Praia Dona Ana, Algarve

“It’s the most photographed beach in Portugal – and drop dead gorgeous. Dive from spectacular rock formations, swim in clear, calm water and laze on wonderful golden sands.”

If you can tear yourself away from your book and sunbed, you can enjoy a boat ride through the fabulous grottos at Ponte de Piedade. Alternatively, take a trip into town and explore the historic city of Lagos, which ‘rocks’ according to AOL. Street entertainers and holidaymakers fill the streets at night, with souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants doing a roaring trade. Stroll around the chic marina and admire the luxury yachts and cruisers bobbing gently in the breeze – the explorer Prince Henry the Navigator set sail from Lagos in the 15^th Century.

Browse our selection of Lagos villas and apartments at Villas to Go.

]]> http://magazine.villastogo.com/2009/05/12/looking-for-a-fabulous-beach-holiday-in-the-sun/feed/ 0 http://magazine.villastogo.com/2009/04/15/fly-off-for-some-easter-sun/ http://magazine.villastogo.com/2009/04/15/fly-off-for-some-easter-sun/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:05:50 +0000 adam http://magazine.villastogo.com/?p=86 Times Online reports that two million Britons were expected to go abroad this Easter, up 20 per cent on last year, with Good Friday likely to be the busiest day at UK airports. According to ABTA, there has been a late surge in bookings for foreign breaks despite the spell of relatively warm weather we have been experiencing at home.

Faro is one of the top ten most-searched destinations for people travelling between April 8th and April 15th, according to flight search engine Skyscanner.

It has a south-facing coastline of approximately 155km, with 52 km of coast stretching northwards in the west. At the widest point to the north, it is approximately 36 kilometres deep.

There is a single-track railway line running from Lagos to Vila Real do Santo António that also links to the line running to Lisbon and further north. The old “EN125″ main road runs along the whole coast but a new motorway “A22″ (also known as the Via do Infante) has been built almost parallel to this from the Spanish border to Lagos in the west. Near Albufeira, it joins with the main motorway to Lisbon.

There are around 100 beautiful sandy beaches along the Algarve coastline, lapped by the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Due to the maritime shelf and water currents, the sea temperature can be often be surprisingly warm even during winter.

The highest point in the Algarve is Foia (902m) above the unspoilt village of Monchique.

What would you tell someone to encourage them to holiday in a Villas to Go villa?

“Excellent service and value for money. Villa was superb exactly as described, the directions and user information were perfect and produced a hassle free holiday.” – Mr S Robison, Can Tomeu, Mallorca, 25/05/2008

“Great luxury villa. Clean, bright, all the mod-cons and fab location.” – Mrs S Cotton, Villa Olivia, Crete 25/05/2008

“Excellent villa. Couldn’t fault it in any way.” – Mrs L Webb, Villa Maria, Crete, 13/05/2008

Do you have any other comments to help us improve our service?

“None at all the holiday was more than we expected and the villa made it that extra special as it felt hmely and not just a holiday villa. thank you all for making our holiday special.” – Mr B Jenkins, Quinta da Avo, Algarve, 22/05/2008

“No, we were very happy with the services provide by Villas to Go and with the property. We had a wonderful holiday in a beautiful villa, which was immaculate, in beautiful countryside. We would be very happy to use Villas to Go again and to recommend it to family and friends. Thank you!” – Mrs E Pilbeam, Villa Soledad, Mallorca, 24/05/2008

“I dont really think there’s anything I tell you to improve on… All I want to say is thank you very much, as I had an excellent time and am extremely pleased with the villa and the service I recieved.” – Mr H Khan, Villa Alecrim, Algarve, 19/06/2008

We’ll be posting more of these reviews soon…

Ryanair: A quick scan of their site shows that flights from London to Faro can still be booked this July and August from as little as £26pp each way. Flights from London to Palma/Alicante are as low as £15pp each way. These flights tend to be the red-eye variety, sometimes getting you to your destination in the early hours, but if that doesn’t bother you then there are numerous dates stll available at these prices.

Ryanair has also launched it’s ‘cheap flights to Italy’ promotion, where flights to Milan start from as little as £10. These prices do have special restrictions however, click here for details

ThomsonFly is offering some competitive prices on flights to Malaga, Palma or Faro this July. One way tickets, including taxes and charges, start from £39.50.

And finally, if you’re thoughts are turning to later in the year, BMIBaby are offering Winter flights (travel between 26th October 2008 – 28th March 2009) from Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands and Manchester to Alicante, Murcia, Palma and Faro from £34.99 each way.

Casa da Infanta is a completely refurbished and renovated summer residence belonging to the former Portugese Royal Family.  Casa Da Infanta is sure to delight with its spectacular sea views and elegant furnishings. This is a house to entertain in the grandest style!

Have you stayed at Casa Da Infanta? We’d love to hear about it – so why not leave a comment?

Simon, a happy customer says:

“The picuresque seaside town of Luz, flanked by the highest cliffs in the Algarve (over 100 metres high), distracted the attention of the passengers but I noticed that Irma’s keen eye hadn’t left the water. suddenly she raised her arm- the signal for the skipper to slow right down and stop the engines. Everybody fell silent, even the ecstatic children- could we be in the presence of our quarry? Expectant glances were exchanged and, with a great whoosh, the sea surface broke- a real live dolphin! Then two, then three- the sea around us quickly became alive.”

Read more of Simon’s review here

If you’ve experienced a dolphin watching trip with Algarve Dolphin why not send us a photo or share your own experience with us?

For those of you looking to fly from Manchester, XL Airways currently have some last minute flight offers to Faro for departures this April, from £59 per person return. There is only limited availability so you’ll need to book quickly to secure your seats.

Ryanair have got some great low fares travelling from Stansted to Faro or Palma, for departures between May 3rd – October 25th (excluding school and public holidays). The best deals can be secured for mid-week travel where prices start from £15 including taxes and surcharges, one-way. Bookings need to be made before midnight April 21st

BMIBaby are also running a summer offer – 30% off all routes from either Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands or Manchester that are going to Palma, Alicante, Lisbon. Prices start from £25 per person and these offers end midnight April 23rd. PLUS: Book a flight for travel before 26th May and earn triple destination miles!

They’re offering flights from just £10 one-way to nearly all of their destinations between now and October (excluding school and public holidays). This means you can find some pretty amazing deals:

As an example – A party of 8 travelling to the fantastic Quinta da Avo in Carvoeiro, Algarve this May could go all-in (that’s flights and a weeks accommodation) for as little as £1,054 – less than £132 per person!

Or if you fancy a really late deal, a party of 6 travelling to Casa Noelia on April 20th, could get their flights to Palma and a weeks accommodation for just £607, or £101 per person!

If you want to take advantage of these offers, our advice would be to hurry as flight bookings need to be made before midnight on Monday 7th April.

The Bad news first: Mossbank came in second in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham and so their million seat giveaway did not happen……..but

The Good news: Ryaniar are still giving away lots of flight seats travelling this April as long as you book by Thursday 20th March

EasyJet

Are giving up to 20% off any flight, any route between the UK and Spain /Portugal, and flying between 8th April – 30th June; but HURRY as the offer closes midnight Tuesday 18th March!