Scott Dunn (020 8682 5440; www.scottdunn.com)
Five luxurious catered Algarve villas designed for family holidays, with
chef, nanny and maid service. The new Quinta do Esperanca, which sleeps 16,
comes with two nannies and has a heated pool, large games room and floodlit
tennis: £16,440 a week in high season including all meals. The company also
features villas at the Sheraton Pine Cliffs resort where it runs its own
children’s club.
The Villa Agency (01273 747811; www.thevillaagency.co.uk)
Carefully chosen properties with maid service on the Algarve and around
Lisbon, including affordable family houses around Carvoeiro.
Strongly recommended are Casa da Varzea in Sesimbra near Lisbon and several
lovingly maintained older sea-view villas in the hills behind Albufeira,
such as Cahombo, which sleeps 14 and has separate children’s pool: weekly
rental £1,295 in May; £2,695 in August.
Villa Retreats (0800 988 5586; www.villaretreats.com)
Portfolio of well-chosen luxury villas with private pools on the Algarve and
coast south of Lisbon. Free A-grade car for bookings made before February
10.
Strong focus on architect-designed villas on established resort developments.
New five-star houses on Quinta do Lago estate come with broadband, daily
maid service, cinema room and games room for children; expect to pay around
£8,000 for a five-bedroom place in August. Concierge service that can
arrange most things from booking tee times, special catering and tennis
coaching to providing bodyguards, nannies and chefs.
Vintage Travel (0845 344 0420; www.vintagetravel.co.uk)
Hand-picked houses with private pools in the Algarve and the Minho. Six new
Algarve properties include Casa Nova da Eira, a five-bed, five-bath house in
mature gardens designed by one of the country’s top landscape gardeners:
£1,350 in May, £3,195 in August.
Other options
Casas da Cabreira (00 351 253 661 697; www.casasdacabreira.co.uk)
Local agent for houses in north-west Portugal.
Casas Cantabricas (01223 328721; www.casas.co.uk)
Two one-bedroom cottages in the Minho.
CV Travel (020 7401 1010; www.cvtravel.co.uk)
A choice of 25 luxury villas in the Algarve and the Monchique hills. Most
have air conditioning, daily maid service and chefs on request. Features new
villas in the Martinhal Resort near Sagres.
Destination Portugal (01608 738286; www.destination-portugal.co.uk)
Privately owned villas with pools in central and northern Portugal including
properties sleeping up to 12.
Holiday-rentals.co.uk
Web portal for private owners to advertise; some vetting done. More than
3,000 villas and apartments countrywide including Madeira and the Azores.
Good rates for longer lets.
Hoseasons (0844 847 1356; www.hoseasons.co.uk)
More than 160 mid-range houses and villas countrywide.
Interhome (020 8246 4100; www.interhome.co.uk)
Booking agent for private homes.
James Villa Holidays (0800 074 0122; www.jamesvillas.co.uk)
Appealing family villas and town‑house apartments on golf resorts on the
Algarve, Madeira and Lisbon coast.
Meon Villas (0844 415 1990; www.meonvillas.co.uk)
Selection of detached villas with private pools on the Algarve.
Palmer Parker (01494 815411; www.palmerparker.com)
Top quality coastal villas on the Algarve including luxurious Linucia, a
beautifully renovated historic villa near Albufeira.
SJ Villas (020 7801 4010; www.sjvillas.co.uk)
Three stylish Algarve villas sleeping 10-14 people. Also has access to
properties that don’t want to appear on the website.
Thomson Villas with Pools (0871 231 4691; www.thomson.co.uk)
Good choice of stand-alone villas with private pools on the Algarve.
Villas 4 You (0845 268 0770; www.villas4you.co.uk)
Countrywide portfolio of characterful houses and modern villas.
Algarve villa specialists
Our selection
Affinity Villas (01428 727277; www.affinityvillas.com)
Portfolio of more than 100 luxury properties for families and couples in
smaller resorts such as Lagos and Carvoeiro; all inspected by company
directors. Most have heated pools and air conditioning. Casa Waldemar has it
all (heated pool, sauna, whirlpool, games room, sea views, walking distance
of beach near Carvoeiro): £3,059 per week in high season.
Light Blue Travel (01223 568904; www.lightbluetravel.co.uk)
A good choice of modern stand-alone villas with private pools on the Quinta
do Lago and Vale do Lobo estates plus some lovely places near Lagos.
