Most major 4- and 5-star hotels and resorts (and even a few rated 3 stars) in Algarve have outdoor swimming pools, but if diving into or relaxing by a pool is something that you most value when in a sunny destination, you should book one of the hotels or resorts below. Their pools stand out for size, atmosphere or services:
- Tivoli Carvoeiro
- Conrad Algarve
- Alvor Baia Resort Hotel
- Palmares Beach House Hotel
- Encosta do Lago Resort Club
- Wyndham Grand Algarve
- Cascade Wellness Resort
- Salgados Dunas Suites
- Salgados Palace
- VidaMar Resort
- Muthu Clube Praia da Oura
- Pestana Alvor South Beach
- Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort
- Jupiter Albufeira Hotel
- 3HB Clube Humbria
- Alfagar Aparthotel
- AP Adriana Beach Resort
- Hilton Vilamoura
- Ria Park Hotel & Spa
- Domes Lake Algarve
- Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort
- PortoBay Falésia
- Tivoli Marina Vilamoura
Arguably the pool with the best view in Algarve is found at this hotel in the picturesque village of Carvoeiro. You have the region’s typical golden cliffs and a small beach right in front, and the famous Benagil cave and Praia da Marinha are nearby. There’s also a splendid view from the rooftop bar and from many of the rooms. Facilities include a spa and two restaurants.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Tivoli Carvoeiro
What was once considered the Iberian Peninsula’s best infinity pool is in this hotel, which also has a second outdoor pool and an adults-only indoor pool. Located in Quinta do Lago, this is one of Portugal’s most luxurious resorts, so you can also expect a wonderful spa, three restaurants offering all-day dining, and high-tech rooms with balconies overlooking the pools.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Conrad Algarve
If size really matters to you, it’s here that you’ll find Algarve’s largest swimming pool. It includes a children’s section and is surrounded by parasols, offering relaxing moments to all of the guests who stay at one of the 402 suites with balconies. There’s another pool inside at the spa, plus a children’s playground, two padel courts and two restaurants. To swim in the ocean instead, a shuttle takes you to the beach of Alvor, just five minutes away.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Alvor Baia Resort Hotel
Looking for a pool that won’t have any children running around it? Stay at this adults-only boutique hotel in Lagos. It has just 18 rooms and two suites, so you won’t be competing for space with many grownups either. The pool and the rooms face the ocean, and the quieter end of the long Meia Praia Beach is a short walk away.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Palmares Beach House Hotel
If you want a private pool all for yourself, stay at this resort in Quinta do Lago. The villas and some of the bigger apartments feature a private pool, but there’s also a large swimming pool surrounded by palm trees for all guests. The poolside bar offers refreshing drinks, while a restaurant serves international cuisine. The apartments and villas are also fully equipped with everything you need to prepare meals, and accommodate two to six people.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Encosta do Lago Resort Club
Its main pool is for adults only, but there’s another one for the kids. This is a luxury resort, so you can expect yet another pool inside, at the spa, plus a state-of-the-art gym, three restaurants, and magnificent suites with one to three bedrooms. The beach of Quinta do Lago is within walking distance.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Wyndham Grand Algarve
Lagos’ most luxurious resort features a large outdoor swimming pool and villas with their own private pools. There are ocean views from almost everywhere, and the beach and the beautiful Ponta da Piedade headland are nearby. In addition to the villas, there are suites, apartments, and standard hotel rooms, all quite spacious. The 5-star service includes three restaurants, a spa, a gym, tennis courts, and soccer fields.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Cascade Wellness Resort
There’s an exclusive boardwalk over the dunes that takes guests to the beach of Salgados in Albufeira, but many prefer to stay in or around the six swimming pools surrounded by palm trees. A poolside bar serves refreshing cocktails and light meals. For lunch and dinner, there’s a restaurant with a scenic terrace, and more views can be enjoyed from many of the rooms and suites.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Salgados Dunas Suites
It’s a luxury family resort, so one of the four outdoor pools is for children and includes slides. There’s another heated pool inside, at the spa. It’s by the beach of Salgados in Albufeira and has spacious rooms and suites with balconies. Many offer sea views, and there are also panoramic views from the restaurant.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Salgados Palace
Love to swim? Stay at this resort in Salgados Beach, Albufeira. The ocean is just a 3-minute walk away, and there are four pools outside and two inside. One of those in the exterior is for children. The rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, offering views of the beach and exotic gardens. Different world cuisines are served at the four restaurants and there’s also a spa and a fitness center.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: VidaMar Resort
