Food, Wine & Algarve Adventures
Duration: 8 days
Highlights: Faro foodie tour, Lagos market tour and Portuguese cooking lesson, Algarve wine tasting, Ria Formosa wildlife and oyster farming, bike ride and olive oil tasting, Vilamoura sailing lesson
Explore the sunniest region of Portugal in the most enjoyable way with a series of gastro and active experiences across 8 days
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Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive Algarve
Upon arrival at Faro airport you are welcomed to Portugal by your local Guardian Angel as you exit customs into the arrivals hall, and transferred to your hotel where you are assisted with check-in procedures.
Coastal Algarve is known for its breath-taking cliffs, golden beaches, sandy islands and beach bars, so it is no wonder that the region is Portugal’s most popular holiday destination, where people come to relish the sunny climate and fresh Mediterranean food. However, despite the Algarve’s boom in tourism since the sixties, its eastern coast and inland areas have remained practically undisturbed. Here the focus is more on nature than development, being the home of protected nature reserves, pristine beaches and wild coastlines that are well worth a visit. Inland Algarve boasts pretty castles and historic towns and villages, not forgetting the magnificent Via Algarviana walking track running all the way through it – with all these options those looking to escape from the hustle and bustle of the tourist resorts can get away to a relaxing retreat with relative ease.
Overnight: Anantara Vilarouma Algarve Resort
Day 2 - Algarve
Enjoy this morning at leisure.
Eating in the Algarve can be an unforgettable experience! This late afternoon you discover a little bit more about the charming Algarve, its small streets, its secrets, typical places and several samples. Today's food tour is perhaps one of the best ways to discover local culture.
Your driver privately transfers you to Faro to meet the local guide who takes you on a journey through the fascinating ancient part of the city, with genuine neighbourhoods, local history, architecture and culture. Stroll through the streets while beholding sites like the fortress and old slave market. Stop in five different restaurants or taverns and sample around 10 of the most traditional dishes in Portugal in the relaxed environment, before your transfer back to your hotel.
Overnight: Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort
Meal Plan: B,D
Day 3 - Algarve
Enjoy a unique experience to learn about the secrets of the Portuguese cuisine with a local chef in a relaxed environment. Meet your driver at the hotel to be privately transferred to Lagos. Upon arrival, meet your local guide and chef for a cultural introduction tour of the city.
Visit the local farmer's market, the fish market, and a butcher's to select fresh ingredients for your meal. Afterwards, head to the chef´s house to prepare a traditional Portuguese meal consisting of an appetizer, main dish, and dessert, that you enjoy paired with three award-winning organic wines. Take home the recipes to replicate them at home and impress your family and friends! You are transferred back to your hotel at the end of the experience.
Overnight: Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort
Meal Plan: B,L
Day 4 - Algarve
Vines love Portugal's southernmost region for the same reason the tourists do: it is never too hot, never too cold, and they can be sure to enjoy more than 3,000 hours of sunshine every year! Discover the long heritage of this winemaking region during your tour today.
Meet your driver at the hotel to be privately transferred to Lagos where you meet your local guide for a cultural introduction tour of the town. Stop for some wine tasting at one of the town's most iconic cafés before heading to a family wine cellar, home to the best organic wines of the region. Upon arrival, meet the owner, who teaches you about the wine-making history in the Algarve, the local grape varieties and the estate's vision about wine. Visit the vineyard before enjoying a homemade meal, with appetizers, main dish, and dessert, all paired with different wines. Afterwards, you are transferred back to your hotel.
Overnight: Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort
Meal Plan: B,L
Day 5 - Algarve
This morning enjoy a unique 3-hour experience in the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Meet your driver at the hotel and transfer to Faro port where you meet your skipper-guide and sail towards the island of Culatra, between the river delta and the Atlantic Ocean. See the picturesque islands of Farol and Hangares too, learning all about the inhabitants' way of life, as well as the port of shelter and the nurseries of molluscs that are a major source of profit for this region. Find out more about the process of gathering and preparing the world's best oysters for export, before having the chance to taste just why they're so popular, trying some caught fresh from the sea and opened by the fishermen, and paired with white or green Portuguese wine.
Overnight: Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort
Meal Plan: B
Day 6 - Algarve
Today your driver transfers you to São Brás de Alportel, the Algarve's cork capital, to explore one of the region's best kept secrets. Upon arrival meet your cycling guide for a relaxed and enjoyable ride through the traditional landscape of the Algarve Interior. Cycle between the coast and the mountains in the rural countryside, where cork and almond fields flank the path. Make stops first in a brick factory and later at an olive oil mill, where you enjoy a private visit and tasting session. Your final stop is at a typical Medronho distillery, where you enjoy another private visit and taste 3 liquors with regional sweets. Afterwards meet your driver to be transferred back to your hotel.
Overnight: Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort
Meal Plan: B
Day 7 - Algarve
Today you are privately transferred by your driver to Vilamoura port where you board your sailing yacht.
Enjoy a 2-hours boat trip on board a sailing yacht exploring the coastline, sailing, relaxing and discovering beautiful beach spots while enjoying drinks and Portuguese appetizers.
Overnight: Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort
Meal Plan: B
Day 8 - Depart Algarve
Meet your driver at the hotel to be privately transferred to Faro airport where you board your departure flight.
Meal Plan: B