The Algarve - days out for the children
20 March 2008
The Dolphin Seafaris is a tour leaving from Portimao’s Marina at Praia da Rocha and Lagos marina. You can watch these wonderful, intelligent creatures. A word of warning though, the boat is small, which allows you to get close up to the dolphins, but not so good for those of you who suffer from sea-sickness. It might be wise to choose a calm day and take any anti-sickness medication!
The Aquabus that leaves from Lagos marina should keep them quiet! Children can marvel at the underwater world seen through the glass panes in the hull of this floating submarine.
There are daily trips with a choice of destinations: Lagos to Salema, or a Grottoes Trip.
The Algarve boasts five waterparks where children can spend the entire day enjoying huge waterslides, rapids, surf-pools and many other waterbased amusements. All the parks have restaurants, snack bars and are open daily from 10:00 to 19:00.
Slide & Splash - Estombar, 7km east of Portimao
Aqualand also known as The Big One - Alcantarilha, 10km west of Albufeira
Wild Waters - Montechoro Park, near Albufeira
Atlantico - near Vilamoura
Aqualine - near Monte Gordo
The Zoomarine is a good place for a family day out with lots of shows to watch, the two of the most popular being the sea lions and dolphins. There’s an aquarium at the park with an interactive section for children and a child’s play area.
Lagos zoo is stunning with its well-landscaped gardens on which live over 120 species of animals. You and your children will be able to view the vast collection of animals and birds. There is a 60m-flight tunnel where you can closely view exotic birds, as well as a petting zoo area where your children can come into closer contact with smaller animals. You will be able to spend the day here with no problem since the zoo has everything you need to keep you entertained, including a restaurant for snacks and meals.
Omega wild life conservation park situated in Monchique is a great day out. For those of you concerned about the ethics of keeping animals in zoos, this park claims to conserve endangered species. It has a cafe and free parking and is, of course, it is near the breathtaking vistas of Monchique.
Beaches
The Algarve boasts 100 miles of dramatic coastline with magnificent golden sand beaches and tidy rugged coves. The beaches are clean and unpolluted and have already received a record number of EEC ‘Blue Flag’ awards for beach and sea cleanliness. Most beaches feature at least one bar or restaurant, usually an ideal setting to sample the excellent seafood. Also the larger beaches have a wide range of water sports. All the beaches in the Algarve are available to the public and without charge although a small fee may be made for the use of sunbeds, parasols, etc.
Some of the main beaches do have lifeguards and some use the safety flag system as listed below: Red Flag - Bathing forbidden Yellow Flag - Bathing with caution Green Flag - Safe to swim The flag system does not operate on all beaches and usually only between June 1st and September 30th. Overall safety advice is to take care at sea especially when there is a strong wind.
Don’t forget your beach towels!
Horse riding
For older children there are several stables which cater for both the experienced rider and the novice.
Look here for our holiday and experiences in the Algarve in August 2007.
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