Balaia Holidays

Small-scale Balaia sits snugly between Albufeira and Vilamoura on Portugal’s central Algarve coast. The village has a traditional feel, with whitewashed houses topped with terracotta roofs, set in a landscape of almond and pine trees. It’s popular with golfers and has some great bars and restaurants, not to mention a choice of 2 beaches.

Balaia’s sandy beach duo are a stroll away and both fly the Blue Flag. Praia da Maria Luisa is the quieter of the 2 and comes with a sandstone cliff backdrop and rock pools, and a great little beach bar that’s popular with the locals. Santa Eulalia, meanwhile, has a more active focus, with windsurfing and sailing trips on offer.

The Algarve is famous for golf, and Balaia has its own 9-hole course right on the cliffs. There’s a driving range and putting green if you just want to put in some practice, and a Golf Academy if you’re looking to improve your swing. Elsewhere, horse-riding and tennis are on offer, and there are mountain walks less than an hour away.

Ten minutes takes you to Albufeira. It’s a great place for a lively evening, but come here for the day and you can take in the cathedral and castle ruins. Also worth seeking out is the Misericórdia Chapel, a former Arab mosque that was restored to its Gothic style after the 1755 earthquake. And don’t miss the Xorino Cave, under the cliffs, which sheltered the fugitive Moors during the Christian reconquest in 1249.