I Stayed

I stayed for one night at the 4 star Vilamoura Garden Hotel. It was great value, with a lovely pool and nice public areas. It was also great value – 250 pounds in a suite for 4 nights, for 2 including flights (2018 prices)

Check out my more detailed review of the Vilamoura Garden Hotel

I then stayed at the Pestana Vila Sol, a lovely 5 star resort hotel beside a golf course. I loved this hotel and enjoyed the lovely grounds and bungalow-type accommodation.

Check out my review of the Pestana Vila Sol

Holidays to Vilamoura Portgual

Hotels in Vilamoura

There are lots of great accommodation choices in Vilamoura.

You might find my article, where to stay in Vilamoura, useful if you want more choices. There are a couple of lovely 5 star resorts, and great self catering options too.

You can also browse this map of Vilamoura which shows hotels and self catering properties.

Vilamoura Holidays

Things to Do in Vilamoura

Vilamoura is a small resort set in the Algarve area of Portugal.

It is 25km from Faro airport.

Vilamoura is popular with golfers and it has a marina area with restaurants, cafes, and shops around it. A Vilamoura holiday gives you a great location to get to everything in the Algarve area with a slightly quieter feel compared to other locations in the Algarve.

Vilamoura has plenty of things to do and is within easy reach of all the main attractions of the Algarve area.

Holidays in Vilamoura

Museo De Cerro Villa

I decided to spend some time exploring Vilamoura itself. My first stop was the Museo De Cerro Villa, where you could visit Roman remains. The remains are actually of two Roman villas, and date from the time that the Romans were in their heyday in the area, around 27BC.

There is a small museum next to the remains themselves with some interesting interpretation boards. It was very quiet when I visited, with me as the only visitor until a school group arrived.

Looking around the museum and the site took just over 1 hour.

The entry fee was 3 Euros and the museum is open in the mornings and the afternoons with a lunch break in the middle of the day.

Holiday in Vilamoura

Vilamoura Marina

The Marina was quite quiet, given the time of year I guess as I was there in November.

By the number of restaurants, it was clearly a busy place in the summer season, with all sorts of cuisines available.

Given the fewer restaurants available I took a wander around the old streets and shops.

I then headed further along the marina and found a hairdresser where I got my haircut. It was, as it always is when having a haircut abroad, an interesting experience and I learned a bit about local life.

Holidays Vilamoura Portugal

Walking from the Pestana Vila Sol

I decided to spend a day exploring on foot so headed out of the Pestana resort to try and reach the local town. I walked South and headed through lots of holiday accommodation, these seemed to be mainly holiday villas.

There were a couple of restaurants and shops along the way before I reached the Pingo Doce supermarket.

From there I headed along the road, which several people seemed to do as there was no pavement. This was slightly terrifying given the speed of the drivers!

This brought me down to the fish market area of Quarteria and the beach. I have to say I wasn’t such a fan of this area. It was popular with visitors in the summer so after having some breakfast I headed back to the hotel.

On the way, I found a nice coffee at the Vila Sol Cafe. It was so nice I went back for breakfast the next day!

Holidays to Portugal Vilamoura

Heading Out to the Beach from Vilamoura

For my final day in Vilamoura, I decided to head out in the car again.

I headed out to Praia Do Almargen which is a local sandy beach popular with locals. It had a cafe right on the beach which I was looking forward to visiting.

The beach was reached by travelling down a tiny, bumpy, and potholed road. There were little farms along the way together with plenty of cats!

Unfortunately, the cafe was closed due to it being November but it was still nice to see the views.

I looked for somewhere to eat but couldn’t find anything that suited me, so I headed back to the hotel after stopping off at Pingo Doce and getting in some things to eat and drink so I could spend the rest of the day relaxing on my lounger with nice snacks and drinks!

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What To Do In Vilamoura

Day Trips from Vilamoura

Holidays to Vilamoura

Vilamoura Holiday Video

Vilamoura Holiday FAQs

Vilamoura Holidays

Some Other Places to Visit

I’ve been lucky enough to take several Algarve holidays, but also to take guests on Algarve holidays when doing tours of Portugal.

It’s a really interesting part of the country with lots to discover including;

The Eastern part of the Algarve – Tavira, Olhau, and the Ria Formosa area. Lovely beaches, lovely town, and nice markets too! There are some good spots for birdwatching – I still remember seeing a Hoopoe from the coach when in this area.

The Western end of the Algarve Sagres is very interesting, particularly the maritime school set up by Henry the Navigator. Lagos is also lovely with a very interesting museum and a very pretty town centre. It’s well worth a day at least.

Loule is lovely and on Saturdays, they have a large market sprawling through the town centre with both gypsy and farmers markets. There are lovely restaurants and the market hall building is lovely too. It’s a great place to pick up some treats and souvenirs at the same time.

If you do want to get out into the hills then why not do a circular route like I did? It’s easy to drive and you are bound to find some interesting villages along the way.

Vilamoura Holidays Conclusion

• Vilamoura is a fantastic spot in the Algarve within easy reach of Faro airport.
• It is ideal for those looking for a less busy resort in the Algarve, that has beautiful resort hotels.

Vilamoura is undeniably a fantastic destination for a holiday. From its abundance of green spaces to its family-friendly atmosphere, this Portuguese gem has something for everyone.

Further Reading

If you found this Vilamoura Holiday article useful then you might like;

Is Vilamoura Worth Visiting?

How to Get to Vilamoura

Is Vilamoura Expensive?

Is Vilamoura Safe?

My Solo Female Holiday in Vilamoura

Where to Stay in Vilamoura

Pestana Vila Sol Review

Vilamoura Garden Hotel Review

What To Do in Vilamoura

Day Trips from Vilamoura

You can find more ideas for trips to the Algarve on my Portugal page

Further Reading