13 Best Hotels in the Algarve for Dreamy Beach Escapes
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Ah, the Algarve… the long expanses of burnt butter sands, blue waters washing against golden limestone cliffs; the smell of sizzling fresh fish, drizzled with local olive oil, and the clack-clacking of storks sitting atop the squat olive trees that border the winding roads. There is a wealth of magic in this region, of hidden beaches where fishermen still mend their nets, small white-washed Portuguese villages where the only sound is that of the sonorous church bell, and vineyards where you can stay to taste the wine from the vines around you, immersing yourself in the terroir. And then there is the lively Algarve, where warm nights are filled with music, cocktails, and beach parties, and days with surfing or riding. There is something for everyone in this region, and below are the best hotels in the Algarve to stay at.
How we choose the best hotels in the Algarve
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve.
hotelFour Seasons Fairways, Quinta de Lago
$$This is not a Four Seasons; it’s a terracotta-roofed, tiered gathering of mini villas and apartments, which cluster around a main pool and clubhouse and then drift down the hill towards the tennis courts. The grounds are immaculate: palm trees and flat-topped umbrella pines, as well as carob, olive, fig, almond, and lemon, plus a very old cork tree borders lawns that have been intensely manicured (like the surrounding fairways). This part of the Algarve is more golf course than countryside, after all. But if hitting the tees is not your thing, don’t be put off. The lay of the land here works brilliantly for a family holiday. The beaches nearby are terrific. And the beach restaurants are too.
Every room is a villa; the smallest are two-bedroom apartments with hot tubs on the terrace. The biggest have three bedrooms and swimming pools. Everyone has a gas-fired barbecue, and if you can’t face a supermarket trip, you can order sausages, chicken, steak, shrimp, etc, from the restaurant to pop straight onto the grill. The full kitchens are better equipped than any house we’ve ever rented. There are two on-site restaurants in case cooking doesn't appeal. —Issy von Simson
Casa Arte, Lagos
This is the antithesis of many people's idea of the Algarve, a tiny gem with crisp white lines on a country hillside far from the coastal crowds. It's the kind of place that feels like it's dropped off the edge of the world, where days come suffused with heat-induced idleness. Charming Lagos, with its ancient churches and golden coves, is a few miles away, but it's simply too hard to leave the shade of Casa Arte's gnarled olive tree near the swimming pool. Active children can vanish into the large gardens to play when they have wrinkled in the water. The house was built as a private home by an English architect in the late 1970s, so there are only five bedrooms, but they're dotted about like dazzling sugar cubes, each one topped with the region's characteristic terracotta shingles and latticed chimney pots. Rounded windows and doorframes punctuate the smooth, whitewashed walls. Floors and stairs are sun-burnished polished concrete with black, white, and gray tiled detail. Simple bedrooms lead into oversized bathrooms—four have showers only—with stone basins, fluffy dressing gowns, Ex Voto Paris ginger and sweet jasmine soaps, and cots are available on request. A few rooms interconnect for families, but the savviest groups hook up with friends and take the whole place. For more options, visit our guide to the best Airbnbs in Portugal. —Issy von Simson
hotelVila Joya
Readers' Choice Awards 2023This gem of a private villa with just 13 rooms is one of the Algarve’s best-kept secrets, but has long been a favorite of the cognoscenti. Perched on a clifftop, it is ridiculously romantic, and its breezy, beautiful setting will pull you back time and time again. Food is memorable, from the two Michelin-star restaurant with elegant dishes such as John Dory with seaweed and beurre blanc, to the fun, buzzy and very cool Vila Joya Sea on the beach, where sushi jostles with tiradito behind raw coir rope blinds and cocktails from amber mojito to smoked & tasty are shaken up as sundowners.
Pine Cliffs Hotel, a Luxury Collection Resort, AlgarvehotelPine Cliffs Hotel, a Luxury Collection Resort
With its pretty whitewashed villas and hand-painted tiling, this wonderful resort set amid luscious gardens of rosemary, Birds of Paradise, and parasol pine forests could not be more convenient for a sun-drenched sojourn. Only 40 minutes from Faro, contented children and lithe-looking sportspeople hold the fort in equal measure. The landscaped estate boasts its own nine-hole golf course, including the infamous Devil’s Parlour—a shot taken over a ravine—with a spectacular setting overlooking a sweeping beach. This provides the picturesque location for its Mare restaurant—don’t miss the seabass ceviche topped with crunchy corn.
At the resort, you can indulge or rein in equally—the lemon-scented courtyard offers up raw food salads and ginger shots in its Zest restaurant and syrupy espressos in MIMO, while the Pescador restaurant serves woodfired catch of the day and blush red shrimp. Children play captain in the Pirata kids club—a 4000-square-foot wonderland, while adults hone their racquet skills at the Annabel Croft Tennis academy. The Serenity spa delivers expert deep tissue massage and thermal baths. The two-bedroom Ocean Suites have the edge for families, but with numerous offerings, from single rooms to sprawling villas, there is something to suit every traveler. —Jemima Sissons
Alex ReytoCasa Brava
Hidden in the undulating landscape of the Barrocal, removed from the madding crowds of some of Portugal’s most popular beach towns, a community of hoteliers is pursuing a quiet shift in the traditional perspective of the Algarve, swapping sand and sea for slowness and simplicity. Leaders of the movement are Marco and Julie Pinto, who were both born to Portuguese parents and moved here from Paris five years ago to renovate a crumbling old farm. Now also consultants in sustainability and olive oil soap producers, they rebuilt it as Casa Brava, an eco B&B with an organic vegetable garden flanked by unbroken thyme fields.
