AD | Earlier this week, Jonny and I got back from 3 nights in Alvor, a small fishing village in Portugal. Jet2holidays kindly sent us off to explore this gorgeous village in the municipality of Portimão, in the southern Algarve which neither of us had been to before, though we both had visited near by Albuferia however this place may just be a new favorite and let me tell you why.
Getting to Alvor
We of course flew with Jet2 which let me start by saying it was a breeze. No wonder they have won numerous awards. From check in to landing back in the UK every member of Jet2 staff were a pleasure and just cheery and friendly which makes a big difference. We flew late on a Saturday afternoon from London Stansted the flights were quick and both bang on time. It took us just shy of 3 hours to land in Faro, Portugal then we hopped in the transfer that is included with all of their Jet2holiday packages as well as a generous 22kg checked in bag each. Transfers took around an hour and a half due to other drop offs but I weirdly always kind of enjoy looking at the other hotels people are at and guessing which one is yours.
Where to stay
We were booked into Luna Alvor Village, a 4 star (4.5 star on TripAdvisor) apart-hotel a short walk away from the main town of Alvor. It was clean modern and really spacious. It had it’s own kitchen diner too meaning if you were staying longer than a few days you could easily have dinner in after a day at their pool. Breakfast here is included and as always I headed straight to the fresh fruit. We didn’t stock-up too much here as we love to grab coffee and cakes in towns when on holiday to grab something more local than a full English. The hotel is simple, modern and has everything you need it is a perfect base if you are exploring the town and surrounding areas. We had not long been back from a week Lanzarote and while the weather there was great it lacked history and charm, Alor makes up for all of that and has such an old worldy vibe.
What to do in Alvor
As I said this is a small fishing village but it packs a ton of character into it’s cobbled streets. I will get onto where to eat and drink next as it is a bulky section but here are a few things to do in and around the areas.
- Walk the boardwalk – This is really a stunning walk, just under 3 miles long you can walk the board walk along the beach stopping at bars and restaurants along the way. It leads all the way down to the coves and cliffs on the beach. You can find a secluded spot that just drenches you in sunshine. There is a cute restaurant tucked away too but we left as it was pretty pricey and service wasn’t great sadly, so we opted to keep looking for somewhere else. This walk really is something special and a must.
- Have a beach day – The beach is long, the coves are gorgeous and there are so many stunning stops to sunbathe or at the top of cliffs look out for hours over the ocean.
- Head into Portimão – This is the main area and had some great looking beach clubs such as Blanco and NoSoloAgua they had only just opened as it was early on in the season so we took a look but decided not to rent a bed for around €30 which is reasonable but it was just not late enough in the season to justify and the day we went was a little cloudy but they do serve delicious looking sushi right to your bed or you can even get a massage. In summer they have beach and pool parties which I can imagine are fantastic. You can jump in an Uber from Alvor for around €7 and it takes around 15 minutes so is easy to get to.
- Take a boat trip – We didn’t have enough time to do this but if you do, do a day trip and visit the Benagil cave.
- Play mini golf – Jonny loves golf but I said not to a full round as we only had 2 full days so I said yes to mini golf which was really fun and so for big kids too. It is a little walk from Alvor approx 25 mins but you can walk through the town and once there a round is really reasonable, good for couples or families.
- Take a day trip to Lagos – I think this may be a location for one of our next trips, only around 20 minutes away is the town of Lagos. It’s known for its walled old town, cliffs and Atlantic beaches. Steep wooden steps lead to the sandy cove of Praia do Camilo which you’ve likely seen on Instagram. I really want to visit as I think it will just offer so much history and beauty and the town is a little bigger in size.
- Join in local activities – Of course Portugal is famous for golf but here in Alvor you can go Skydiving or join in a game of beach volleyball or a triathlon if you like! There was one happening when we were there and it was great to watch and support people going by.
