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Quarteira Algarve, Vilamoura’s ugly sister?Quarteira Algarve Quarteira is located about 23km west of Faro airport in a convenient central position on the Algarve coast. Once it was an Algarve fishing village, but has been developed, since the sixties, into the tourist destination that it is today. It’s next door neighbour is Vilamoura, a more glamorous resort a couple of kilometres to the west. Compared to it, Quarteira is its ugly sister. This is perhaps because development has largely comprised of towering apartment blocks which tend to make areas away from the beach somewhat grey and anonymous. The prettiest town in the Algarve, it certainly isn’t. However, on the positive side, if you are staying in one of these apartments which great views of the promenade and sea you won’t be complaining.To be fair, Quarteira does have a number of advantages.  Adjacent to Quarteira’s beach is, in my opinion, Quarteira’s best feature, the Avenida Marginal de Quarteira. This promenade stretches several kilometres from the harbour eastwards to Vale do Lobo resort. The promenade is quite pretty being, fringed by palms and colourful flowers. It does get busy during the season and there is a good selection of restaurants and bars to choose from, most of these to be found on the western section. Restaurants in Quarteira AlgarveThe great thing about Quarteira is the choice of good restaurants and you’ll find plenty of relatively inexpensive fish restaurants, serving the fresh catch of the day. There are also other types of restaurant to choose from, from French cuisine to Italian pizza. A selection of restaurants I like (which is the tip of the iceberg) is as follows:Bem Bom Restaurant Bem Bom restaurant is located on the main road through Quarteira. It is simply decorated and serves tasty Portuguese cuisine. It is excellent for fresh fish dishes, but my favourite has to be the Brazilian steaks, (a dish for 2) which is carved at your table. The fact that it is also inexpensive makes it a must visit restaurant if you are eating in Quarteira. Bem Bom Restaurant Avenida Francisco Sa Carneiro 8125 Quarteira Algarve Portugal Contact Tel: 289 380 158 Dallas Restaurant Dallas Restaurant, like Bem Bom is also a simply decorated restaurant found on the main road in Quarteira. It has a varied but traditional Portuguese menu with fresh fish from the local fish market. In my opinion, the grilled chicken is particularly good. On Sunday evenings from eight until late you can enjoy some live Fado music. Dallas Restaurant Avenida Francisco Sa Carneiro 8125 Quarteira Algarve Portugal Contact Tel: 289 313 293 La Cabane Restaurant La Cabane Restaurant is a small restaurant be found in the old part of town. The menu is a fusion of Portuguese and French cuisine crafted from local produce, although more traditional dishes are also available. La Cabane is renowned for its large selection of quality wines. If you want to sample them, then take advantage of the free pick-up service from Vilamoura or Quarteira when you reserve your table La Cabane Restaurant Rua do Levante 8125 Quarteira Algarve Portugal Contact Tel: 289 313 819 Quarteira Algarve – Accommodation in QuarteiraThere are a number of hotels in Quarteira which tend to be better value for money than those in Vilamoura. Click on the Hotels in Quarteira link to see the hotels that are available in the town.If you prefer something more home from home, you could choose an apartment in the town or rent a Quarteira villa which are to be found a little away from the town. Camping is also a possibility. Open all year, Quarteira campsite is 2km from the town and just over ½ km from the beach. It is quite large with over 1400 pitches (100 of which are permanent). There are also over 100 bungalows available to rent. Facilities include a swimming pool, snack bar, restaurant, bar and a mini-mart. Quarteira campsite is on the Estrada da Fonte Santa, 8125-618 Quarteira (Contact Tel: 289 302 826). Click on Algarve Campsites for details of other Algarve Camping sites. Quarteira Algarve - Things to doQuarteira is famous for its weekly Gypsy market. This takes place at the Jardim Filipe Jonas each Wednesday. It is reputedly the biggest one of its kind the in the Algarve and can get very busy. There are some bargains to be had here, particularly cheap clothes, shoes and leather goods. However the tourist dollar is never far from the mind’s of stallholders, so beware of the quality of some of these items, many of which are cheap imports from the Far East. Also watch out for pickpockets, which are an ever increasing problem.If you’re up early enough (and we are talking pretty early here), why not wander down to Quarteira harbour at the western end of the promenade, and watch the fisherman haul in their catch of fresh fish and seafood. These are then delivered to the market halls here, at the Largo do Peixe, where the fish market is. Buy some fantastically fresh fish for the barbeque, but get there early as the market also supplies to restaurants in the area around. You can also get other fresh produce, such as fruit and vegetables here. Quarteira is well positioned for a couple of the Algarve’s water parks. The nearest is Aquashow water park, with some good white-knuckle rides. There’s also Atlantic Park (formerly Wet and Wild) near Almancil. This is probably more suitable for younger children with less daredevil excitement (EN 125 Quatros Estradas, 8100 Loulé, Tel: 289 397 282).
Vilamoura,
Quarteira’s more upmarket neighbour is only a 15-minute walk east along the beach. If you don’t fancy walking, there are regular buses which can get you there, or for a more holiday experience you can take the tourist train which makes regular trips there during the day. Distances from Quarteira AlgarveDistance from Faro to Quarteira: 23 kmDistance from Lagos to Quarteira: 83 km Return from Quarteira Algarve to Central Algarve page
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