Coastal splendour
01-Apr-08
The Algarve has always been able to woo the luxury market, and its upmarket status is likely to be boosted further now that celebrities such as Madonna and Sir Cliff Richard, who owns a vineyard, have taken up residence there.
Almost two million people from the UK visited the Algarve in 2007, and the area's promotions bureau is currently focusing on the 'Algarve Programme' - a schedule of festivals, events and golf tournaments - to continue to stimulate the thirst for upmarket holidays (www.algarve.pt).
A total of 70% of those travelling to Portugal venture south in search of the sun. At the outer fringes, including agres, Olhao and Tavira, the towns and villages have retained their original character. Operator Sunvil Discovery pays particular attention to this less populated area.
Product manager Rosanna Melaragni says: "Around Sagres, the coastline is dotted with more than 20 beaches. There is also a breeding ground for Common dolphins just off the coast of Capo de Sao Vicente and the mammals are frequently visible in the waters. Along the south eastern coastline, the fishing port of Olhao and the charming whitewashed town of Tavira are worthy of a visit, while the Pousada Convento da Graca, a restored 16th-century convent, is the perfect base for exploring the region," she adds.
Conrad Hotels & Resorts is set to open its first resort hotel in Europe in the Algarve at Quinta do Lago. Billed as a six-star property, it will open in 2010 with 158 guest rooms; it will be Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC)'s second resort in the area, including the Hilton Vilamoura As Cascatas Golf Resort and Spa, which opened last July. Wolfgang Neumann, area president of HHC Europe, says: "Tourism in the region is set to grow from EUR5bn (£3.8bn) to more than EUR7bn (£5.3bn) over the next seven years. We believe the Conrad will cater for the demand for luxury accommodation in this destination."
Raul Carrajola Araujo, assistant director of sales and marketing for Hoteis Real group, says: " Raising the standard of hotel accommodation will bring better business to the area and increase our reputation as a luxury destination."
According to the Algarve's promotion bureau, the run-up to 2012 will see the launch of 18 golf courses, 20 spas and 18 five-star properties. Former England football manager Sven Goran Eriksson is behind a £37m project featuring three hotels, an 8,000-seater football stadium, a golf course/academy, tennis courts, spa and a horse-riding centre. Construction of the Centro Internacional de Estagios Desportivos project is due to start this year near Lagos, with a completion date of 2010.
The current £150m construction of a Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit between Portimao and Mexilhoeira Grande will include a five-star hotel and spa complex from the Hadison Group alongside 160 luxury holiday apartments.
The region now boasts 20 direct flights a day to Faro from UK airports, operated by carriers such as British Airways, GB Airways, Monarch and national airline TAP Portugal.
The island of Porto Santo, the archipelago of Madeira, will see a new spa and golfing destination with three five-star properties: Pestana Porto Santo opened in April; Colombo's Beach & Spa Resort (opening Autumn) and footballer Christiano Ronaldo is said to be opening a five-star property in 2009. Atlantic Holidays is launching a seasonal direct flight from Gatwick to Porto Santo from May to October this year.
WHAT'S NEW TO DO
Sample cuisine from 12 world-renowned and Michelin-starred chefs at the annual Tribute to Claudia gastronomic festival. In January each year, Chef Dieter Koschina teams with other food alumni to pay tribute to the founder of Albufeira's Vila Joya hotel, Claudia Jung, who has Portugal's only two Michelin starred restaurant. Each day, a new, seven-dish menu is available from one of the chosen chefs. The cost varies between £134 and £187.
www.vilajoya.com
Learn to cook Portuguese style. At the Refugio da Vila Rural Hotel and Cooking School, located in Portel - a small town outside Evora - guests are taught how to cook traditional Portuguese cuisine by using fresh local ingredients (centre). A typical programme offered by operator EHS Travel, combines sightseeing tours and activities. Guests stay in a Villa manor house and work in a kitchen that opens on to a courtyard. One week costs £1,750 per person.
