7 Best Best Beaches in Quarteira

Given the long stretch of golden sand that lies in front of Quarteira it is little surprise that the resort was one of the earliest to be developed on the Algarve coast.

Vilamoura beach is a decent sized strip of golden sand set between the Marina to the west and Quarteira harbour to the east. It is relatively developed although nothing like the scale of Quarteira next door. In fact it has a much more open feeling with plenty of space between the nearest apartment blocks.

Despite being located within an easy walk of the resort of Quarteira the beach at Praia do Almargem is surprisingly unspoiled. Here, instead of high-rise seafront apartments you will find a backdrop of sand dunes and pine trees.

The Vale do Lobo is one of the Algarve's premier and exclusive resorts. Located within the so-called 'Golden Triangle' it is known for its upmarket hotels, high end golf courses and pristine beaches.

Directly in front of the Vale do Lobo resort is the long sandy beach. Stretching for just over a kilometre the beach is backed by the typical Algarve ochre-coloured cliffs.

Praia de Garrao is one of the principal beaches that serve a collection of high-end resorts known as the 'Golden Triangle'. Originally consisting of little more than sandy beach and pine forest, the Vale do Lobo was developed for tourism in the 1960s, closely followed by the neighbouring Quinta do Lago. The Vale do Lobo boasts a riding school, which offers fantastic rides along the beach, and the most famous tennis academy in the country, patronised by Tim Henman.

Boasting more than six kilometres of golden sand, stretching from Vilamoura in the west to Olhos do Agua in the east, Praia da Falesia is home to one of the longest beaches in Portugal.

This sleepy residential town is known by the locals as 'beach town' and has managed to preserve something of its traditional Portuguese lifestyle. Backed by cliffs (falesia is Portuguese for cliff) decorated with pine trees the beach is accessed by steps that lead down from a clifftop car park.

The seemingly endless stretch of golden sands that form the Praia do Ancão sits roughly halfway between Faro and Quarteira. It is also lies within the so-called "Golden Triangle" which is an area containing the Algarve's most affluent resorts; Vale do Lobo, Vale do Garrão and Quinta do Lago.