I’m just back from a short trip to sunny Algarve where I stayed at the lovely Quinta do Lago Country Club **** in the natural reserve of Ria Formosa. Traveling to Algarve during off-season does not only have a bunch of advantages but staying at the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** will give to the necessary amount of rest and inner peace to confront Northern European winter at your return. 

Indeed a little escape to the Algarivan sun during the cold February was especially appreciated. Whereas the Northern half of Europe is still covered in grey colors and cold temperatures, Algarve seems to be the place of eternal spring: birds are singing, the flowers are blossoming already in an infinity of colors and you’ll already be able to wear some pieces of your summer wardrobe.

Read more about things to do in Algarve during winter

Algarve during the off-season is free from mass tourism and you’ll enjoy almost empty beaches. Especially if you decide to stay in the area of Quinta do Lago near Faro, you’ll enjoy large, sandy beaches of the Algarve, pristine marshlands, and absolute quietness.

The perfect evidence for this sensation of unwinding and proximity to nature is the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****, located at the shore of the area’s main lake.

Book here your stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****

Quinta do Lago, a golf resort and residential estate, is one of the three corners of the Algarve’s Golden Triangle, comprising Vale do Lobo and Vale do Garrao. It’s one of the most luxurious areas of Southern Portugal. It holds several properties, among them the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****, one of the first resorts of the area.

The Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is nestled along the natural reserve of Ria Formosa, an area of privacy and tranquility. Due to the warm Mediterranean climate, you’ll be able to enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle all year around. 

In the last years, much has been invested in walking trails along the marshes. Indeed this was one of my favorite activities when staying in Quinta do Lago: walking along the swamps and spot all kinds of birds.

The landscapes are shaped by wide, desert beaches of the Algarve, dunes, pines, and several golf courses which figure among the most prestigious ones in Portugal. 

The closest beach, Praia Quinta do Lago, is only a 10 minutes walk away from the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****.

The closest supermarket and shops can be found after a 10-minutes drive.

Book here your stay at Quinta do Lago Country Club ****

The property of the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is one of the first resorts of the Quinta do Lago real estate area. It was opened 30 years ago but since then it has always been renovated on the go. It hosts 36 fully equipped apartments. 

Recently the areas of the reception, restaurant, and corridors have been renewed. Also, the apartments are expecting a full renewal, again. However, you might not even slightly guess the age of the resort.

The interior is dominated by soft, pastel colors, luminous spaces with bright wood material. Most of you know that I have a soft spot for the combination of grey and turquoise colors. Well, the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** got to the heart of this. The maritime colors intuit that the sea isn’t very far and the paintings of the corridors give you an idea of the area’s rich and variegated fauna.   

The apartments come in soft, beige colors with sparks of turquoise, light blue, and soft green. All emblematic colors of the resort’s surroundings. Apartments differ by their size and view. They can have up to 3 bedrooms and a view over the lake or the garden. The balconies are super spacious and I could have spent all day long listing to the singing birds. 

All of them are fully equipped with a kitchen, large living room, (interior and outdoor) dining area, and super spacious bathrooms. Housekeepers make sure that you don’t need to spend your holiday cleaning all day long. 

As previously mentioned, the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is rather comparable to an apartment-hotel. It’s composed of 36 luxurious apartments but having a reception, restaurant, and swimming pool area like any other hotel.

This being said, a stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is optimal when you’re considering to stay more than only 2 or 3 days. As the apartments are very homely, a longer stay will give you the necessary time to relax and explore the gorgeous natural surroundings. 

Even though it should be a standard nowadays, I absolutely want to mention that the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** has seamless fast working Wi-Fi connections in the apartments and common areas. 

Furthermore, the property has a fitness center and is extremely well prepared for disabled guests. The Quinta do Lago Country Club **** offers a dry cleaning service and has a little business corner to print your documents and use their PC. In case you’re traveling with toddlers, the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** offers babysitting services as well.

One of my favorite corners is the library with magazines and books coming in several languages.

The property is surrounded by a large garden full of lush vegetation including bright colored flowers and exotic plants. It’s just perfect to have morning walks in the sun. You’ll have the choice between an indoor and outdoor pool. The snack bar at the outdoor pool opens in March and offers fresh snacks. 

In case you’re looking for the ultimate relaxation, the wellness area of the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** will be your favorite area. It includes massages, a sauna, and a jacuzzi.

One of the unique selling points of the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is the numerous outdoor activities it can arrange for the guests. You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to golfing, birdwatching, horse riding and much more.

Book here your stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****

The Quinta do Lago Country Club **** has 2 food areas. The main one is the Quinta Lounge functioning as a breakfast and lunch area. The second one is the snack bar located next to the outdoor pool serving fresh snacks as soon as the pool season begins. 

The Quinta do Lago Country Club **** offers a breakfast buffet with Portuguese specialties from 8.00-10.00 and is available at an extra cost of 10 €. During lunchtime, the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** has healthy salads, pasta, hot meals, and some regional specialties. I really appreciated their broad offer of fresh and light food. I guess this will be especially pleasant during the hot summer days. They also offer takeaway for their meals, in case you’re not in the mood of cooking in your apartment.

Maria, the manager of the Quinta Lounge, and her staff will take good care of you and are always open for a quick, friendly chat. I particularly like the interior design of the Quinta Lounge, which comes in the same marine, soft colors as the reception area. It gives the place such a clean but still homely feeling.

