Mirante 1

Mirante 1 sits on the hillside above Albufeira with an ocean view, heated pools and a tennis court — a combination that puts it in a different category from the town below. Six bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms, twelve guests.

The grounds do most of the work: lawn garden, private outdoor pool, tennis court, and a BBQ terrace positioned for the sunset. Indoors there is a billiards table, a games collection and air conditioning that earns its keep in an Algarve July.

Albufeira divides opinion, and the answer is usually altitude. From up here you get the beaches, the marina and the restaurants within a ten-minute drive, and none of the noise. Olhos de Água and Praia da Falésia are close, and the seven-night minimum suits a family taking the whole week.