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We’re Portuguese, and the Algarve is where we keep going back. Since 2017 we’ve booked stays all along the coast: from Sagres at the far western tip to Tavira near the Spanish border, as a family of four, in a bigger group of eight, and a couple of times just the two of us.
This isn’t a list of hotels we found online. It’s the six Algarve stays we actually booked and stayed in, with the dates, the room type, who was with us and the exact price, taken from our booking confirmations. Prices are what we paid at the time; expect today’s rates to be different, so check current prices with the links below.
At a glance: 6 Algarve stays and what we paid
- Martinhal Sagres Beach Family Resort (Sagres): 2-bedroom villa, 3 nights, February 2017, €564 (€188/night)
- Luna Hotel da Oura (Albufeira): 1-bedroom apartment, family of four, 1 night, March 2019, €74.10
- Boavista Golf & Spa – Bela Colina Village (Lagos): 2 units for 8 people, 3 nights, February 2020, €371.91 (about €124/night for both)
- OZADI Tavira Hotel (Tavira): family room for four, 3 nights, August 2022, €858 (€286/night)
- Colina Village (Carvoeiro): 1-bedroom apartment, two adults, 1 night, October 2022, €84.65
- Hotel Carvoeiro Plaza (Carvoeiro): twin room, two adults, 1 night, March 2023, €59 booked direct
The pattern is clear: the same coast costs very different money depending on the month. Our most expensive night by far was a family room in Tavira in mid-August; our cheapest stays were all between October and March.
Western Algarve (barlavento): Sagres, Lagos, Carvoeiro
The west is the Algarve of cliffs, coves and sea caves. Sagres and Lagos are at the wild end; Carvoeiro is a small resort village in the municipality of Lagoa, a few kilometres from Benagil.
1. Martinhal Sagres Beach Family Resort, Sagres
- When: 25–28 February 2017 (3 nights)
- What we booked: a two-bedroom villa (sleeps up to 4)
- Price: €564 in total (€188 per night), paid at the property; breakfast was extra (listed at €20 per person per night)
- Booked on: Booking.com
As described in the booking, the villas are on two levels, with the bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs and an open-plan living room and kitchen upstairs, and each has a private garden with a heated pool and a children’s pool in the summer months. As the name says, it’s a family resort, and it’s the most family-focused place on this list.
Check current prices at Martinhal Sagres on Booking.com
2. Boavista Golf & Spa – Bela Colina Village, Lagos
- When: 22–25 February 2020 (3 nights)
- What we booked: two units for a group of six adults and two children (then 8 and 10); one was a two-bedroom duplex townhouse
- Price: €371.91 in total, prepaid (about €124 per night for both units, or roughly €15 per person per night)
- Booked on: Booking.com
According to the booking description, the duplex has air conditioning, a fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher and washing machine, a balcony and a patio, and guests get free access to the spa (indoor pool, sauna, Turkish bath, hot tub and gym). If you’re travelling with another family, two units side by side in low season is very hard to beat on price.
Check current prices at Boavista Golf & Spa on Booking.com
3. Colina Village, Carvoeiro
- When: 22–23 October 2022 (1 night)
- What we booked: a one-bedroom apartment for two adults, breakfast included
- Price: €84.65
- Booked on: Booking.com
The listing describes the apartment as having a sitting area, a fireplace, a balcony or terrace and a kitchen with a cooker, oven, fridge-freezer and microwave, with space for up to four guests. Note that the booking listed the indoor pool as unavailable from mid-November to the end of March, so check if that matters to you.
Check current prices at Colina Village on Booking.com
4. Hotel Carvoeiro Plaza, Carvoeiro
- When: 11–12 March 2023 (1 night)
- What we booked: a twin room with land view for two adults, room only
- Price: €59, booked directly on the hotel’s website (non-refundable)
- Booked on: the hotel’s own site
A small booking lesson here: we first reserved a flexible rate on Booking.com for €76, then found a €59 non-refundable rate on the hotel’s own website, so we cancelled (free of charge) and booked direct. If your plans are fixed, it’s worth comparing both. The hotel describes itself as being in the centre of Carvoeiro, about 25 metres from the beach.
Compare prices for Hotel Carvoeiro Plaza on Booking.com
Central Algarve: Albufeira
5. Luna Hotel da Oura, Albufeira
- When: 2–3 March 2019 (1 night; we originally booked two and shortened it)
- What we booked: a one-bedroom apartment for two adults and our two kids (then 7 and 9)
- Price: €74.10 for the night (the two-night booking had been €148.20)
- Booked on: Booking.com
The hotel is in the Areias de São João area of Albufeira. At €74 for a family of four, it was our cheapest family night in the Algarve, and a good example of what an off-season weekend can cost.
Check current prices at Luna Hotel da Oura on Booking.com
Eastern Algarve (sotavento): Tavira
The east is flatter and calmer, with the Ria Formosa lagoon and long sandy beaches on the barrier islands. Keep in mind that Benagil and the western cliffs are more than an hour’s drive from Tavira.
6. OZADI Tavira Hotel, Tavira
- When: 12–15 August 2022 (3 nights)
- What we booked: a superior quadruple room for two adults and our two kids (then 10 and 12), breakfast included
- Price: €858 in total (€286 per night), paid at the hotel
- Booked on: Booking.com
According to the booking, the room had air conditioning, soundproofing, a balcony, a minibar and space for four. The hotel’s address is Quinta das Oliveiras, Tavira. This was our most expensive Algarve stay per night, and the reason we now look hard at the shoulder months.
Check current prices at OZADI Tavira on Booking.com
What our bookings taught us about the Algarve
- Month matters more than town. Our nights between October and March cost €59–€188; mid-August in Tavira cost €286 a night.
- Self-catering helps. Three of our six stays (Martinhal, Boavista and Colina Village) came with a kitchen, which also makes life easier when you travel with a coeliac.
- Travelling with another family? Book two units together. In Lagos, eight of us paid about €124 a night in total.
- Compare direct and Booking.com. In Carvoeiro, the hotel’s own non-refundable rate was €17 cheaper than the flexible rate on Booking.com.
- Pick your side of the coast first. West for cliffs and caves (Sagres, Lagos, Carvoeiro); east for lagoons and island beaches (Tavira). The Algarve is about 150 km wide, so day trips from one end to the other add up.
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