Family Holidays Algarve – Toddlers to Teenagers Essential Destination Guide

The Algarve is a fabulous holiday destination, suited to everyone from families with small children to teenagers and from couples to larger groups of friends. The key is in choosing the right resort. The Algarve boasts a superb climate, plenty of award winning blue flag beaches, lots of land and water based activities, very many fine restaurants and some great fashion outlets too. There are also plenty of attractions to keep the youngsters happy including water sports, zoos and adventure parks.

As we write this article, at the end of October, it is a warm and balmy 73° which is fairly typical for this time of year. It is also pleasing to note that the lowest temperatures for the year rarely, if ever, drop to below 60° and even then, there is a minimum of 6 hours of sunshine every day. Come summer, we can look forward to 12 hours of glorious sunshine every day, with temperatures up into the early to mid eighties.

These are the perfect conditions for messing about on the water. Portugal can be justly proud of her coastline, many of the beaches have been awarded the European blue flag for cleanliness and as for the views, some of them are quite stunning. Early evening is perhaps the best time to catch them, just as the sun sets. The colours, shapes, silhouettes and shadows cast by the rock formations are wonderful and later, when parts of the coastline are illuminated, the view is extremely romantic.

Algarve Holiday Destinations for Young Families

If you are bringing your young family away on holiday with you, you’ll need to know where the best and most family friendly locations are. Here are a few pointers for you. Look for the supervised blue flag beaches, there are plenty to choose from along Portugal’s south facing coastline. Here you can be safe in the knowledge that there are lifeguards present at peak times and also that the beaches are clean and the sea is calm. These conditions make it ideal for your little ones to splash around in the shallows. Protection from the sun is particularly important too and all the beaches in the area have sun beds and shades that are either free to use or available for hire.

Some beaches however, can get very busy, particularly those near to the really touristy areas like Albufeira. As a general rule of thumb, the livelier the beach during the day, the busier the nightlife, so if it’s a good night’s sleep you’re after, you’d do better to stay away from the strip in Albufeira. Quieter beaches which lend themselves a little more to family time can be found from Praia da Luz to Armacao de Pera and at Vilamoura, Carvoeiro, Alvor and Portimao not forgetting Tavira in the east. All of these locations serve up a delightful mix of things to do and see for the youngsters with plenty to interest the parents too.

Algarve Activities for Young Families

Family is very important here in Portugal and so it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of activities open to people of all ages. Days spent at the beach will keep some children and most adults happy for hours, especially if they’ve come armed with their buckets and spades and a good book. Smother the children in sun cream and set them free amongst the rock pools. They’ll soon come back when they’re hungry.

For the more adventurous and slightly older children, there is all the excitement of the sea. Armbands, rubber rings, tyre tubes and lilos will keep them safe and above water. Other great watery destinations are the Algarve’s water parks, chief among which is Aqualand, which claims to be the largest water park in Europe. It is big too, at over 14 acres, boasting more than 1500 metres of watery fun with slides, flumes and fountains, look out for the Banzai Boggan, the Kamikaze and the Anaconda. There is plenty of supervision in place so parents can go off to relax in the shaded gardens while the youngsters play. Aqualand is easily accessed from Albufeira, Alvôr, Armação de Pêra, Galé, Lagos, Portimão, Praia da Rocha, Tavira, Vilamoura and Vila Real S. António.

More water based fun can be had near Quarteira. Here, it’s all about the Aquashow, another family fun park with plenty of slides ranging from slow ones for the tots to faster ones for the more daring. East of Lagoa is Slide and Splash and not far from Albufeira you’ll find Zoomarine where you’ll encounter such things as dolphins, seals, sea lions, sharks, and tortoises, exotic and marine birds, crocodiles and tropical fish.

Algarve Holiday Destinations and Activities for Teenagers

Older children and teenagers may feel they’ve outgrown the slides, zoos and water parks, preferring instead to head for the busier beaches with their water sports, arcades and activities. Some may even prefer heading out to sea on sailing boats. From Alvor, you can catch a ride aboard a traditional Portuguese sailing boat and go snorkelling, ocean swimming, fishing or island hopping. Family day trips are offered as well as barbeque sailing trips and sunset party cruises, all of which set off from the waterfront promenade near Alvor's old fish market.

Should you be staying near the town of Portimao, you could take the opportunity to sail aboard a double masted Portuguese vessel known as a Caravelle. It looks just like an old pirate ship, whilst on-board you’ll be taken to see the breathtaking caves and hidden grottos at Benagil, Alfanzina and Lagos and the trip could end with a tasty beach barbecue.

Other nautical expeditions include dolphin safaris. Leaving from the Portimao Marina at Praia da Rocha, low riding boats will take you to get as close as you are able, to these beautiful and intelligent creatures of the sea. Alternatively, you could take the Aquabus. This is a glass bottomed boat which travels around the Algarvean coast’s clear blue waters, bringing its wealth of sealife into ultra clear focus.

If your children qualify as thrill seekers, you might want to steer them in the direction of the Alvor estuary for a canoe trip. It’s not exactly white water rafting but it is fun and will leave them feeling exhilarated. Forest path walks near the Monchique are great for nature lovers and cross country mountain biking is on offer from Foia, the highest peak in the Algarve, to the coast. There are pick up points for all these excursions at Alvor, Portimao, Praia da Rocha, Lagos, Meia Praia, Praia da Luz, Ferragudo, Carvoeiro and Armação de Pera so wherever your holiday villa or apartment is located, you shouldn’t be too far away from one of them.

Further east, back towards the airport and there is the aerial adventure playground of Braveland. A daft name for sure but it tells the tale alright. Here children and young teenagers will be able to test their climbing skills and bravery to the limit. Activities include: slides, bouncy castles and traditional group games like mine fields, human ski and treasure hunts as well as, archery, trampolining, mountain biking, kayaking, trekking and paintballing and climbing games like spiders webs, rock and tree climbing, rappel, low and high ropes and adventure bridges.

The calmer waters on the western end of the south-facing coast are the best spots for canoeing, windsurfing, kite surfing and jet skiing and here’s where you’ll find all the pedaloes and banana boats. If you’re into surfing, head north along the coast at Sagres, here you’ll be able to catch some great waves, in fact this area in renowned in the surfing world for its radical highs and deep swells.

Another active holiday pass time to keep your young adrenaline junkies happy is Blo-karting. Blo-karting is, as the name suggests, wind powered go-karting. This too is held in Sagres as it is here where the oceanic winds are at their highest. The riders of these sailing karts are put through their paces on purpose built tracks where they can reach speeds of up to 30mph.

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