Welcome to Albufeira, centrally located in the Algarve region, a coastal paradise renowned for its fresh regional cuisine including some world-class restaurants offering breathtaking sea views. Explore charming wineries as close as 10 minutes drive away, where you can taste wines from the Algarve region, or travel a bit further into the Alentejo region where wine production is prominent. Enjoy a variety of water activities, from sailing and kayaking to paddleboarding and boat rides along pristine shores. Beyond the water, there are endless opportunities for adventure, including scenic hikes, cultural tours, horseback riding, ziplining and vibrant local markets. Whether you’re a foodie, a wine lover, or an outdoor enthusiast, Albufeira promises an unforgettable experience for every traveler. 

We are happy to share with you a few of our favorites. See selected photos in the Gallery!

SUPERMARKETS and GROCERIES

• Intermarche – 2 minute walk - R. do Cerro Grande, 8200-108 Albufeira
• Continente – 8 minutes by car in Albufeira – much larger selection of food and household goods - Rua do Município 32 Lote, 8200-161 Albufeira
• Continente – 15 minutes by car, located in the Algarve Shopping center in the town of Guia – larger than the Continente in Albufeira with a bigger selection of fresh fish and meats and other specialties - N125 Lanka Parque Comercial e Industrial do Algarve, Lote, R, Fração 3, 8200-417 Guia
• Apolonia – 15 minutes by car in the town of Galé – high end grocery store, with butcher, fish shop and other quality products. Galé, Sítio Vale do Rabelho - Urbanização Setobra, Lote 53, 8200-416 Albufeira. 
• Horta da Orada – Fresh vegetables farm to table – les than 10 minutes by car – Estr. do Vale 701H 8200, 8200-394 Albufeira

RESTAURANTS

• Our favorite restaurant is Sardinha. It is a wonderful place right on the beach serving excellent fresh fish. Pick the fish you like and they grill it up perfectly. You can spend some hours on the beach, eat lunch, go back to the beach. The kids can also play on the beach while the adults sit at the restaurant looking over them from comfortable chairs and a glass of wine in hand. Staff is great – super nice. It is about a 10 minute drive (that ends on a dirt road) so if you don’t have a car that would make it challenging, although a taxi can get your there quite easily. Tripadvisor link. http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g189112-d4491377-Reviews-Restaurante_A_Sardinha-Albufeira_Faro_District_Algarve.html
• Another one of our favorite restaurants is Pedras Amarelas. Again, pick your fish and they grill it up. Or choose from a nice menu. They have a roof deck with fantastic views and a bar over the sand facing a beautiful cove beach. A perfect spot for aperitif and/or dinner. You will need a car or taxi to get there – about 10 minutes drive. http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g189112-d1163037-Reviews-Pedras_Amarelas_Restaurante-Albufeira_Faro_District_Algarve.html
• Castello di Norcia – just a few minutes walk from the Villa toward the Marina. Great pizzas and pasta. Super nice staff. Beautiful deck overlooking the marina and the open seas. Friday nights they have live music and the guys playing are great and make it fun (to our liking anyway). The live music is seasonal. https://www.castellodinorcia.pt/
• Quinta da Saudade Restaurant, located in Guia, this is another one of our favorites for a non-ocean front dinner. The owner is Canadian and all of the staff are great. The restaurant sits in a community of private villas, where you can also do some horsebackriding. +351 968 842 700
• Restaurante Mira Campo – another inland restaurant not far from the villa. The restaurant itself doesn’t look like much, but the food is excellent, wine selection plentiful and the staff great. Much more local vibe here, and the prices are more local too! +351 937 636 070.
• Porto do Abrigo – enjoy some fresh fish right as you watch the fishing boats on the Albufeira Marina
• The Market Restaurant – an upscale restaurant and cocktail/wine bar on the 1st floor above the main street. Good people watching. http://www.themarketrestaurant.pt/
• Good high quality Japanese food at Pine Cliffs resort https://restaurantesyakuza.com/yakuza-algarve/
• A bit further away in Quarteira, La Cabane. Great octopus and baby squid, and the desserts are wonderful. +351 289 313 819 
• There are plenty of nice restaurants in Old Albufeira as well, which you can walk to. The Beach Basket is one that we like – great beach views.

