We opted to stay at a resort, which is not typical for us.  But our kids requested a summer vacation where they could go to the beach and swim a lot, and we figured that staying at a family-style resort that was right on a beach with pools and restaurants might make it easy for everyone.

We stayed at the Pine Cliffs Resort in Albufeira in the Village townhouses.  Their hotel and residences offer luxury accommodation, but our townhouse was more of a moderate accommodation – plenty of space over 3 floors but not too fancy or modern.  The convenience of being able to access the beautiful Praia de Falesia beach via a quick elevator ride and boardwalk hike rather than driving and parking was great.  

Even though I had a hard time adjusting to “resort life,” the kids really loved it here.  They had multiple pools, a park, mini golf, a driving range, a game room, an escape room, and so much more.  It was also kind of nice to eat dinner at our resort and not have to get in the car to go searching for a local restaurant.

But my favorite days in the Algarve were the two days that we made the kids get up at 6am and out the door by 7am to have some adventures in a different area of the Algarve.  We explored both Lagos and Carvoeiro.

Day Trip to Lagos

Easy Ponta da Piedade Grotto Boat Tour

We woke up early to get an early start on the parking lots in the Lagos area and this proved to be a really good decision!  Our plan was to hike the seaside boardwalk to the Ponta da Piedade viewpoint and then back into Lagos’s Old Town for lunch.   We arrived at the parking lot around 8am and it was largely empty, which was great!   We headed south on the boardwalk toward the Ponta da Piedade viewpoint, stopping for photos often along the beautiful coast.  I had read a blog post about this walk prior to this trip, and one thing I remember reading was that in Ponte da Piedade there are locals offering to take you on a boat tour through the grottos and caves for cash, and that the ride was worth it.  So, we had some euros on us in case we opted for this experience. 

Once we got a view of the stunning grotto from above it was clear that we were not going to pass up the experience!   They had a little boat tour operation running from the grotto and it cost us $70 euro cash for 2 adults and 2 children.  They equipped us with life jackets, a local guide who spoke not a word of English, and we set out on a 40 minute tour of the coast.  Despite the language barrier our guide was jovial and delighted in pointing our rock formations to the kids that were shaped like animals.  He took us into caves, through tunnels and took great pictures of us.  I cannot stress enough what a better way to see the beaches and coastline this experience was compared to just walking the boardwalk!   There were also a lot of people kayaking in this area, but with the kids our little private boat ride was perfection.

After the grotto tour, we turned back toward Lagos. The day was getting hot, and this part was a bit grueling for the kids.  We passed the parking lot that our car was parked and the crowds trying to park were insane!  We were so happy to not be trying to find parking at that time of day (late morning/midday).   We passed Praia Dona Ana, which looked to be a beautiful beach from our boardwalk up above, but was very crowded.  And there were a LOT of steps down to that beach!   We headed down toward the marina/waterfront area and into the city walls.  The kids were melting, so we ducked into a coffee shop for refreshments and to sit and cool off.   We didn’t get too much time to explore old town, but what we saw of it was really cool, old, meandering streets with fun art and beautiful shops.   We got an Uber back to our car and thus ended our adventure to Lagos!