In case you’d like to dine out, there are several fine dining options in the surroundings of the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****:

Casa da Quinta
Casa do Lago
Restaurant Florian

During the summer you’ll enjoy the laid-back, but still very elegant atmosphere of beach bars such as 

The Shack
Gigi’s

Don’t be surprised to see some famous people at these locations since Quinta do Lago is home to many VIPs from TV, football or racing sector.

Book here your stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****

The most striking eco-friendly aspect of the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is its location amidst the natural reserve of Ria Formosa which is considered one of the most important bird sanctuaries in Southern Europe.

The area of Ria Formosa has also been elected as one of the 7 natural wonders of Portugal due to the gorgeous interaction between wind, tides, and currents. 

Thus the area of Ria Formosa is perfect for sustainable activities such as hiking in Algarve, birdwatching or cycling along the marshlands. 

The Quinta do Lago Country Club **** certainly has made several efforts to include environmental protection measures in the management of the resort. In this context, they attach great importance to recycling and using eco-friendly cleaning products. They also remind guests to hand out their towels to the cleaning service only if really necessary.

Whereas the restaurant’s menu offers a large variety, I would have loved to discover more regional and local dishes made with local products. After all, the stomach travels as well and loves to get spoiled with typical delicacies.

When it comes to the cost, it’s relevant to point out that the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is a place to stay longer than only a few days. I’d recommend a minimum stay of 1 week to fully explore the area, have long walks along the Ria Formosa marshlands, eventually make an excursion to the emblematic Ponta da Piedade or take some golf lessons.

Prices fluctuate between low and high season. Make sure to check out their special offers when it comes to last-minute booking, golf lessons, or visiting Algarve during winter.

As I went in February, I can fully confirm that you’ll be spoilt with sun and warm temperatures during your stay. It was the ideal refreshment and energy shoot that I needed after a long, cold, and grey winter in Luxembourg.

In case you book directly via the site of the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****, you’ll get all the price options for the introduced dates.

In that way, you can decide whether you’d go for the “golf special”, “winter sun” or “last-minute” package. Another advantage of booking directly via the site of the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is that you’ll have a calendar displaying the different rates for every night/week on throughout the year. This allows you to play around with the dates and nail the best offer.

When booking your stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****, keep in mind that you’ll be staying at an apartment which means that breakfast or lunch at the resort will come with an extra fee and that you’ll need to do grocery shopping during your stay.

Unless you’d prefer to eat out every day, which I fully support as the food, especially the fish and seafood from Algarve is amazingly delicious!

Book here your stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****

So, you wonder what to do in Algarve, Portugal? When it comes to outdoor activities near the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

First, the surrounding area of the Ria Formosa marshlands is a huge playground for young and old. It invites for long walks, bike trips, and birdwatching. Just ask at the reception for bike rental services or a birdwatching guide (I recommend Luis Carvalho as a guide!).

There is a water sports center at the lakeside that offers windsurf boards, pedaloes, and sailing boats to hire. The long golden beach, only at a 10-minutes walk away from the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****, is another huge playground for young and old.

In case you’re looking for a full immersion of the culture, history, and traditions of Algarve, I recommend to take Diana from Portugal4u as your guide. I could have listened for hours to her background stories of the Algarve. She seems to be an expert when it comes to traditional recipes, birds and local shopping.

The Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is surrounded by over 30 golf courses, thus, golf is one of the prominent things to do when staying in this part of Algarve. You’ll have a hard choice when it comes to deciding between a golf course with sea views, along the nature reserve or the Algarvian inland.

The Quinta do Lago Country Club **** offers special packages for golfers and will be happy to arrange your first golf lesson. I got mine at the Golf Academy and, seriously, I had a blast. A big kudos to Luis who had all the patience in the world to work on my swing.

The Quinta do Lago Country Club **** also has a pinboard where they announce the activities that you can do in the surroundings and they organize golf competitions among the guests on a frequent basis.

You’ll never be bored while staying at the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****.

• The tasteful interior design of the apartments that will give you the sensation of having a home away from home
• The privacy of an apartment combined with extras of a hotel such as daily cleaning, breakfast, etc.
• The surroundings of the natural reserve of Ria Formosa
• Calm and quietness
• Proximity to the beach
• Wide range of outdoor activities: birdwatching, trekking, cycling, golfing…
• The staff was extremely helpful and warm-hearted
• Activities board
• The library

Book here your stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****

The Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is the perfect place to stay if you’re looking for a home away from home in the sunny setting of the natural reserve of Ria Formosa, Algarve.

You’ll enjoy the privacy of an apartment combined with the appreciated services of a hotel such as breakfast service, activity organization, cleaning service, etc.

The refreshing interior design and the lush garden of the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****are emblematic for the sensation that you’ll experience throughout your stay: coming to rest, re-connect with the beauty and richness of nature, and feeling free at empty, sandy beaches. The natural landscape is entirely preserved and protected, thus you’ll be far away from panel block buildings that you can find on other parts of the Algarve.

Even though summer is the main season to travel to Algarve, I can only recommend a stay during the winter months, when the area is still quiet and beaches not overcrowded. In case you’re coming from the Northern part of Europe, you’ll especially appreciate the warm temperatures at this time of the year. 

Due to its central location, the Quinta do Lago Country Club **** is the perfect base to explore the most emblematic sites of Algarve: Ponta da Piedade, Praia da Marinha, Cabo Sao Vicente, etc.

Book here your stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club ****

 In order to get more information on tourism in Ria Formosa, Algarve, Belgium, I recommend the site of Algarve Tourism.

For guided tours in Algarve and surroundings, I recommend Portugal4U.

Book here your stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club

Disclaimer:  I have been a guest of the Quinta do Lago Country Club. All my opinions, as always, are my own.