Where to eat and drink
Okay the bulky section with tons of snaps to make you really excited to eat your way around Alvor. Considering we only stayed 3 nights we packed in a lot of good eats and tried a fair few cocktails all for the good of the blog of course, I can use that as an excuse right?
Pepperino – We got here at like 10pm on our first night straight from the airport really and grabbed some great pizza. This place has the same owners as Beer & Co, Mourisco Cocktail Bar and the Sports bar all set in a square but all offering up something different. The pizza was darn delicious and for us both to have pizza, Jonny 2 beers and me a glass of wine it came in to just under €40.
Beer & Co – We went here on our first night and every day after. They showed the Masters so I had a happy Jonny on my hands. Drinks were great I tried a Pornstar Martini, Gin Fizz then on other days a Pink G&T and when happy hour was on I was sipping €5 frozen daiquiris. If you like beer Super Bock is the local beer and at happy hour it was €2.
Sea Deck – We stumbled across this on the Alvor Boardwalk cocktails here are a dream and later when we decided the fancy cove restaurant wasn’t for us we sat in the sun sipping more cocktails and eating a delicious lunch. I had the caesar salad and Jonny the Portuguese steak sandwich. Lunch, 3 cocktails and 2 beers came in at just over €80.
Alvorada – This was a last minute decision as it got cold suddenly and it looked nice. I had crusted cod and Jonny the steak. Now the food was lovely but my cod had a number of bones which put me off my meal. No worries I holiday with a hoover aka. Jonny and he ate both meals! We did have tempura prawns to start though which were delicious!
Steakhouse Faustino’s – Best restaurant in Alvor, FACT! Perfectly cooked filet steak, 2 jugs of smooth sangria and the tastiest creamed spinach I have ever eaten. This was our most expensive meal at just shy of €100 but it was so so worth it and we did over order on the sides the onion rings and sweet potato fries, we could have passed on. We both also had starters and I even ate mushrooms which is a big thing if you now me as I tend to detest them but here they weren’t half bad.
Confeitaria D’alvor – This bakery does everything fresh, fresh bread was a winner for Jonny with scrambled eggs but I went for their Pastel de Natas and by gosh they were perfect. I hunted this place out as the best bakery in the town and it lived up to it. It was simple inside but it just made it better and the prices were crazy! Scrambled eggs on toast, 2 pastries and 2 iced coffees for €14.
Mourisco Cocktail Bar – I had this on my must visit list before we went and it is a must visit I can tell you first hand. It is so bizarre, it is kind of retro medieval inside but the cocktails are dreamy. I had the cocktail of the day a ginger and almond mix and a Limoncello basil collins and Jonny a dark ‘n’ stormy and something else with ginger I can’t recall. Around €30 for the 4 cocktails here but they are rather fancy and Instagram worthy for sure.
Local gelato and creparies – We had waffles with Nutella and crepes with gelato I mean I am pistachio and coconut all the way but they have so many delicious flavours.
Why not book a holiday or flight now?
What I can say is I would in a split second book with Jet2holidays again. It was totally seamless and considering the last few holidays we’ve been on I have planned from scratch, it really made it a breeze to have everything sorted out for you from start to finish. You can also just book flights with Jet2 as from Stansted alone they fly to 42 destinations or they even offer Jet2CityBreaks flying from a number of UK airports. You really can’t fault them.
*This trip was complimentary courtesy of Jet2. Our hotel, flights and transfers were covered but all other activities were paid for by ourselves and opinions are my own.
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It looks so amazing there. I have been wanting to go to Portugal for ages, and I have so many places on my Portugal list to visit. This place is definitely going on my must see list! It’s so good that you were able to have 22kg checked luggage!
It’s so beautiful! Just the cliffs and beaches are breathtaking. I would really recommend a few days here and then few in Lagos we didn’t get to go but it’s supposed to be fab. I know right Jet2 are really good with including both that and transfers in the price. Xx
beautiful photo and great post
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Thank you 🙂