Riu Palace Algarve

Riu Palace Algarve details

With to-die-for views and beaches steps away, the Riu Palace has peaceful escapes written all over it.

Spread over pine-sprinkled shores, it’s as if this hotel has taken all the best bits of the Algarve. Cue rugged, sandy-red cliffs, tall umbrella pines and a long sandy beach - reached by long flights of stairs cut into the cliffs.

The setting is tranquil, too. You’re just a kilometre from Olhos d’Agua and a 15-minute cab ride from Albufeira, but with the hotel gardens and sea views, you could be miles from anywhere.

Talking of peace and quiet, there’s a sense of hushed elegance. The lobby is a case in point. All miniature chaises longues and gleaming marble floors, it’s calming and impressive at the same time. Outside, the soothing atmosphere continues unabated. There’s a flower-shaped pool and children’s pool, both set in large tiled terraces fringed with sunloungers and pretty white parasols. Looking out over it all is a grand, pillared terrace where you can sip drinks in the shade. And the final piece in the jigsaw is the lawn dotted with pines and olive trees.

The hotel does a nice line in luxury as well. There’s a columned indoor pool and Zen-styled spa with candlelit massage and beauty rooms. And the main buffet restaurant is all wall-to-wall marble, spotlights and starched white linen.

As to the rooms, they’re a mix of dark-wood furnishings and muted blues and creams, with colonial-style armchairs and mood lighting. They’ve been given satellite TVs, minibars and balconies, too - many with front-row views over the sea.