The destination for this family trip: a luxury family resort in the Algarve and specifically Victoria Golf Resort & Spa in Vilamoura, managed by Accor. There’s a particular kind of ease that comes with flying from Southampton. It’s a small airport, the kind where you can arrive by train or car, check in, clear security and still have time for a coffee before boarding, all within about half an hour. When you’re travelling with a child, that matters more than almost anything else: no sprawling terminals, no half-mile walks to the gate, no meltdown-inducing queues.
We landed in Faro just before 8.30pm, where our chauffeur was waiting to whisk us on the short 20-minute drive to the resort. Vilamoura is a purpose-built tourism destination that has been developing for around 60 years, and you can tell. The roads are wide and well-kept, the landscaping meticulously manicured, and everything is noticeably, almost improbably, green for a stretch of coastline this far south. Our driver was quick to explain the irrigation and filtration systems that keep the golf courses and gardens lush, even in the peak summer heat.
By 9pm, we’d arrived at the resort, which sits alongside The Els Club Vilamoura and its championship golf course, designed by Ernie Els. There was a quiet buzz around the grounds, too, as the club was in the final stages of preparing to host the inaugural Portugal Invitational on the PGA TOUR Champions – the first PGA TOUR Champions event to be held in Europe.
It’s also worth knowing that the resort is currently undergoing a transformation and is set to become Fairmont’s first property in Portugal. Knowing that added another layer of curiosity to our stay. Everything we experienced was the ‘before’, and I couldn’t help imagining what a Fairmont-style refresh might bring to a resort that already has plenty going for it.
Checking in with a tired but excited eight-year-old at 9pm isn’t always straightforward, but everything was quick and unfussy. No lengthy forms, no restless waiting around in the lobby. We were shown to the Victoria Suite and greeted with a warm Portuguese welcome: balloons, juice and biscuits for Alex, and a chilled bottle of local Algarve wine for me.
Small touches, perhaps, but the smile on his face said it all.
First Night: Dinner at RIA
By 9.30pm, we were sitting down to dinner at RIA, the resort’s seafood restaurant. RIA leans into its location: both the Algarve coast and nearby Ria Formosa are renowned for their seafood, and the menu makes the most of it.
The food doesn’t try too hard. It’s good produce, treated simply and served in a relaxed poolside setting, with warm and attentive service. After a day of travelling, there’s something genuinely restorative about eating well outdoors rather than being handed a room-service tray.
There’s a children’s menu too, which sounds like a footnote until you’re the parent scanning a late-night menu for something your child will actually eat. It meant we could sit down together properly. I had tuna tartare with pineapple compote, pickled red onion and melba toast, accompanied by a glass of Quinta d’Amares Alvarinho Vinho Verde. For my main, I chose Portuguese-style tenderloin steak with sautéed potatoes, garlic and jus.
Alex, naturally, went for the burger and ice cream.
Slowing Down and Enjoying the Resort
Mornings at the resort are made for lingering. Breakfast at the Victoria Restaurant runs from 7.30am until 10.30am on weekdays and 11am at weekends, with a generous spread and plenty of food and drink stations to cater for all tastes.
Mid-morning, we joined Ana Coelho, the resort’s Director of Marketing & Communications, for a tour of the property. It’s easy to underestimate how useful this kind of orientation can be, particularly at a large resort. Knowing which restaurants are open and when, the three main restaurants don’t all operate simultaneously outside peak season, so it’s worth checking ahead, where to find the quieter pools, and how the spa and Kids Club fit into the wider grounds made navigating the rest of our stay much easier.
While Alex settled into the Kids Club, which runs daily from 10am to 6pm during July and August for children aged four to 11, I had some time to myself for a Serenity Massage at the Victoria Spa.
It was a slow, gentle, light-pressure treatment, more about calming the nervous system than working out knots, and exactly what I needed after an early start and a day of travelling. I came out properly unwound, in a way that many spa treatments promise but don’t always quite deliver.
The spa itself is an adult-only environment, with six treatment rooms, water jets, a sauna and steam room.
We regrouped for lunch at Le Palms Pool, which does exactly what a good resort pool restaurant should: simple, well-executed food that you can eat in swimwear without compromising on quality. We opted for a freshly made pizza and a chicken salad, alongside a strawberry daiquiri and a mocktail.
With four pools across the property, including areas designed for younger children, there was never any competition for a sun lounger, a small thing that makes a surprisingly big difference when you’re travelling with a child who can’t sit still for more than 20 minutes at a time.
