Vilamoura bowls tours

Vilamoura

"A highly popular hotel located in the heart of one of Portugal's most sophisticated resorts"

Jonathan Plumridge,

Managing Director

Hotel description

Vila Gale Marina ****

4-star | Vilamoura

The Hotel Vila Gale Marina is an elegantly appointed hotel situated only a very short stroll from the internationally renowned Vilamoura Marina, which is clearly visible from the upper floors of the hotel. It offers spacious, comfortable and fashionable ambiences throughout. Situated at the very heart of the resort, it occupies one of the very best locations in Vilamoura, and offers easy walking access to a wide variety of restaurants, bars and shops selling high quality goods. Given its location, the hotel unsurprisingly features nautically themed decorations and is above all an ideal choice for people with mild mobility difficulties, as the surrounding central area of the resort is both highly compact and almost entirely flat.

Rooms: 243 rooms with en-suite bath, shower and a balcony. All rooms have a telephone, heating/air-conditioning, satellite TV, pay to view TV, mini-bar (filled on request), hair dryer, safe (small charge) & 24-hour room service.

Other Features: buffet restaurant offering international and local cuisine, spacious lounge bar with occasional live entertainment, a small wellness centre (featuring an indoor heated pool, jacuzzi, Turkish bath & gym) an attractive outdoor pool and sun lounging area.

Wi-Fi: Free of charge both in the hotel’s public areas and bedrooms.

Vilamoura

Vilamoura is a purpose built resort that was constructed around a little used small natural harbour. Its construction began in 1966, and an extremely successful project has resulted, in that Vilamoura is now one of Southern Europe’s leading golf resorts, one of Portugal’s principal conferencing centres, and features by far the largest and most sophisticated marina in the south of the country, capable of mooring over 1,000 vessels. As a result of this success it features an abundance of facilities offering entertainment of many kinds, a wide range of fine dining experiences, sophisticated boutique shopping, and the possibility of practising a number of sports. One of its sports facilities is a high quality lawn bowls centre that can be hired by us on behalf of groups that might like to stage some form of domestic competition as part of their holiday arrangement.

The Algarve

The Algarve has long been famous for its mild winter temperatures, sandy beaches and picturesque fishing communities. Formerly an independent kingdom within the medieval Iberian Moorish empire, its traditional architecture and tilework still manifest influences from that time, as do the many orange, lemon, olive and almond groves that exist due to the Moors introduction of these trees to the region. The former Moorish regional capital of Silves lies within easy reach of Albufeira, as do the unspoilt Monchique mountains and the picture postcard village of Alte. For bowlers the region harbours the additional charm of featuring some of the few grass greens in the Mediterranean.

Optional Excursion Possibilities

Alluring Lagos (half day): During the 15th century, when Portugal was the leading maritime nation in Europe, Lagos was the country's most important port, and was the base for many naval explorations of Africa in particular. The impetus for this period of naval domination came from a royal prince that history later dubbed Prince Henry The Navigator and who spent much of his life in Lagos and the Algarve in general. Many buildings, together with significant portions of the original city wall, remain from Lagos's golden age and afford the town considerable charm.

Mountain Highlights Jeep Safari: Head for the unspoilt citrus groves, cork plantations and strawberry fields of the frozen-in-time Algarvian hinterlands aboard a comfortable 4x4 jeep. See traditional crafts, sample local delights including honey and the fiery 'Medronho' - a local drink made from berries, and learn how to harvest cork! A traditional lunch of chicken piri piri is also included as is time at leisure to independently explore the delightfully picturesque village of Alte.

Timeless Tavira (half day): Most pre-industrial cities were reliant to a large degree on geography for their prosperity. Tavira was positioned on the coast and at a river mouth. As such, from Roman times until the 18th century it thrived on trade. Unfortunately for Tavira, and most fortunately for today's tourists, silt from the river firstly rendered it unnavigable and then pushed Tavira further and further inland. As a result, development in Tavira largely froze with its non-viability as a port leaving us with a wonderfully sleepy historic riverside city that offers architectural delights, riverside restaurants, medieval alleyways and a citadel to explore, together with wonderful fresh fish from the daily catch of the charmingly traditional fishing boats that still operate from the city centre.

Faro & The Ria Formosa: To many Faro is simply an airport that they pass through and yet in reality, it is a delightfully atmospheric, historic city that retains much of its medieval charm. Two historic gateways and its ancient cathedral are perhaps its stand-out monuments, but its sleep streets and squares are equally alluring. The adjacent Ria Formosa (beautiful estuary) meanwhile is a natural haven for both aquatic and bird life, its many sandbanks and islands offering a wide variety of protected natural habitats. An overview is best obtained from the bell tower of Faro Cathedral (which we visit) but, it is best explored with a guide in a boat which also forms part of our itinerary.

Silves & Monchique: Spend time at leisure in the wonderfully atmospheric historic hilltown of Silves, enjoying magnificent panoramas from its castle walls and exploring its many picturesque narrow streets prior to heading for the refreshing and highly scenic hills of Monchique to enjoy many magnificent vistas over the surrounding countryside.