www.ehstravel.co.uk
Walk the vineyards of rural Portugal. The Douro Vineyard Walk is planned from 11-17 May 2008. Guests will visit famous estates such as Noval & Warre's Cavadinha and Quintas such as Quinta do Portal, Fojo and do Vale D Maria. The walk continues up the valley into the Douro Superior above the main Port vineyards, and includes visits to the towns of Favios and Lamego. Numerous tastings are combined with superb food and wine each evening and a picnic lunch en route each day. From £1,299pp.
www.winetours.co.uk
Recommend a yoga week at one of the world's best thalassotherapy centres - the Vilalara resort. One week of yoga, treatments in the largest spa on the Algarve, wellbeing seminars and workshops plus full-board costs from £1,459 per head.
www.blueandgreenhotels.com
Play on a championship golf course. Algarve Select is offering a golf package to the luxurious Boavista Golf Resort in Lagos. The seven-night offer includes apartment accommodation, a four-share estate car hire and four rounds of golf at Boavista golf club. The 18-hole championship-standard course has two distinctive sections and is set against a backdrop of the Atlantic, offering panoramic views. The package runs until 31 May and costs £339 per person.
www.algarveselect.com
Encourage clients to visit Europe's largest Oceanarium. Located at Parque das Nacoes, Lisbon's Oceanarium has 8,000 animals and plants and 5,000 species of fish. There's also a shopping centre, bars and restaurants and a programme of events throughout the year. Entry is around £7.50pp.
www.oceanario.pt
HOTELS
Throughout Portugal, upmarket options and unique spa facilities are plentiful, but it's those with idyllic views along the craggy coastline that are upping the ante in preparation for what is being billed as the first six-star hotel to arrive in the region.
- The Vilalara Thalassa Resort, dedicated to wellbeing and the senses, is under new ownership after rebranding from a Sofitel to the Blue & Green portfolio (www.blueandgreenhotels.com). Ideally suited for guests who wish to detoxify, treatments range from seaweed and mud to cellulite and lymph drainage.
- Other Blue & Green properties include the Lake Spa Resort in Vilamoura - favoured by BMW Motorrad for its recent international sales conference. It's close to the marina and Falesia Beach and boasts unique and exclusive spa treatments themed around the five continents (www.thelakeresort.com). There's also the Troia Design Hotel located on a peninsula between the Atlantic and the Sado River, an hour's drive from Lisbon airport. Its location is a privileged vantage point for observing the dolphins and white seagulls that inhabit the peninsula.
- Other unique spa treatments introduced to the Algarve region include foam massage at Suites Alba Resort & Spa (www.suitesalbaresort.com).
- At Vila Joya in Albufeira, a wine cellar is being built to accompany the only restaurant in Portugal with two Michelin stars (www.vilajoya.com). At Vila Vita Parc, refurbishments have occurred across 29 rooms in the 60-acre resort (www.vilavitahotels.com).
- At Quinto do Lago, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, bathroom tiling throughout the premium rooms has been upgraded to marble and plans are afoot for 2009 improvements to the spa.
- Elsewhere, Hoteis Real has just become a part of Leading Hotels of the World through the Grande Real Villa Italia Hotel & Spa, which opened last April. The Hoteis Real Group is now planning two more hotels - the Real Marina Hotel & Spa in Olhao and the Grande Real Quinta do Barao in Carcavelos by 2010 (www.hoteisreal.com).
BEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE
- Royal Suite
Quinto do Lago, Almancil, Algarve
Client fit: Nature enthusiasts and twitchers.
Why: Set amid 2,000 acres of rolling hills and pine woodlands, this hotel was favoured and frequented by Pavarotti. The Royal Suite has its own private pool.
Price: From £1,346 per night during the golf season, or £2,042 at the height of summer.
Contact: www.quintodolagohotel.com
- Presidential Suite
Hilton Vilamoura, As Cascatas Golf Resort & Spa
Client fit: Golf fanatics.
Why: The 18-hole Pinhal golf course, designed by Frank Pennink, is on the hotel's doorstep, with five more championship courses in Vilamoura itself.
Price: From £793 per night.
Contact: www.higvc.co.uk/vilamoura
- Royal Suite Count of Valencas
Lapa Palace hotel, Lisbon
Client fit: For those who like to mix with aristocracy.
Why: The suite has been furnished with fittings recovered from the original 19th-century decor.
Price: From £1,683 per night.
