Algarve’s “Golden Triangle” Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo and Almancil - See It To Believe It

The Golden Triangle is the name given to the area between Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo and Almancil. This area, located barely 20 minutes drive from Faro International airport, contains some of the richest real estate in Europe with studio apartments priced at a cool quarter of a million Euros and villas available at anything up to six and a half million. Here at Truly Algarve, we specialise in Algarve holiday villas and Algarve apartments to let throughout the Algarve, including the prestigious resorts of Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo and Almancil.

Our luxurious Golden Triangle Algarve villas and apartments are ideally placed for playing at some of the best golf courses in Europe. But if you disregard the golf, what is it about this location that makes it so special?

Algarve Villas - click here to view our full range of Algarve holiday villas and apartments or browse for villas in the Golden Triangle resorts

Villas in Quinta do Lago | Villas in Vale do Lobo

Property

Property in the Golden Triangle is highly regarded and sought after because of its build quality and location. The Portuguese government have long since known that the Algarve is their country’s crowning glory and their best hope of attracting tourism, holidaymakers and serious external investment. The Golden Triangle is the jewel in that crown and for that reason; property development has been very closely monitored and restricted. These restrictions ensure that any development in the area, is carried out sympathetically, so as not to adversely affect the intrinsic beauty of the area.

Landscape

The beauty of the landscape is here for all to see and the villas and apartments have been thoughtfully designed to complement their surroundings. Most of the villas for rent in the Golden Triangle are offered with beautifully landscaped gardens and even those that have not been professionally landscaped are so well and regularly tended that you would think they have been. This attention to garden detail means that you can relax in very beautiful surroundings with lush green, manicured lawns, amid colourful flowerbeds and verdant trees.

Shopping
No holiday destination worth its salt, would be complete without some decent shopping and the Golden Triangle is no exception. What is exceptional about the Quinta shopping centre in Quinta do Lago, is its range of fashionable boutiques and wonderful restaurants. There is a choice of excellent Chinese and Italian food along with a traditional English pub, just in case you fancy a little taste of home. Quinta shopping offers a host of other delights and is well worth your perusal. The centre has some lovely open air terraces and wide esplanades lined with designer fashion, jewellery and cosmetics emporia. Also for your day to day shopping needs, for bread and eggs rather than designer handbags or watches, there’s the Bougainvillea Plaza, just next door. Here you’ll find all the super markets, banks and newsagents necessary to keep life ticking along as usual.

In Vale do Lobo there is a small shopping area in the main square that overlooks the sea and there are a number of others in and around the resort entrance. The most widely used supermarkets and shops and the local chemist is at Almancil. Slightly further afield, but well worth a visit for souvenirs and gifts is the Forum shopping centre on the outskirts of Faro. It has in excess of 120 shops and around 20 restaurants and there’s a hypermarket for your groceries.

Weather

The Algarve’s climate is one of year round sun. It’s going to be warm-hot whenever you go, it’s just a matter of how hot. August and September are usually the hottest months with temperatures rising to the mid to late 80’s, but even if you were to take a holiday villa in the Algarve in January, you’d still experience temperatures in the 60’s.

Facilities

The facilities on offer in the Golden Triangle are second to none. There’s world-class golf here, and lots of it. The Golden Triangle boasts no less than 6 championship courses, the 'Royal' and 'Ocean' courses at Vale do Lobo and the 'Pinheiros Altos' and 'San Lorenzo' courses as well as the 'North' and 'South' courses at Quinta do Lago. There’s the fabulous shopping we’ve already touched on, but there’s far more than that. There are salons and health and beauty spas, there’s tennis and a wealth of other sports available including water sports either in the ocean, or on one of the many man made lakes in the area.

Restaurants and Eateries

As you would expect, there is a great choice of restaurant in the Golden Triangle. Not least of which, is La Terrazza in Vale do Lobo. This stylish Italian serves up pizza and pasta dishes as well as meat and fish specialities, all prepared and cooked in an open plan kitchen so you see the chefs at work. Other restaurants and eateries in Vale do Lobo include; Amore, a modern pasta and pizza restaurant, La Place, which serves up gourmet French cuisine in very elegant surroundings and provides stunning views of the sea from most of its tables. There’s Ken Lo’s “Memories of China” in Tennis Valley. Here, the late Ken Lo, has set up this refined eatery with a wonderful view of Tennis Valley. Monty’s is still another recommendation, dishes include tempura prawns, lamb shank and seared salmon and they do a great cumberland sausage and mash for those less adventurous souls.

The Breeze Papagaio Beach Restaurant overlooking the beautiful Vale do Lobo Beach has been refurbished quite recently and now looks much more contemporary with its aluminium and white resin furniture. This gives the place a wonderfully relaxed holiday feel. If you’re watching your diet, or just want to eat more healthily, Spikes in Vale do Lobo, is the restaurant for you. They serve up appetizing salads alongside fresh vegetable soups and grilled meats served with vegetables. In Quinta do Lago some equally tasty treats await and you can pop along to any of half a dozen or so very tempting eateries, among them Koko Lane, Casa do Lago, Gigis, Casa Velha, Koko Beach and The Quinta do Lago Clubhouse, all of them with delightful menus of fresh meats and fish cooked to order and served at your table.

Bars and Night Life

Much of the night life in Quinta do Lago is based around the stylish shopping area known as Quinta Shopping. Here you’ll find “De Barra”an Irish themed bar, you’ll also find Master Pub and The Melting Pot. Elsewhere in Quinta do Lago there’s the T Club piano bar and disco and in the Bougainvillea Plaza you’ll find Bar DCK and Trigonometria.

In Vale do Lobo check out the Beach Bar. It's right on the beach, so you can’t miss it! This place turns from a great stop off for a tasty light bite during the day, to a sports bar/night club in the evenings. Another great nightspot is the Gecko Club in Vale do Lobo. Here the music is a mixture of everything from the latest dance tunes to some of the all time great classics.

Language

Another reason The Algarve is such a popular holiday destination, particularly among the British, is that English is so widely spoken here. You can quite happily ask a bar steward or a member of the waiting staff for your favourite drink in English and they will understand you perfectly. Their response will doubtless be in English too, albeit, with a Portuguese lilt. That said, as with anywhere in Europe, if you make an effort to speak the language, the natives will respond with an encouraging smile and maybe even a brief language lesson to help you on your way.


Algarve Villas - click here to view our full range of Algarve holiday villas and apartments or browse for villas in the Golden Triangle resorts

Villas in Quinta do Lago | Villas in Vale do Lobo