Thirty-odd courses, one rest day, and a family who would like a say in how it’s spent.
An Algarve golf holiday usually runs to a pattern: tee time, lunch, then a debrief on the terrace that lasts longer than the round. Sooner or later someone in the party asks what else there is to do. It might be a partner, a grandchild, or a golfer whose lower back has filed a formal complaint.
Rather a lot, as it happens. Most of it is within half an hour of the fairways, and we’ve gathered the best of it on our things to do in the Algarve page. None of it requires a handicap certificate.
Zoomarine and the Art of Negotiation
Zoomarine opened at Guia, just outside Albufeira, on 3 August 1991, and is now one of the most visited attractions in the country. More than 630,000 people went through the gates in 2025 alone. Dolphins and sea lions are the headline act, with the Oceanus Aquarium and a butterfly garden in support, and this season added Nautilus, a new family rollercoaster. (Essential Algarve)
The park opens from March to late autumn. Book the dolphins for the children and you’ll find tomorrow’s tee time is no longer up for discussion. Salgados is ten minutes down the road for anyone keen to test the theory.
Flamingos, Clams and the Ria Formosa
East of Faro, the coast dissolves into the Ria Formosa: 60 kilometres of channels, salt marsh and barrier islands, protected as a natural park since 1987. Flamingos feed in the salt pans near Faro, and the purple swamphen, the park’s emblem, turns up for anyone patient with a pair of binoculars. (The Portugal News)
Boats run from Faro and Olhão out to the islands. Lunch there is grilled fish or arroz de lingueirão, razor clam rice, eaten with sand between the toes. Stay at the Real Marina Hotel & Spa in Olhão and the lagoon begins at the end of the promenade.
Two Water Parks, One Clear Winner on Seniority
Slide & Splash at Estômbar, near Lagoa, opened on 10 June 1986. That makes it Portugal’s oldest working water park and, by the standards of the genre, practically a listed building. It now covers ten hectares, including a 17-metre slide tower added in 2022, and the Gramacho course at Carvoeiro is about ten minutes away. (Slide & Splash)
Aqualand, on the EN125 at Alcantarilha, is the bolder of the two. The Banzai and King Cobra slides are for the brave, and the gentler pools are for everyone else. Slide & Splash opens from April to October, and Aqualand from June to September. Vila Vita Parc at Porches is close enough for a calmer evening once the towels are dry.
Animals, a Little Further Inland
Zoo de Lagos sits in the green hills near Barão de São João, 12 kilometres north-west of Lagos. It holds more than 140 species, from penguins to pygmy hippos, and O Cangalho next door handles lunch. Palmares, on the cliffs above Meia Praia, is the obvious round to pair with it. (Lonely Planet)
Krazy World, outside Algoz, is the one younger children vote for. It has a petting farm with llamas and deer, a reptile house, animal shows and a pool. It also has an 18-hole mini-golf course, which gives the golfer of the family a rare chance to be the expert.
Off the Coast and Into the Hills
The cliffs look best from the sea. Private charters leave Vilamoura, Albufeira, Portimão and Lagos for half or full days, with time to cruise past the Benagil caves, swim in the coves and anchor for lunch. Many set off from the quay below Tivoli Marina Vilamoura.
Inland, local guides lead walks in the Serra de Monchique and kayak trips through the Ria Formosa channels. Groups can add treasure hunts or paintball, which settles the morning’s disputed putt more fairly than the bar ever has.
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Browse our Algarve golf holidays and keep one day free for the dolphins.