Contact: www.lapapalace.com
- Suite Grande Real
Grande Real Santa Eulalia, Albufeira, Algarve
Client fit: For those wishing to sample customer service where nothing is too much trouble.
Why: Part of the Hoteis Real Portugal group, the hotel boasts two uniquely designed top suites that reflect the versatile nature of the five-star property.
Price: From £442 up to £1,000 per night in summer.
Contact: www.hoteisreal.com
- Presidential Suite
Vila Vita Parc, Porches, Algarve
Client fit: Guests who enjoy spacious surroundings.
Why: A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, the property, set on 200,000sq m grounds, has two villas with two Presidential and two Grande suites in each. The resort's wine cellar boasts more than 10,000 bottles.
Price: From £561 per night or £3,763 per night for the whole villa.
Contact: www.vilavitaparc.com
WHERE TO EAT & DRINK
- Restaurante Belvedere
Near the coastal town of Cascais
Setting: Within the grounds of the five-star Grande Real Villa Italia hotel and spa.
Chef details: Paulo Pinto specialises in Portuguese and Mediterranean gourmet cuisine.
Best dish: Baked sea bass with grilled green asparagus.
Best table: On the balcony for a five-star sea view.
Contact: www.hoteisreal.com
- Ocean
Vila Vita Parc, Porches on the Algarve
Setting: Within 60 acres of beautiful gardens.
Chef details: Austrian Hans Neuner has worked at a number of top restaurants including London's Dorchester.
Best dish: The food is French progression with a modern touch. Neuner recommends the fish speciality of the day.
Best table: On the terrace or in the corner by the entrance
Contact: www.vilavitaparc.com
- Le Club
Albufeira
Setting: This uber-cool nightspot, bar and restaurant has two entrances - one from the road and the other, via the grounds of the Grande Real Santa Eulalia Resort & Hotel Spa, exclusively for guests. It overlooks the majestic coastline of the Algarve.
Chef details: Patricio Frederico.
Best dish: Porcini mushrooms and truffle risotto followed by sauteed salmon filet with potato crust, spinach, endives and champagne sauce.
Best table: Table 38 on the terrace with views out over the Atlantic.
Contact: www.leclubsantaeulalia.com
- Restaurante Casa Paixanito
Between Loule and Serra do Caldeirao
Setting: Within the lively environment of a rustic house, 40 different types of petisco - the Portuguese answer to tapas - are served.
Chef details: Orlando.
Best dish: Cheese dishes and traditional Portuguese meats and fish including partridge and mackerel.
Best table: Table for two near to the fire.
Contact: 00351 289 412775
- Henrique Leis
Almancil, in the Quinta do Lago region
Setting: An intimate Swiss chalet boasting one Michelin star.
Chef details: Henrique Leis serves international French cuisine.
Best dish: The salad of quails followed by crispy breast of guinea fowl stuffed with wild mushrooms and pata negra ham.
Best table: In the centre of the restaurant.
Contact: 00351 289 393438
INSIDER'S GUIDE - DOUG MATHIESON, HEAD OF PRODUCT AND COMMERCIAL, CADOGAN HOLIDAYS
There's a five-star property that opened last October on the still relatively unknown beach town of Carvoeiro in the Western Algarve. Owned by Portuguese footballer Luis Figo, the Suites Alba Resort & Spa (www.suitesalbaresort.com) is anything but 'footballers' wives'. It is a smallish boutique property and incredibly luxurious, but in an understated way. The rooms are all suites and it has a great spa, a secluded beach, access to plenty of golf and some quirky added extras such as a butler and sommelier service to prepare meals in your fully equipped kitchen. It also has a wine cellar available for tastings or private dining.
For more 'off the beaten track' destinations in Portugal try the Douro Valley in the Beira Alta region. One hotel that has caught my attention is called Aquapura (www.aquapurahotels.com). It perfectly combines wellness and the outdoors. Set among vineyards, the focus is on health beyond a basic spa break. I believe it's a trend that will grow in the coming years.