It was one of the first hotels to be built in Albufeira and offers direct access to Praia da Oura. It has two outdoor pools, and the rooms with terraces and apartments have pool or sea views.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Muthu Clube Praia da Oura
Perfectly located for the beach (it has direct access to Praia de Alvor and is also a short walk from Praia dos Três Irmãos and Prainha), this Miami-inspired hotel has a large terrace with swimming pools, around which there are often sunset parties. Inside, there are bright rooms and suites, a restaurant and a bar.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Pestana Alvor South Beach
Many of the guests at this resort in Alvor find it hard to leave, even with some wonderful beaches nearby (Praia dos Três Irmãos and Prainha). The main reasons are the five large outdoor pools, and then there’s the indoor pool at the spa, a fitness center, a tennis court, and three restaurants presenting a variety of choices.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort
The different pools and water slides are the reasons why so many families choose this hotel in Albufeira. It’s arguably Algarve’s most kid-friendly hotel, so if you’re looking for a place where the little ones can play in the water all day long, this is it. For grown-ups, there’s a spa, a fitness room, and a rooftop bar. The four restaurants serve food for all tastes, with one of them offering an all-day buffet.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Jupiter Albufeira Hotel
Another one for families with small children, this all-inclusive hotel by the beach of Olhos d’Água in Albufeira has swimming pools for adults and children, including one with slides in a small water park. There’s also a playground and a kids’ club. It only has 1-bedroom apartments, with the largest ones accommodating up to four people.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: 3HB Clube Humbria
Offering private access to the beach of Santa Eulália in Albufeira, this hotel is divided into apartments with one or two bedrooms. Some accommodate up to six people and many offer a sea view. Very family-friendly, it features large pools, water slides, a playground, a soccer field, fitness facilities, a spa, and a buffet restaurant.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Alfagar Aparthotel
Found between the center of Albufeira and Vilamoura, just a few feet from Praia da Falésia, this all-inclusive resort has a children’s pool next to the bigger one for adults, but is more recommended for couples. Surrounded by gardens, it offers two open-air bars, three restaurants, a spa, and bright rooms with balconies.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: AP Adriana Beach Resort
The 5-star service at this hotel in Vilamoura includes lake-style pools with waterfalls, rooms with private balconies, a 24-hour gym, a huge spa, and four restaurants. A complimentary shuttle goes to Praia da Falésia, where guests find free sunshades and sunbeds.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Hilton Vilamoura
It’s just a 10-minute walk from the beach of Garrão, by Vale do Lobo, and has a lagoon-style pool outside and another pool inside that’s part of the health club with a spa and gym. The classically-styled rooms overlook the ocean or a tropical garden.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Ria Park Hotel & Spa
Built around a lake between Vilamoura and Albufeira’s Falésia Beach, this resort has three large pools, including one with a sandy bottom. At the garden you’ll find plants from every continent, and there’s a floating restaurant, a spa with a wide range of treatments, and spacious rooms with balconies, many of them with a sea view.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Domes Lake Algarve
Also located between Vilamoura and Praia da Falésia, this is one of the most sophisticated resorts in Algarve. The two swimming pools are heated between October and May, so you can also have enjoyable swims outside the summer. One of them has a bar offering a more tranquil adults-only atmosphere between June and September. At the four restaurants, guests get the choice of fresh seafood, refined Portuguese cuisine and international dishes, while the spa mixes treatments of Asian and Algarvian inspiration and includes a heated indoor pool. The rooms and suites were designed in a contemporary style and have private terraces.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort
The lagoon-style pool has a view of the ocean, as do many of the rooms. This is a large hotel with direct access to Praia da Falésia, and in addition to the stunning location above the beach, it stands out for a superior 4-star service that includes a spa and two restaurants.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: PortoBay Falésia
The large outdoor swimming pool is just one of the features that make this hotel one of the favorites in Vilamoura. It’s just steps from the beach and the marina, and the rooms offer marina or sea views. Then there are two restaurants, a spa with a variety of treatments, and a trendy beach bar.
SEE PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Tivoli Marina Vilamoura
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