Quarteira Holidays
Quarteira Holidays – Family friendly
A holiday in Quarteira has always been popular with the Portuguese, which gives the resort a more cosmopolitan feel than some other Algarve destinations. Tourist orientated but not a tourist trap, Quarteira really is an ideal resort for a family holiday. Most apartments and hotels are on the sea front and have wonderful sea views, as well as easy access to the beautiful sands of the Praia da Quarteira, the resort’s main beach, and Avenida Infante de Sagres, known locally as the Marginal, the delightful palm-lined promenade.
The gypsy market takes place at the Jardim Filipe Jonas each Wednesday and is the biggest market of its kind the in the Algarve. It can get pretty hectic! If you can drag yourself out of bed very, very early, Quarteira harbour is a hive of activity in the early hours as the fishermen unload their catch. You will need to be quick to pick up some ultra-fresh fish and seafood for the barbeque, as this is where many of the restaurants in the area buy their produce for the day’s menu.
If beach life gets a bit boring, you can fill your hours with every kind of water sport, or stay on dry land and enjoy karting, bowling, tennis and horse riding, although you may be perfectly content to watch the world stroll by at a café on the lovely Marginal.
And don’t forget the golf! The Algarve is one of the most popular regions in Europe for all-year-round golf, and there are a number of top-notch courses close to Quarteira.
When to go to Quarteira
Are you a beach babe, a golf enthusiast, a family looking for safe sands for the kiddies, or a couple out for few lively nights but mostly just to relax and eat well? Whatever your preference, a holiday in Quarteira will provide it, but you might need to choose your timing carefully. For peaceful beaches and queue-less restaurants it would be best to avoid school holidays, which can vary between countries, but are usually during mid-June to the end of August. Easter will also usually be crowded. Apart from those dates, though, there will be time and space to relax at a gentle pace.
The weather in Quarteira
If you are coming from the UK, even the ‘cool’ months of December and January, when the temperature in the sun rarely falls below 17ºC will seem like a balmy summer’s day compared with Manchester, London or Glasgow, who barely hit that level in May, (and which, incidentally, all have direct flights to Faro airport). Summer highs of 30º+ are ideal for lounging in the shade with a glass of something chilled, and you will be glad to have the soft cooling breezes that drift off the Atlantic Ocean. Spring is fresh and warm, with ten hours of sun each day, while the autumnal months are a delight, as the heat of summer gradually cools, although even in October shorts and T-shirts are the order of the day.
Getting the best deal to Quarteira
As with any holiday, a bit of prior research can pay dividends as far as getting a deal is concerned. Sadly, if you are fixed to high season and school terms for your holidays you won’t be able to take advantage of cheap flights and reduced room rates. But there are still a few ways you can spread your holiday spends.
All inclusive hotel deals and early booking of flights can shave off quite a few euros, and don’t ignore happy hours and two-for-one deals while you are in the resort. These are usually offered in the early evening hours, and if you are family with young children it can give you an enjoyable evening out before having a last couple of drinks in your hotel bar. Many hotels offer supervised ‘Kids Clubs’, swimming pools and spas, so make the most of them, and save something for a splash-out evening at the end of your hols.
Below you will find some of the best deals in Quarteira. Alternatively you can visit our late deals offers.
Airport and transport need to know
Wherever you live in the UK and Ireland there’s an airport not too far from you that has low-cost flights to Faro. Ryanair from Liverpool, Dublin and Birmingham; easyJet from Luton and Edinburgh; Jet2 from Blackpool, Leeds Bradford and Newcastle – the list goes on. Twenty airports in the UK and Ireland service all the main low-cost airline routes to Faro, the main airport on the Algarve, in addition to Monarch, Aer Lingus and Air Berlin.
Quarteira is a 22km, forty-minute transfer from Faro airport by taxi, although it will take you a bit longer if you want to use Eva Bus, the regional bus service, as you will have to take a bus ride from the airport into the bus terminus in Faro to pick up the regional service to Quarteira. At 23€ (£18.50) for a taxi for four people, compared with 5.50€ (£4.50) per person for the bus, the fifty pence difference barely warrants consideration.
The best beaches in Quarteria
Quarteria has only one beach, but it is one of the longest in the Algarve, so you need never fear of having to share a stranger’s sunshade. It is also one of the safest beaches for children, where a breakwater calms the seas, making them safe for kiddies to paddle in, and a comfortable splash for less confident swimmers. It is ideal for passing the whole day on, with plenty of cafes and restaurants running the length of the palm tree and flower-garlanded promenade. When you feel like a bit of a change from sunbathing there are a number of water sport options available.
In the evening the pedestrianised prom is where locals and visitors alike take a stroll, enjoying the last rays of the sun. If you feel like dancing, there is live music as some of the bars, and no-one will object if you use the prom as your dance floor.
To up the pace to a more beachy-disco feel, the purpose-built resort of Vilamoura is right next door, with its famous Praia da Marina. Purobeach is a select area in front of the Tivoli Marina Vilamoura Hotel, where you can stretch out on the sofas and canopied beds, listening to DJs pump out the music in the summer evenings.]
Both beaches are Accessible Beaches, which means that they have ramps and walkways that allow wheelchair users direct access to the sand. They also have a first aid post and toilets for disabled people, and walking-aids, wheelchairs and other equipment that can be used in the sea.
Useful links
www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Portugal/Algarve/Quarteira-282109/TravelGuide-Quarteira.html
http://portugal-info.net/algarve/quarteira.htm