Other Algarve specialists
Algarve Agency (01204 595 222; www.algarveagency.com);
Design Holidays (01444 872200; www.designholidays.co.uk);
Select Resorts (01202 786490; www.selectresorts.co.uk),
Simply Travel (0871 231 4050; www.simplytravel.co.uk);
Vigia Resorts (0800 622 6120, www.vigia-resorts.com),
Villa Centre (01799 532123; www.villacentre.com);
Villa Plus (01727 836686; www.villaplus.com);
Villa Select (01789 764909; www.villaselect.com),
Villas to Go (01279 260170; www.villastogo.com)
and Villa World (01480 880153; www.villaworld.co.uk).
Hotel holidays
Holiday hotels in Portugal can be split into two main categories: modern
resorts on golf courses with spas, children’s clubs and heated pools; and
countryside pousadas and solares – former palaces, manors and wine estates
often set in beautiful unspoilt countryside.
Madeira’s hotels are still struggling to fill after last spring’s floods, even
though there is now no evidence of the disaster thanks to an efficient
programme of restoration work.
Many of the specialists listed below have personal knowledge of both kinds of
accommodation and can tailor individual tours.
Our selection
Classic Collection (0800 008 7299; www.classic-collection.co.uk)
Tailor-made specialist featuring big choice of four and five-star boutique
and resort hotels on the Algarve, Estoril coast, Madeira and Porto Santo as
well as the main cities. This year it has contracted a couple of new hotels:
the Crowne Plaza in Vilamoura and Real Marina Resort and Spa in the fishing
port of Olhão which has easy access to unspoilt offshore sandbanks. Known
for its special offers for both early and late bookings, notably in the
Algarve: seven nights for the price of five in August at the five-star
Hilton Vilamoura Golf and Spa resort, a total of £3,103 for a family of four
b b including flights.
Destination Portugal (01608 738286; www.destination-portugal.co.uk)
This long-established specialist has knowledgeable sales agents and features
a wide choice of two to five-star hotels countrywide. Early booking offers
at many Algarve and Madeira hotels and a big choice of hotels in Lisbon. It
also features some of the best solares – many still in the care of
descendants of the founding family. There’s a big programme to the Azores
based around set itineraries including holidays aimed at solo travellers
with no single supplement.
Keytel (020 7953 3020; www.keytel.co.uk)
Main booking agent for Portugal’s 45 state-owned pousadas (www.pousadas.pt),
most in historic buildings. New pousada at Cascais near Lisbon opening in
the autumn.
For best value, buy a five-night Pousada Passport saving up to 40 per cent on
walk-in room rates on weekdays. (Stays on Fridays and Saturdays attract a
supplement.) The Passport costs £410 b b per room (only
£345 b b if one of you is over 55). The Passport also
includes three vouchers offering 20 per cent discount on meals.
Light Blue Travel (01223 568904; www.lightbluetravel.co.uk)
Algarve and Madeira specialist focusing on the smaller luxury hotels
including some of the best Madeiran quintas which offer dining deals such as
the Quinta da Bela Vista. Good knowledge of the Lisbon coast and can book
characterful manor house accommodation near golf courses. A new programme of
fly-drives to the Azores based on four islands.
Sunvil Discovery (020 8758 4722; www.sunvil.co.uk)
Bespoke fly-drive arrangements countrywide based around the most comfortable
pousadas, historic manors and family-run hotels, notably the less-visited
Alentejo (it is offering a direct charter flight to Beja) and central
Portugal. New this year are the 18th-century Casa do Cimo in the Serra da
Gardunha mountains and Quinta da Veiga in Sabrosa on the banks of the Douro.
It also has a dedicated Azores programme to all nine islands and can book
lots of activities. New properties include two quintas on Sao Miguel and a
contemporary hotel on Flores.
Other Options
Atlantic Holidays (01452 381 888; www.atlanticholidays.net)
Focuses on the upmarket Pestana resort hotels in the Algarve, Lisbon and
Porto plus a big choice of three to five-star hotels on Madeira, including
characterful quintas. Good choice of regional departures using charter
flights including direct flights to Porto Santo from May 2.
Cachet Travel (020 8847 8700; www.cachet-travel.co.uk)
Wide choice on Madeira, Porto Santo and Azores.
Cadogan (0845 615 4390; www.cadoganholidays.com)
Focuses on luxurious hotels on Madeira.
Castaways (01737 812255; www.castaways.co.uk)
More than 70 carefully chosen pousadas and hotels on mainland and Madeira as
basis of flexible tailor-made holidays. Also features the family-oriented
Martinhal Beach Resort in Sagres.
Cricketer Holidays (01892 664242; www.cricketerholidays.co.uk)
Strong on personal service. Independent hotels in unspoilt locations include
the Jardins do Lago on a hill above Funchal, Madeira, and two boutique
hotels on the Algarve.
