Consider a half day private tour to Lagos and Sagres. Lagos is Algarve’s most historical city, while Sagres, a key location in the Age of Discoveries, features the Sargres Point fortress. Another half day option is to Loule market on Saturdays which would give you the opportunity to visit one of the most important cities of the Algarvian country side and enjoy one of the biggest gipsy markets of Algarve. There is a gypsy market in Quarteira on Wednesdays which you could combine with a visit of Vilamoura marina, the largest marina in Europe. Full day tour options include visiting Lisbon or Seville. Please speak to your Sales Advisor if you are interested in adding any of these optional tours to your itinerary.
Avail of bicycle hire at the resort and explore the area at leisure. Bike hire can be done directly onsite.
There are a number of family friendly attractions nearby that you may like to spend time at. The Zoomarine, Slide & Splash Waterslide Park & Silves Castle. Zoomarine is an Oceanographic Theme Park, located in Guia, a few kilometres from Albufeira. Watch presentations with dolphins, seals and sea lions, with tropical birds and birds of prey. There is also an amazing aquarium with sharks, various habitats, Cinema4D, attractions, amusements and swimming pools. For a memorable day, you may like to add The Dolphin Emotions Premium experience to your days activities. This starts with an educational talk, imparting various facts about the bottlenose dolphin, its biology and ecology. Then, participants spend about 30 minutes in the water, where, under the supervision of a trainer, guests are invited to meet the dolphins, experience moments of tenderness and affection and perform an aquatic behaviour sequence with these extraordinary ambassadors of the ocean.
The Slide & Splash Waterslide Park is a large water park perfect for a great family day out. The park is located 30 mins drive from Albufeira, and only 5 minutes drive from Vale d`Oliveiras.
Why not consider a trip to explore Silves Castle which lies in the town of Silves in the Algarve province. The castle was built on the site of late Roman or Visigothic fortifications from the 4th/5th centuries, during the Moorish occupation, which started around 715, and was part of the city walls that surrounded the town. To the Moors this town, which they called Xelb, was their regional capital. It is situated near the, now silted up, Arade river. There were two entrances to the castle grounds; the main gate defended by two towers and a so-called 'traitors-gate'. This was situated close to a projecting tower which served as a keep, in the northern wall, but was bricked up during one of the restorations. Four of the towers which were modified at the time of reconstruction work carried out in the 14th/15th century, have gothic doorways, vaulted halls and stones bearing the marks of medieval masons. Inside the castle nothing remains of the buildings that must have been there but partially excavated foundations. Two cisterns do remain; a small one, 60 meters deep and of Roman origin, and a larger one. The larger one is called 'El Moura Encantada', after a legend that says you can hear a moorish princess mourning her beloved at this well where he committed suicide. This cistern has four vaults supported by tall columns but is permanently closed.
Please speak with your Sales Advisor if you would like private transportation arranged to get you to and from any of these family friendly sites.
Accommodation: Vale d`Oliveiras Quinta Townhouses