Encosta do Lago 5

Encosta do Lago 5 sits in the Encosta do Lago development at Almancil, immediately alongside the Quinta do Lago estate — the golf and lagoon country that has anchored the central Algarve's reputation for forty years. Six bedrooms, twelve guests.

The draw is that there are two pools: one outside on the terrace, one indoors, which makes the house work in February as well as July. There is a sauna, a gym, a fitness and spa area, and an indoor fireplace. A five-night minimum keeps it to proper stays.

Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo golf courses are minutes away, as is the Ria Formosa lagoon and the long beach beyond it. Almancil itself has the concentration of good restaurants that the resorts around it do not. For a golfing group or a family splitting between courses and beach, the position is close to ideal.