Where to stay in Algarve
Clifftop hotels in the west, a lagoon and its island beaches in the east
Conversas de Alpendre
Vila Nova de Cacela, Portugal
from €250 / night
Specific guides to Algarve
Focused comparisons to choose the right area and hotel for the trip you actually want.
Where to stay in the Algarve: six MICHELIN Key hotels
Six of the Algarve's eleven hotels with a MICHELIN Key, from the three-Key Vila Vita Parc to a tree house near Cacela Velha, and how to choose between the cliffs of the west and the lagoon of the east.
13 September 2026 · 10 min read
Where it is still summer in October: five hotels for autumn sun
Summer does not end everywhere at the same time. In Lanzarote, the Algarve and the Cádiz coast, October still means warm days, long lunches outside and dinner with the windows open. Five places to stretch it.
14 September 2026 · 7 min read
Winter sun without the long flight: Lanzarote, Marrakech and the southern coasts
Where the sun still works between December and February, what each place is actually good for, and the hotels we rate in each — from a volcanic island at 21 °C to a riad in the medina.
22 September 2026 · 8 min read
MICHELIN Key hotels in Portugal: the 2026 selection, region by region
Portugal has 69 hotels with a MICHELIN Key in 2026. Where they are, the two with three Keys and the fourteen with two, and the eighteen we rate, from Lisbon to Madeira.
3 October 2026 · 8 min read
Algarve: good to know
Is it better to stay in the western or eastern Algarve?
West of Faro for cliffs, coves and resorts — Porches, Albufeira, Portimão. East of Faro for a quieter, flatter coast on the Ria Formosa lagoon, island beaches reached by boat and towns like Tavira. For a first trip with a car, the west; for calm and a walkable town, the east.
Do you need a car in the Algarve?
Usually, yes. The coast is long and the best beaches and restaurants are spread out. You can manage without one in Faro and Tavira, which have boats to the islands and a train along the coast, or in a resort you do not plan to leave.
Which Algarve hotels have a MICHELIN Key?
Eleven, in Portugal's 2026 selection. We rate six: Vila Vita Parc in Porches with three Keys; Vila Joya in Albufeira and Bela Vista in Portimão with two; and 3HB Faro, Colégio Charm House in Tavira and Conversas de Alpendre near Cacela with one each. The other five, all with one Key, are Octant Praia Verde at Altura, Palácio de Tavira, Praia do Canal near Aljezur, Viceroy at Ombria near Loulé and Vilalara at Armação de Pêra.
When is the best time to visit the Algarve?
May, June, September and October bring warm days without the July and August crowds. Winters are mild and sunny, which makes it a good winter escape if you are not set on swimming in the sea.