The Kids Club deserves a specific mention. Alex came out of each session genuinely entertained rather than simply parked in front of a screen. The team kept him busy with games and activities, gave him somewhere cool to escape the heat, and, perhaps most importantly, gave me some real, uninterrupted downtime.
That evening, we had dinner at Sensai, the resort’s Asian restaurant and a complete change of pace from RIA.
Chef Rui Viegas draws on his experience in Thailand, and the food has real depth: bold, layered flavours rather than watered-down “Asian fusion”. There’s a children’s menu too, featuring karaage, sushi, chahan fried rice and teppanyaki, among other dishes.
At the heart of the restaurant is an Omakase experience led by sushi chef Fábio Terada. It sounded wonderful, but perhaps a little ambitious for a solo diner managing a tired eight-year-old, so I opted instead for sashimi and butter chicken, followed by a miso dessert with gold chocolate and yuzu, which was genuinely delicious.
If you can, book Sensai for a night when you don’t have a small child with you. It’s a menu that rewards lingering, and Alex was ready for bed well before we’d had the chance to properly work our way through it.
Getting to Know Vilamoura
Our final full day started with another leisurely breakfast, followed by the resort’s complimentary shuttle for the 10-minute journey into town. We spent the afternoon exploring the beach and marina.
Vilamoura Marina is worth the trip in its own right. One of the largest marinas in Portugal, it can accommodate more than 800 boats and is surrounded by a long, flat boardwalk that makes for an easy stroll with a child in tow.
It’s free to wander around; you only pay for what you stop for, making it an easy, low-pressure afternoon without a fixed itinerary. We kept things firmly at the family end of the spectrum: ice cream, a wander past the boats and a swim at the adjacent beach.
It’s easy to see, though, why couples are told to return at sunset, when the light catches the water and the boardwalk lights begin to twinkle.
The shopping is more boutique than mall, with fashion and jewellery, beachwear and the odd nautical gift shop, while the restaurant strip along the water offers everything from casual seafood spots and Asian cuisine to smarter, white-tablecloth dining.
We didn’t make it to the casino at the northern end, but it’s there for a grown-up evening out. History buffs might also factor in a visit to Cerro da Vila, the Roman ruins a short walk away, where mosaics and the remains of a small harbour are still visible.
It’s a striking contrast to the manicured calm of the resort, and I’d recommend setting aside half a day to explore the area beyond the golf courses and pools.
Back at the resort, we caught one of RIA’s open-air barbecue evenings, which run from Tuesday to Saturday. It’s less formal than the à la carte service, with local seafood cooked simply over an open flame. The strawberry gazpacho was light, sweet and fresh, and the tiger prawns were a particular hit, while live music on Thursdays adds an extra sense of occasion.
The Departure
Our trip ended abruptly. A 3.20 am check-out for a 6.05 am flight is not the gentlest way to leave anywhere, and if you can avoid such an early departure, I would.
That said, even the early start was handled smoothly. There was a breakfast bag waiting for the journey, our transfer arrived on time and the whole process was straightforward.
By morning, we were back in Southampton, with Alex at his school desk in time for registration, the quiet advantage of flying from a small airport rather than a major hub.
Would I Go Back?
Absolutely. And the timing makes that decision even easier.
Victoria Golf Resort & Spa already has the fundamentals in place: a beautiful location, generous grounds, excellent golf, plenty of space around the pools, friendly and attentive staff, and a sense of unhurried ease that works particularly well for families.
For me, though, the real luxury was having the freedom to do very little. Alex could disappear happily into the Kids Club while I had a massage, we could eat dinner outside, wander around the marina with an ice cream, swim when we felt like it and simply enjoy being somewhere warm and beautiful together.
And then there’s what comes next.
The resort is set to become Fairmont’s first property in Portugal, and that makes me curious to return. I’d love to see how the brand’s signature polish and sense of place will evolve what is already a comfortable and well-run resort.
But perhaps the greatest compliment I can give it is that, even before the Fairmont transformation, it gave us exactly what I’d hoped for from our few days in the Algarve: time together, a little breathing space and a handful of moments that I know we’ll both remember.
And sometimes, those are the moments that matter most.
Victoria Golf Resort & Spa, Managed by Accor. Rooms from €310 (approx. £265) per night.
To discover more, visit: victoriaresortvilamoura.com
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Images courtesy of Victoria Golf Resort & Spa.