Algarve Marinas

Farleigh

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New here and first post. I am moving my 45ft yacht to Algarve Portugal and have been looking at marinas. Visited last week to see what they were like and the areas. My preference is Lagos but Alburferia is offering a deal €2000 less than Lagos for an annual contract. Any views on Alburfeira from those who are there or been there, the concern is whether it is noisy in the summer season as there were what looked like go carts and segways at one end and a big Irish bar. Probably not planning to be on boat in late July and August due to 90 days in 180. Portimao is a midway option but seemed dead last week when we were there. Weather incidentally was great, 15degrees and sunny. Thanks Richard
 

geem

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Albufeira is noisy. If you are close to the bars it's very noisy with competing live singers. There is only so much of 'sweet Caroline' you can take
 

veshengro

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Albufeira is noisy. If you are close to the bars it's very noisy with competing live singers. There is only so much of 'sweet Caroline' you can take

I'll second that !! Ear plugs definitely required, After being forced to listen to 'My Way' a dozen times at 01.00 hrs, I was ready to jump ashore, find the 'Singer,' and insert the microphone :ROFLMAO:

I wintered in Portimao once, nice quiet Marina and the boatyard across the river were helpful to deal with, I hauled out there.
There is (was) an easy local train service from Portimao to Lagos for a change of scenery if you fancied it.
 

capnsensible

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Good place to ask, there's a few posters on here who keep or have kept boats on the Algarve for extended periods. Someone will help.

Personally, I've visited them all generally for not more than two days. I really like Lagos and Albufiera but for an extended stay I would probably go for Portimao and enjoy visits to the others.

Good luck with your choice!
 

Goldie

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Disclaimer: I’m biased as our boat is currently in Lagos and we love it.

Albufeira: no first hand knowledge.

Vilamoura: not our cup of tea; soulless, too many noisy brits shoreside and too ‘little England’ - albeit with a lot of ‘Irish bars’.

Portimao: we quite like the place and it’s cheaper than Lagos. Imho, it’s ideal if you’re going to keep the boat there, get onboard and go sailing. Less ideal if you wish to spend time aboard in your berth as there is nothing around the marina, the (perfectly pleasant) town of Portimao is a couple of miles away or there is the holiday resort of Praia de Rocha a little closer, but very noisy. I’ve heard good things about some of the skills available in the boatyard upstream. I haven’t wintered in Portimao but I’ve been told that both basins can be subject to swell in certain conditions

Lagos: ok, it’s more expensive than Portimao but, everything you need is in easy walking distance - bus station, taxi rank, choice of supermarkets, railway station, chandlery, a superb beach and the attractive old town. For shelter, it would be very hard to beat. The boatyard is half a mile away and is superbly equipped albeit (I believe) a little more expensive than Portimao.

Some of these marinas offer discounts for CA or OCC members and on a marina contract, the discount would probably exceed the membership subscription
 
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webcraft

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Lagos is nice but expensive. Portimao is a good bit cheaper but a wee bit swelly. Nothing serious, we left our boat there for four months unattended last year. No noisy bars etc, so the quietest of all the Algarve marinas. A fair walk into the town, but easy if you have a bike. Good anchorage in the river opposite the marina. We like Portimao.

Portimao and Lagos will both give 5% discount for RYA membership if you ask, the best use of my membership I have found so far.

Further East, Albufeira is OK in the Winter, but noisy in the season. Vilamoura is just horrible IMO. Olhao is a waste of time. Vila Real is an accident waiting to happen because of the way the tide swirls through it.

Ayamonte is a lovely marina, not technically the Algarve but just across the Guadiana River in Spain - not an issue if you are operating under standard Schengen visa terms. Nice town, cheap marina, and of course very handy for exploring the Guadiana.

- W
 

Farleigh

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Thanks webcraft wasn‘t aware of the RYA discount will look into that. Went to the marina at Ayamonte, dead and miles from anywhere!
 

richardh10

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We overwintered in Lagos and really enjoyed it. I think the noise levels would be different in the summer but the further in from the bridge you go, the better. As has been said, everything within walking distance and a nice town to stroll round
 

capnsensible

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Thanks webcraft wasn‘t aware of the RYA discount will look into that. Went to the marina at Ayamonte, dead and miles from anywhere!
Are you sure about that? Real question. There's a couple of bars and a supermarket right next to the marina and 2 mins over the bridge puts you at the top of the square full of them and much much more. Plus a bus station with connection to Seville and from there airport connection.

It's a busy town.....
 

Farleigh

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Must be a different marina, the one we went to was Isla Canela that was a couple of miles on from Ayamonte on the coast. Hotels and holiday apartments but all deserted. Wasn’t aware that there was another marina at Ayamonte itself.
 

CJ13

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Ayamonte Marina is on the Guardiana opposite Villa Real. It’s immediately adjacent to the town, so very convenient. It’s less than 30min to Faro airport.
 

capnsensible

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Must be a different marina, the one we went to was Isla Canela that was a couple of miles on from Ayamonte on the coast. Hotels and holiday apartments but all deserted. Wasn’t aware that there was another marina at Ayamonte itself.
Aha! :)

Up the river between Spain and Prtugal, you have a marina at VillaReal on the west Bank and Ayamonte Marina on the east.

The next river along has the marina Isla Canela tomorrow and a tad further along, Isla Christina to starboard.

The first is indeed very quiet off season but a nice visit....one night! The other is at the end of a fishing town. Scruffy but with a certain charm, again, for me, short visits.

I've spent a numberbof weeks working a sailing school boat out of Ayamonte and I really like it. If we had stayed on the Peninsular we would probably have moved there. However that did give me the opportunity to explore the whole coast from Lagos to Cadiz. Very nice part of the world, in my opinion.
 

Beneteau381

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New here and first post. I am moving my 45ft yacht to Algarve Portugal and have been looking at marinas. Visited last week to see what they were like and the areas. My preference is Lagos but Alburferia is offering a deal €2000 less than Lagos for an annual contract. Any views on Alburfeira from those who are there or been there, the concern is whether it is noisy in the summer season as there were what looked like go carts and segways at one end and a big Irish bar. Probably not planning to be on boat in late July and August due to 90 days in 180. Portimao is a midway option but seemed dead last week when we were there. Weather incidentally was great, 15degrees and sunny. Thanks Richard
Been here in Albufeira for years on and off, if they are offering a berth, grab it, berths here are getting like hens teeth. Cheapest marina on the Algarve. We are towards the end of F pontoon, noise from the bars is not an issue. They shut at 12 by law anyway. I dont recognise the 1.00 am post. Safe as can be, a good deal, the bus connections have got better. No charge for electricty or water.
 

capnsensible

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Been here in Albufeira for years on and off, if they are offering a berth, grab it, berths here are getting like hens teeth. Cheapest marina on the Algarve. We are towards the end of F pontoon, noise from the bars is not an issue. They shut at 12 by law anyway. I dont recognise the 1.00 am post. Safe as can be, a good deal, the bus connections have got better. No charge for electricty or water.
And Sharkeys Bar for sports fans!
 

Beneteau381

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Must be a different marina, the one we went to was Isla Canela that was a couple of miles on from Ayamonte on the coast. Hotels and holiday apartments but all deserted. Wasn’t aware that there was another marina at Ayamonte itself.
Its right in the centre kf town with two supermarkets a minute away
 
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