AP Cabanas Beach & Nature

The hotel has 340 modern rooms with a calm, grown-up feel. Expect light interiors, good storage for golf gear and a balcony or terrace as standard. Choose pool views for a livelier outlook or lagoon-facing rooms for the quietest mornings. Suites add more living space, which is handy for longer stays or groups sharing. All rooms come with air conditioning, flat-screen TVs, safes and enough room to unpack properly, something often overlooked in resort hotels.

Food and drink is easy here, with three restaurants and two bars. The rooftop bar is the go-to for a pre-dinner drink, especially at sunset over the Ria Formosa. It's perched high enough to take in the full sweep of the lagoon, and it's the kind of spot that works equally well for a nightcap after exploring Tavira. The main restaurant offers buffet and à la carte options, leaning heavily on regional ingredients, fresh fish from the coast, citrus from local groves and traditional Algarvian desserts like Dom Rodrigo and Pudim de Laranja. A second restaurant focuses on Mediterranean and international dishes, while the third is a more casual poolside option for lighter bites and lunch. The two bars keep things simple, one by the pool for daytime drinks, the other on the rooftop for evening views. Both stock a solid range of Portuguese wines, local beers and classic cocktails.

For recovery, you've got the AP Elements SPA included, with sauna, Turkish bath and Jacuzzi. Treatments are available at an extra cost if you want to go full reset between rounds. Two outdoor pools and a heated indoor pool cover you year-round, plus a well-equipped gym if you like to keep moving. The gym has cardio machines, free weights and resistance equipment, and it's rarely crowded. Sun loungers, parasols and poolside service are all standard, and the layout ensures there's always a quiet corner if you want one.

Tavira is 10 minutes away by car or taxi, and it's worth the trip. The town has managed to avoid the overdevelopment that's affected other parts of the Algarve, and its old quarter, with cobbled streets, whitewashed houses and a castle dating back to Moorish rule, feels genuinely historic rather than recreated for tourists. The riverfront is lined with restaurants serving grilled fish, octopus salad and cataplana, and the dessert selection, particularly Dom Rodrigo (almond and egg sweet) and Pudim de Laranja (orange pudding), is some of the best in the region. Evening trips into Tavira are popular with groups and couples alike, and the town's relaxed pace makes it easy to spend a few hours wandering before heading back to the hotel.