Vilamoura
A purpose-built luxury resort centred on a 1,000-berth marina, with championship golf courses, a Roman archaeological site and upmarket nightlife.
Vilamoura is not a town in the traditional sense but a purpose-built resort development within the municipality of Loule, covering roughly 20 square kilometres of former farmland on the central Algarve coast. Construction began in the early 1970s, and the development has continued in phases over the following five decades. It is the largest single tourism resort in Europe and the most exclusive address in the Algarve, built around a 1,000-berth marina that serves as its commercial and social centre.
The Marina de Vilamoura is lined with restaurants, bars, boutiques and nightclubs, and the waterfront promenade is the principal gathering point during the summer months. Yachts and motor cruisers of considerable size berth alongside fishing boats that offer deep-sea excursions and dolphin-watching trips. The marina hosts sailing events and regattas throughout the season, and chartered boats offer sunset cruises along the coast to the Benagil sea cave. The waterfront restaurants, while not cheap, serve fresh fish of reliable quality, and the evening atmosphere, with diners sitting beside the moored boats under strings of lights, is the most polished in the Algarve.
Golf is the other pillar of Vilamoura's economy. The resort contains six 18-hole courses: the Old Course, designed by Frank Pennink and opened in 1969, is lined with umbrella pines and is the most mature and atmospheric; the Victoria Course, designed by Arnold Palmer, hosted the Portugal Masters on the European Tour for several years. The courses are supplemented by a driving range, a golf academy and numerous hotels and villa complexes marketed specifically at golfers. Green fees at the premium courses are among the highest in Portugal.
Beneath the modern resort lies an older history. The Cerro da Vila archaeological site, near the marina, preserves the remains of a Roman villa, fish-salting complex and bathing house dating from the 1st to the 5th centuries AD. Well-preserved mosaics, a hypocaust heating system and the bases of the salting vats are visible on the open-air site, which has a small museum. The contrast between the Roman ruins and the marina's luxury yachts a few hundred metres away encapsulates the layered history of the Algarve coast.
Vilamoura's beach, Praia da Marina and Praia de Vilamoura, stretches east from the marina entrance for several kilometres, backed by low cliffs and resort development. The sand is golden and the water warm by Atlantic standards. Beach clubs with loungers, parasols and waiter service operate during the summer, though public access to the beach itself is guaranteed under Portuguese law.
The resort lacks the community life of a real town. There is no municipal market, no parish church in active use, no school run. Its permanent population is difficult to quantify, as most properties are holiday homes or rentals. But for what it is, a self-contained resort of international standard, Vilamoura delivers on its promise. It is roughly 25 minutes from Faro Airport by car and connected to the A22 motorway.
Highlights
- 1,000-berth marina with waterfront restaurants, bars and luxury yacht berths
- Six championship golf courses including the historic Old Course and Arnold Palmer's Victoria
- Cerro da Vila Roman archaeological site with mosaics and ancient fish-salting vats