Three former animal stone barns were reimagined as restful rustic retreats filled with repurposed objects sourced from the region’s vintage markets. Sun-speckled terraces—perfect for vegan breakfasts in the morning or a glass of organic wine in the evening—face the biological pool filtered by plants and river stones and trimmed with humming lavender. Nearby is the lively town of Loulé, where locals congregate on Saturday for the weekly ritual of gossip, almond tarts, and shots of medronho brandy at dive bar O Postigo. The slow life here is alive and well, passed into the hands of new custodians who repurpose ancient rituals in a conscious effort to create an alternative and altogether more sustainable future for the Algarve. —Sarah Allard
Francisco NogueiraCasas da Quinta de Cima
The nine little cottages (with a bedroom, sitting room with a kitchenette, bathroom, and large terrace) on this farm estate offer space and tranquility in the deeply rural eastern Algarve. The beach is a walk away, through orange and lemon trees, past the swimming pool and the prettiest honesty bar ever. Interiors mix luxury touches with retro design and pleasing overall simplicity. From here, you can ride to nearby Cacela Velha in time for their fresh haul of oysters, which you can eat in the shade of the old church bell tower, while your horse waits. Nightly rates include breakfast.
hotelHotel Bela Vista
$$$Set in a turn-of-the-century villa overlooking the magnificent Praia de Rocha beach, this jewel of a hotel has preserved its original stained glass, hand-painted tiles, and carved wooden staircase, but contemporary decor by Portugal’s acclaimed designer Graça Viterbo weaves bold blues and pop yellows into the whole, creating a jaunty, seaside feel. There is a swimming pool framed by slender palm trees, a L’Occitane Spa, and a one-star Michelin restaurant by Chef João Oliveira, which deserves to be two stars. Try his dish of tomatoes, basil, and camomile with a sorbet of roasted yellow peppers to see what I mean.
Samuel ElkinsCasa Mãe
More for urban lovers than beach bums, although the beach is only a hop, skip, and jump away, Casa Mãe has a young and vibrant buzz to it. There is an all-day restaurant serving local, artisan-sourced cheeses and hams alongside typical regional fare like octopus and squid with fresh herbs and vegetables brought in from the hotel’s own (extensive) garden. The 34 rooms come in three different categories, from cabanas near the swimming pool, complete with hammocks and outside showers, to elegant heritage rooms with vintage furniture in the main 19th-century house, and contemporary rooms in the Jogo de Bola with futon beds on terracotta floors.
Martinhal
Nowhere else does family fun as well as this flagship of the child-centric Martinhal brand. Situated on the very west of the Algarve, the hotel overlooks the little beach of Martinhal, where teens can paddleboard whilst toddlers play in the sand. Comprising 38 hotel rooms, townhouses, and villas with private pools—the swimming pools are scattered throughout the resort alongside tennis courts, bikes to ride, and three dedicated kids' clubs. For screen addicts, there is a blue room with PlayStations galore, and family films featured nightly. Best of all, perhaps, is the Baby Concierge who prepares everything you need for little ones before you arrive, allowing you that elusive rest.
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Oliveira MilenarMorgado do Quintão
This much-loved family winery, now run by the fourth generation of the same family, has recently opened three small cottages and four bedrooms in the renovated main house to tourists who wish to make it their Algarvean base. Clean and cool with muted colors and a simple, period charm, these houses dotted around the estate are blissfully free of televisions but come with enticing swimming pools. At their center is a magnificent 2,000-year-old olive tree under which farmers’ lunches and wine tastings are a regular occurrence.
Vila Monte
There is plenty of charm here with courtyards filled with fountains and orange trees and gardens overflowing with bounty for the kitchen. Just 55 rooms are dotted around the lush gardens, their design paying homage to the region’s Moorish heritage with high ceilings lined with straw reeds and the characteristic latticed chimney pots. White-washed bedrooms have driftwood branches where colorful kaftans for the beach hang alongside straw hats. Two swimming pools, a tennis court, and a gym are there for the active, and a shuttle bus takes you to the nearest beach. Evenings are given over to al fresco cinema and delicious dishes at the rustic Terra Restaurant.
Gianni Dal MagrohotelVila Vita Parc
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024This is the grand dame of the Algarve’s resorts, with something for everyone. Private yacht with which to set sail on the seas? Check. Two Michelin-starred restaurant? Check. Extraordinary wine cellar? Tick. The country’s only Sisley Spa? Check. Brilliant kids club? Check. And so, it goes on. The choice of restaurants is huge, ranging from Michelin star dining at Ocean, where you really must try Chef Hans Neuner’s sublime dishes, to traditional Portuguese favorites at Adega, Japanese teppanyaki and sushi at Mizu, and tuna tartare and salmon poke bowls, next to the infinity pool at Whale. They have their own private beach, great shops, and tip-top service throughout the 202 rooms and villas dotted around the 54 acres of sub-tropical garden.
Yves GarneauThe W Algarve
The W plays to its own beat. DJ booths—clad in iridescent mermaid scales, obviously—can be found on the wet deck by the (heated) pool, in the W Lounge where the decor of turquoise and mirrors mimics the glinting Algarvian coast, and up at the rooftop Sea Sky Bar. Try the homemade cheese ravioli with Piedmont truffle cream in chic restaurant Paper Moon, or indulge in a lobster and crab roll at the W Lounge Bar. In between times, stroll to the beach, dip your toes in your private plunge pool, or head to the spa for a serious make-over before dancing the night away.
This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK.
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