We are true wine enthusiasts with a passion for exploring diverse vintages, regions, and flavors. Visiting vineyards from all over the world, we savor every tasting experience, constantly expanding our knowledge through appreciation of the art of winemaking. We are happy to share our discoveries with fellow wine lovers. Sorry, wine geeks, we are....

WINERIES

There are several nice wineries in the Algarve to visit. We are still making our way around to many of them. We suggest searching them on the internet and calling directly to make an appointment to ensure availability. Our favorite is Quinta dos Sentidos in Silves https://qds.pt/ . The owners are Beat and Charlotte and they are wonderful people. The wine is fantastic. Higher end products, including olive oil. Go for a tour and buy a few bottles. Tell them we sent you (Tony and Catherine), but only if you buy wine from them 😊.

WINES

We are generally red wine drinkers and enjoy wines from all over the world. A nice white is always great aperitif on the terrace, which can carry on through the grilled fish dinner. The Alentejo region, which is just north of the Algarve, has some of the best wines for the best value that we have seen. The Algarve also is making some excellent wine, although the price is noticeably higher. Vinho Verde? We don’t care for it, but maybe it is something to try anyway since it comes from Portugal.

Continente Supermarket often has some great wines on sale at up to 60% discount. We have discovered some great ones this way. But here are a few of our favorites:

1. Quinta dos Sentidos – Algarve. Owners Charlotte and Beat; great wines – higher end for Portugal (around 30 euro for the Tato), but worth it. Very cool story and winery visit!
2. Quinta do Frances – Algarve; great wines and a great winery visit, but a bit expensive compared to others
3. Monte Velho – excellent white and surprisingly inexpensive. We have left a bottle for you at the villa! We did not pick this one to leave for you because it is inexpensive – we picked it because it is what we drink when we are there, and we want to share with you what we enjoy.
4. Cartuxa – excellent red – higher end, around 23 euros
5. Quinta do Carmo – excellent red – around 21 euros
6. Quinta dos Vales – very nice winery visit. Recently drank their 2014 Duo Red and it was excellent, especially at the price of around 15 euro a bottle. 
7. Monte de Peceguina – they make an excellent red and white

ACTIVITIES

• Kayak in the caves of the Algarve. Our favorite place (because the guides are great and put on a great tour) is Lagos Adventure in Lagos (https://lagosadventure.com/en/...). Lagos is a beautiful town to visit, have lunch and do the kayak tour. There are plenty of other tours as well, including the Benagil caves.
• Sete Vales Suspensos or 7 Hanging Valleys hike. Round trip is about 2 hours. Nice hike over the stunning Algarve cliffs. At one end of this hike is a small beach where you can also take a kayak tour of the caves. https://www.algarve-tourist.co...
• Ziplining in the trees - Parque Aventura Albufeira. Great fun for all ages. Located 10-15 minutes from the villa https://maps.app.goo.gl/vjtZKMxhFWcLvuvG6
• Hosebackriding – Albufeira Riding Centre +351 961 269 526 https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZdyCMGnWG4SpxEL86
• Zoomarine – good day trip for the kids; Dolphin emotions is great and less expensive than most other places in the world. So if you want to do it, do it here. https://maps.app.goo.gl/jLkkpoKTtp2H9Gb46
• Praia dos Falesia – lots of sand – several km long; activity rentals such as surfing, body and paddle boarding, jet skis, great views, hiking on cliffs, depending where you enter the beach, there are snack bars and restaurants nearby. Voted best beach in the world by TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches
• Carvoeiro - one of the nicer towns not too far away to visit
• Ria Formosa lagoon natural park
• Sagres – visit the southwestern most point of Europe in less than 2 hours drive. Unbelievable views atop the cliffs, visit the old fort, hike, or even surf!