It’s only 8am, but the sun is already pleasantly warm. I climb down the stairs carved into the rocky cliff at Vila Vita Parc Resort to what feels like the most private and secluded beach.
A lifeguard hands me a towel. There’s a small group of ladies doing yoga on the sandy shore, but no one else is around. I take off my bathrobe and start swimming towards the sun… To begin a day like this is my idea of paradise and the five-star Vila Vita Parc resort in The Algarve, Portugal, offers just that.
Set on 54 acres of beautiful sub-tropical gardens, Vila Vita Parc offers luxury, privacy and, it seems, every activity available in the region.
Guests can dine in 8 casual and gourmet restaurants (the Ocean restaurant received its second Michelin star in 2011), drink in 6 bars and a café, swim in 8 swimming pools, indulge in wine tasting in a specially built and well-stocked wine cellar, attend a water aerobics class or a HYPOXI studio, get a massage and cool down in an ice cave, rent the hotel’s 72-foot yacht for a day or two, play a game of golf or tennis…
…and if all of the above is still not enough, you can travel to the Herdade Dos Grous farm and learn about grape picking, wine making and farming, go horse riding and fishing or admire the world below from a hot air balloon… and, of course, eat and drink the local produce that probably has the lowest carbon footprint in the whole country.
Oh, I forgot to mention the other off-site entertainment venues, such as the German beer garden and my personal favourite – the Arte Nautica Beach Club pictured below – where excellent seafood is served and various sporting activities from banana boat riding to diving and windsurfing are offered.
The beaches and the Mediterranean climate with more than 300 sunny days per year are among the Algarve’s main attractions. The Moorish-influenced old towns are definitely worth a visit too, but if you want to stick to luxury and style, I suggest you do not venture outside Vila Vita Parc.
Accommodation
In Vila Vita Parc guests can choose from 180 rooms, suites and private villas with their own pools and a butler. I stayed in a spacious Oasis Parc suite with a private rooftop and ocean views, usually favoured by couples.
I have to admit that the leftover bottles of Claus Porto shampoo and body lotion have travelled back with me to London. Apparently they are Michele Obama and Oprah Winfrey’s favourites and are very, very good and exclusive!
Food and Drink
Vila Vita Parc’s 8 restaurants, 6 bars and a café serve a variety of casual and gourmet cuisines from rustic Portuguese cooking at Adega, cakes and coffee at Café Bica to 2 Michelin starred fare at Ocean restaurant.
We munched on Italian delicacies and seafood (the grilled squid was superb!) at the Whale restaurant; the best buffet breakfast is served at the Bela Vita on the ground floor of the main resort building; Atlântico restaurant only allows children that are six years and older, and in Arte Nautica I tasted the best (and biggest) grilled tiger prawn from Mozambique.
But the highlight of any food lover’s holiday in The Algarve ought to be the fine dining experience at the Ocean restaurant. Austrian-born Chef Hans Neuner focuses on the catch of the day from nearby Sagres.
Guests are tempted to indulge in the restaurant’s signature dishes such as a fillet of red mullet served with perceves (goose barnacles) and fennel jelly or a tail of langoustine topped with caramelised turnip on a classic French combination of pressed veal face in black truffle sauce.
If you want to enjoy beautiful views of Portugal’s southernmost coastline, book a table on the terrace. Two tasting menus come with optional wine and Champagne selections paired with each dish. 3 course menu 95 euros per person; 7 course menu 185 euros per person.
Cave de Vinhos
Vila Vita’s on-site wine cellar that stocks some 11,000 bottles is the best place to sample some of Portugal’s finest wines and ports and the resort’s own wine from Herdade dos Grous estate. We dined on freshly harvested organic produce and listened to Vila Vita’s manager Kurt M. Gillig’s passionate talk about wine, food and Portugal.
We tasted delicious wines such as Quinta Do Vallado Reserva 1999 from Douro and a 100-year-old Barros Old Tawny. We also learnt how to cut open an old bottle of port using ice and fire and pop the sparkling wine cork with a glass.
Health and Sport
At Vila Vita Parc sport fanatics can choose from 5 tennis courts, volleyball, 9-hole pitch & putt practice course, 18-hole putting green, 18-hole mini-golf; exercise in a health club that features an ice cave (-3°C), swim in a heated indoor pool with an open-air section, relax in saunas and attend weekly programmes such as yoga, aqua aerobics and beach walks.
Those seeking slimming programmes should head to a HYPOXI studio – the first and only of its kind on the Iberian Peninsula. It promises 30-centimetre loss in problematic areas after just 12 sessions.
HYPOXI combines vacuum pressure and low intensity exercise that forces the body to use its own fat as fuel. In other words, you exercise on a stationary bicycle inside a sealed vacuum that changes air pressure and helps circulation.
In Vital Spa, algae and rasul baths, Finnish and infra red saunas are on the menu, as well as various other treatments. I had an anti-stress massage that left me feeling so relaxed and rested, that I remember my experience through a pleasant haziness.
Herdade Dos Grous Farm and Wine Estate
Herdade dos Grous or Country Estate of the Cranes in the Alentejo region is about an hour’s drive inland from Vila Vita Parc towards Lisbon. It is spread through 1,803 acres that are covered with vineyards, olive and orange groves, a lake and a farm where horses are bred and pigs roam freely in the fields.
Some of the best Alentejo wines are produced here. The region is home to traditional grape varieties such as Aragonês, Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet that give wines a memorable and unique taste.
Grape picking, wine tasting, a picnic and a guided tour on foot or by tractor can be arranged for guests, not to mention other activities such as ballooning, horse riding and a high rope course.
Most of the food served at Vila Vita comes from here, so the estate’s Adega restaurant is a perfect place to enjoy some of the best regional cuisine and wines.
I managed to drag five bottles of gorgeous red wine straight from the farm all the way to London nearly breaking my suitcase. But after drinking two of the bottles already, I can confidently say that it was worth all the trouble.
Information
Located in The Algarve, Portugal, VILA VITA Parc is accessible by air and road from Lisbon and is a half-hour drive from Faro International Airport
High Season from Euro 600 per room per night B&B basis; Low Season from Euro 230 per room per night B&B basis.
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