Vila Joya
Albufeira, Portugal
★ Verified by our editors · September 2026
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The verdict
A private villa above Praia da Galé, west of Albufeira, which Claudia Jung began turning into a hideaway in 1982: thirteen rooms with Moorish touches, gardens running down towards the dunes, and the restaurant where Dieter Koschina has held two MICHELIN stars since 1999 — the first in Portugal to win two. It holds two MICHELIN Keys and is the Algarve's great small hotel for people who travel to eat.
Couples who want an intimate house by the sea and a two-star dinner without getting in the car.
You want a resort with a kids' club or a lively town on foot: Vila Joya is small, quiet and set apart from Albufeira.
Book the restaurant with the room — it is the reason most guests come — and keep another evening for a sundowner at Vila Joya Sea, the hotel's beach shack.
The rooms
Four rooms and nine suites, each individually designed and each with its own view of the Atlantic, furnished with antiques, fine fabrics and maritime art. Depending on the room there is a private jacuzzi, a sun terrace, a small garden, a private pool or a shower open to the sky.
The setting
Above Praia da Galé, a sandy beach backed by limestone cliffs and dunes on the quieter side of Albufeira, among cypresses, palm trees and gardens that run down towards the sea.
The food
The restaurant serves a daily changing menu under Dieter Koschina, who arrived in 1991 and has held two MICHELIN stars since 1999, on a terrace above the sea. Vila Joya Sea, the beach shack, is the casual alternative for lunch or a sundowner, with Japanese-inspired dishes.
Getting there
About 35 minutes by car from Faro airport. Albufeira's old town is around 15 minutes away; you need a car or taxis to explore.
Good to know
A spa with sauna, steam bath and an outdoor hot tub, a gym and private yoga. Since 2003 the hotel has been run by Claudia's daughter, Joy; it is a house rather than a resort, and it feels like one.
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