My final tip is Convento do Espinheiro, Heritage Hotel & Spa, part of The Luxury Collection by Starwood (www.conventodoespinheiro.com). This converted convent - dating back to the 15th century - is situated in the historical city of Evora in the Alantejo region. It's a luxurious 59-room property with masses of character. We know about the fincas in Spain, but I believe there's now a growing trend towards historical conversions in Portugal.
www.cadoganholidays.com
PORTUGAL FACTS
Currency: Euro
Flight time: Two hours, 30 minutes from London
Time zone: (+1) GMT
International dialling code: +351
Electricity/plug: Two-point
Vaccinations: None required.
Best time to visit: Golf season is February to the end of April.
Golf courses: 30
Average temperature: During the golf season, temperatures remain at around 16 degsF with water temperatures between 15 and 19 degsF. In the height of summer, temperatures can soar to 35 degsF outside and 24 degsF in the ocean.
FOCUS ON MADEIRA
During the past couple of years, the reputation of a 35-mile long stretch of island stranded alone in the Atlantic has undergone something of an overhaul. Madeira's unique selling points were its many historical monuments, picturesque gardens, squares and enchanting streets of the capital Funchal, which boasts a famous Farmers' Market. And it takes only 90 minutes to drive from one side of the island to the other. Now the Portuguese island, which is closer to Africa than it is to Europe, has earned itself a reputation for luxury five-star properties, adrenaline water sports (surfers should head for Porta da Cruz, canyon lovers to Ribeiro Frio), exquisite service and modern spas.
Five-star hotels on Madeira (of which there are 10) share the luxury traveller with quintas - mansions that have been transformed into luxurious, unique, yet intimate dwellings. The five-star Quinta da Casa Branca (www.quintacasabranca.pt) in Funchal began 2008 by being awarded two website awards. In addition, the hotel - which is celebrating its 10th anniversary on 21 June with upgrades completed to the swimming pool, restaurant and bedrooms - was ranked seventh in the top 10 list of best service hotels in Europe.
Quintinha de Sao Joao has started work on a three-treatment room extension to its spa offer and a second 12m heated outdoor swimming pool. (www.quintinhasaojoao.com). Also opening a swimming pool later this year to complement its 27-hole golf course is the four-star Quinta Serragolf (www.serragolf.com).
Flight time to Madeira is three hours, 40 minutes from London. Carriers include easyJet from Gatwick, Stansted and Bristol and TAP Portugal from Gatwick and Heathrow. Luxury operators include Prestige Holidays (www.prestigeholidays.co.uk) and Quintas da Madeira (www.quintas-madeira.com).
BUYER'S COMMENT - SALLY BOOTH, SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR, SEASONS IN STYLE
Portugal's Algarve region is a destination for discovery - from long golden beaches lapped by the Atlantic Ocean to championship golf courses. The area offers exceptional sporting facilities, yet for culture vultures and historians there are cobbled streets leading to medieval castles. All complemented by fine wines, especially their award-winning reds, gastronomical delights - of which seafood is a speciality - and a wonderful climate to boot.
There are an abundance of coastal resorts each different so I will choose three special ones to mention. First, Val do Lobo with its elegant beach and first-class golfing. The Le Meridien Dona Filipa Hotel is positioned just 200m from the beach and surrounded by wooded parkland. The hotel provides guests with a list of wonderful leisure facilities and exclusive use of the San Lorenzo golf course, (www.portugalvirtual.pt/_lodging/algarve/meridien.dona.filipa/ index.html).
Near to Porches is the deluxe, yet informal, resort of Vila Vita Parc & Spa. This Leading Hotels of the World property is perched on the clifftops amid undulating botanical gardens and provides a plethora of activities for families and a selection of accommodation: deluxe rooms, junior suites and two-bedroomed apartments, some of which are located just outside the boundary of the resort to provide extra privacy (www.vilavitaparc.com).
Another very stylish SLHW, Hotel Quinta do Lago is perfectly enhanced by its back-to-nature setting. The Ria Formosa nature sanctuary stands between this resort and the golden sand beach, the 10-minute walk past the bird-filled saltwater lagoons only adding to the sense that this is a very special corner of the world (www.quintadolagohotel.com).
With such sophisticated and luxurious resorts to choose from, this beautiful and fascinating destination is helped to maintain its reputation as one of southern Europe's most popular places to holiday.
www.seasonsinstyle.com.
