Dr Reinfried and Anneliese Pohl founded Vila Vita Parc, which opened in 1992 on a clifftop near Porches, in 54 acres of subtropical gardens with a stairway down to a sandy cove. The whitewashed buildings carry a Moorish influence, and rooms are dressed in blue and white with hand-painted Porches pottery. Beyond the 203 rooms and suites there are fully staffed villas of two to five bedrooms, each with a private pool, suited to families and friends travelling together. Food and wine are the resort's strength. Ocean, led by chef Hans Neuner, has held a two-MICHELIN-star rating since 2011, and there are 13 restaurants and six bars in all. The Cave de Vinhos, dug eight metres underground in 1998, holds some 11,000 bottles across 1,200 labels, and the family's Herdade dos Grous estate, 730 hectares in the Alentejo, supplies wine to the table. The spa was the first Sisley spa in Portugal, with 14 treatment rooms, and private yachts can be chartered for days along the coast. Vila Praia, the four-suite villa, sleeps 10 across 600 square metres, with an infinity pool, a rooftop terrace and gardens facing the Atlantic.
- Nearest airport
- Faro Airport (FAO), 27 Miles / 43 Kilometres
- Rooms
- 203 rooms, suites and villas
Insider tip Groups and families should look at the staffed villas of two to five bedrooms, each with its own pool.
Why I choose it Two-star cooking, a deep cellar and a cove beneath the cliffs make it the Algarve resort we return to, with villas that suit a whole family.