Expressions Holidays (01752 878000; www.expressionsholidays.co.uk)
Specialises in established top-end family resorts including the Penha Longa
near Sintra. Spa holidays to the Choupana Hills on Madeira and Vila Sol in
Vilamoura.
Friendship Travel (0871 200 2035; www.friendshiptravel.com)
Hosted singles weeks in three-star hotel in small Algarve fishing village.
HotelConnect (0845 230 8888; www.hotelconnect.co.uk)
Online ABTA booking agent offers more than 50 hand-picked apartments
and hotels in Portugal and Madeira.
Ilios (0845 675 2601; www.iliostravel.com)
Hand-picked pousadas and private quintas on the mainland and Madeira.
Kids in the Med (0845 277 3300; www.WandOtravel.com)
Family packages with on-site childcare at five upmarket Algarve resort
hotels.
Kirker Holidays (020 7593 1899; www.kirkerholidays.com)
Carefully chosen hotels countrywide from this company with a good concierge
service for booking extras.
Mark Warner (0871 703 3887; www.markwarner.co.uk)
Three family-focused resort hotels on the Algarve with childcare for babies
four-months plus. The Ria Park Gardens in Vale do Lobo has a new Mark Warner
Childcare centre with air-conditioned creche and junior clubhouse. Adult
tennis tuition and watersports also available.
On the Beach (0871 911 0202; www.onthebeach.co.uk)
Bargain basement hotels and apartments on the Algarve. Pay by credit card
for financial protection as no ATOL cover.
Simply Travel (0871 231 4050; www.simplytravel.co.uk)
Characterful hotels in Madeira.
Solo’s (0844 815 0005; www.solosholidays.co.uk)
A new five-night Algarve Delights break for single travellers at the
four-star Vila Gale Lagos, plus golfing breaks based in Vilamoura.
Sovereign (0844 415 1984; www.sovereign.com)
Portfolio of four and five-star hotels, including spa, golf and
family-focused properties along the Algarve and Madeira. Good late
availability deals.
Luxury specialists
Companies offering a high level of personal service and top-end hotels in the
Algarve and Madeira include Elegant Resorts (01244 897771; www.elegantresorts.co.uk)
which also offers luxurious villas, ITC Classics (01244 355550; www.itcclassics.co.uk)
and Seasons (01244 202000; www.seasons.co.uk).
Sun and sand operators
Club Med (08453 670670; www.clubmed.co.uk)
Renovated all-inclusive La Balaia hotel with spa in western Algarve accepts
babies from four months.
Cresta Beaches (0844 800 7018; www.crestaholidays.co.uk)
Affordable tailor-made holidays to Portugal and Madeira.
First Choice (0871 200 4455; www.firstchoice.co.uk)
Good choice of mid-range hotels and self-catering apartments in the Algarve
and Madeira. Runs its own all-inclusive Holiday Village Algarve which has a
range of children’s clubs and soccer academy: expect to pay around £2,400 all
inclusive per week in August for a family of four, including flights.
Saga Holidays (0800 096 0082; www.saga.co.uk)
Hotel-based holidays in the Algarve including affordable accommodation
around pretty Tavira. Good special offer deals. Also features several
escorted tours including Gardens and Parks of Lisbon and Sintra and a
special Douro Adventure for solo travellers.
Thomas Cook (0844 412 5970; www.thomascook.com)
Focus is on the Algarve, from basic family-oriented hotels and apartments to
five-star “Ultimate Style” golf and spa holidays. Newcomers include Reid’s
Palace Madeira and the five-star Sheraton Pine Cliffs on the Algarve which
also has serviced villas. For families there’s a new KidsWORLD children’s
club at the Hotel Aquamarina Beach Club on the Algarve and an affordable
four-star all-inclusive, the Vila Gale Santa Cruz on Madeira.
Airtours (www.airtours.co.uk or
through agents) has a popular self- catering aparthotel in Albufeira with
soccer school and teen activities. £ Direct Holidays
(www.directholidays.co.uk) has good family deals for web-savvy customers.
Thomson (0871 231 3235; www.thomson.co.uk)
Flexible package holidays for couples and families to the Algarve and
Madeira. New direct flights from Gatwick to Porto Santo (Madeira’s satellite
island) start in May packaged with top-end accommodation at the Pestana
resort; expect to pay around £3,000 per week in August for a family of four
all-inclusive.
Thomson’s new “Couples” programme, aimed at the 35-55 age group (stylish
modern hotels, low-key entertainment, choice of dining options, priority
transfers) includes the Atlantic Sao Rafael on the Algarve: from £595 per
person all-inclusive for a week in June.