Almancil Holidays

Almancil is a small, relaxed market town in the south of Portugal. It owes its place on the tourist trail to the beach and golf resorts of Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo, a few kilometres down the road. But it’s a holiday destination in its own right, teeming with high-end restaurants and stylish boutiques which attract well-heeled visitors from around the world.

Almancil sits inland from the Atlantic coast, but there’s a pristine sandy beach less than 10 minutes’ drive away at Vale do Lobo. The five-kilometre stretch has eye-catching terracotta cliffs on one side and gently shelving white sands on the other. And on windy days the sea is dotted with surfers riding the waves to shore. Quinto do Lago's lagoon is about the same distance away, and the waters are ruled by waterskiers.

You'll find the course that made golf big in PortugalJust down the road. Vale do Lobo's course was designed by British golfer Henry Cotton in the Sixties. It’s still one of the best in the region today, with ravines, bunkers and almond groves to avoid, and ocean views to admire. Next door in Quinto do Lago, four championship-sized golf courses perch on the edge of the marshy Ria Formosa Nature Reserve – great for some post-golf walking and birdwatching.

Just outside Almancil is the village of Sao Lourenco. There’s a little white church here with an amazing interior of floor-to-ceiling blue-and-white azulejo tiles. And it's just a 20-minute drive to Faro, the Algarve’s historic, waterside capital. In the old walled part of town, there’s a 13th-century cathedral and an ornately-tiled Bishop’s Palace. Shopping comes courtesy of the open-air Forum Algarve Mall, and you can hop on a boat at the south end of town and explore the tiny islands scattered across the Ria Formosa lagoon.