I’ve heard so many good things about Portugal for family holidays and the Algarve has so much going for it – beaches, beautiful scenery and easy flight times. I headed there for a short week with my hubby and little one, and here’s what we got up to…
Day 1 – travel day
We took an evening flight with easyJet to Faro Airport, which took us just under four hours. The flight absolutely flew by, and the crew were lovely with our toddler. There’s no time difference in the Algarve, which is handy, especially when travelling with kids! Then before we knew it, we were straight through passport control and in a taxi on our way to the hotel.
The hotel was around 45 minutes away and we arrived at 10pm. We were staying at the Tivoli Carvoeiro, which is actually built into a cliff – we couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the views until the next morning… Check-in was quick and we were in a beautiful and clean room in minutes. The hotel had also left us a plate full of Portuguese desserts and fruit, which was a really nice touch. But, as it was a late one for us, we were pretty quick to get to bed and get some rest.
Day 2 – rainy day activities
When we woke up, we headed straight down to the breakfast buffet, which was really extensive and so delicious. They had a fresh omelette station, a fresh waffle station, full English options and an array of pastries and freshly baked cakes. It was honestly one of best breakfasts I’ve had.
Unfortunately, the weather was not in our favour this morning and we seemed to have brought the Manchester rain with us, so we opted for a swim in the indoor pool with our 2-year-old. He loved this and it soon tired him out. So, as he took a nap in our room, I explored the hotel a little and took in the breathtaking views.
The rain cleared up later, so we headed into Carvoeiro for dinner. This is walkable from the hotel down a hill, and it is the cutest town filled with shops and restaurants – it’s also where the closest beach is. I imagine in the peak of summer, the beach is breathtaking. We visited a beachside café and sampled some delicious seafood. And there were many ice cream shops scattered around, so we went for some ice cream and of course a Portuguese tart (pastel de nata) from La Piazza.
Finally, we called it a night and walked back up to the hotel.
Day 3 – spa day and an amazing dinner
The next morning, we headed to breakfast and then I had some hotel visits booked for the day, so I headed to two hotels to capture some content.
Again, the weather wasn’t on our side, so I visited the hotel spa while my toddler took a nap – I had one of the best full body massages I have ever had. The whole spa was super luxurious and all the staff were extremely friendly. I highly recommend visiting – I loved it!
For dinner, we headed to a local restaurant called Restaurante Casa Algarvia, which was a four-minute walk from the hotel, and it’s rated the third best in the Algarve for Portuguese food. I have to note, not only was the food absolutely delicious but the prices were extremely reasonable. After we’d finished, we had a stroll around the town and headed back.
Day 4 – snack shopping and pasta
The following morning after breakfast, we headed to a local supermarket, as it’s one of our favourite things to do when we visit another country. We had a lovely time walking around and picking up Portuguese snacks to bring back to the UK with us.
Once my toddler has his afternoon nap, we headed back into Craveiro for our final dinner of the trip. We opted for Italian, and the pasta was amazing. We took one final stroll through the village and headed back to the hotel to pack.
Day 5 – home time
On our final morning, the hotel had kindly packed us each a breakfast box to eat on the way to the airport, which we really appreciated as we had an early morning flight.
We had a lovely trip as a family of three and would love to come back and explore more of the Algarve!
If @aleena_rzq’s trip sounds like a bit of you, have a look at our Portugal holidays and you can find all her picks on our Insiders Hub.
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Author: @aleena_rzq
Last updated:08/05/2025
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