Your next trip should take you to the Algarve. But is an all-inclusive vacation in Portugal actually worthwhile or is an individual trip more suitable?
Relaxation and adventure, beach vacation and cultural trip, all-inclusive and individual travel – all this and much more is possible in the Algarve in Portugal. However, while many decisions are only made on site, the type of trip still has to be decided from home.
Do I book an all-inclusive vacation on the Portuguese south coast or do I take my chances and explore the country and its people completely on my own? The decision between all-inclusive and individual travel is often not so easy.
All-inclusive in the Algarve – the advantages
Simply relaxing on vacation and taking care of as little as possible yourself – if that’s what holidaymakers want from their trip to Portugal, then all-inclusive might be the right choice for them.
Because you have everything taken care of in advance, from travel and transfers to all drinks and meals. And at a price you have already paid in advance. On site, there are no additional costs for activities and excursions.
But even the leisure activities can be added to the vacation package in advance at some all-inclusive resorts. The same also applies to wellness treatments and special services such as breakfast in the room or a candlelight dinner.
An all-inclusive vacation in the Algarve is therefore the right vacation for you if you would like to have an overview of the costs in advance, want to be pampered on site and plan to eat most of your meals at the hotel.
This speaks against all-inclusive in the Algarve
And that brings us to the disadvantages of an all-inclusive vacation on the Portuguese south coast. First and foremost is the lack of flexibility. This is because the hotel’s fixed meal times mean that tourists are also restricted when it comes to planning excursions. Unless, of course, they want to eat out, which in turn involves additional costs.
Furthermore, the Algarve is not necessarily the typical destination for an all-inclusive vacation. As a result, most hotels on the coast do not even offer an all-inclusive option, but instead focus on either breakfast or half board.
But don’t worry: in Albufeira, Sagres or Faro, holidaymakers still have a good chance of finding a suitable all-inclusive resort for their relaxing vacation on the Portuguese coast. A week’s all-inclusive vacation in the Algarve costs an average of 1,500 euros per person during the high season.
Individual travel to the Algarve – the advantages
The Algarve is actually predestined for an individual trip with its many dream beaches and rugged rocky coastline, numerous typical local and inexpensive restaurants and numerous exciting excursion destinations. So if you don’t just want to relax on the beach or by the hotel pool, but want to explore the area, you should book breakfast in the hotel at most.
With an average price of 8 euros for a main course, restaurants in Portugal are comparatively inexpensive. And no matter which corners of the region tourists choose for their excursions and explorations, there is guaranteed to be at least one restaurant or Portuguese tavern nearby.
But the freedom of an individual trip to the Algarve is not just limited to meals. Because holidaymakers don’t have to stick to fixed times, they can also plan excursions and leisure activities flexibly and even turn night into day.
Algarve: What speaks against an individual trip
But when it comes to travel planning, it’s the same as in all other areas of life: with great freedom comes less security. This is because vacationers on an individual trip only know a few expenses in advance. Although you can set yourself a financial limit for your trip to the Algarve, it is difficult to predict exactly what the price will be once you get there.
And there is also a lack of certainty in another area: unforeseeable events. Even before the coronavirus, we knew how quickly things can go wrong when traveling and the return journey has to be canceled or started earlier than expected. As an individual traveler, you are usually stuck with the costs in this case, while package holidaymakers usually fall soft and are looked after by the tour operator if the worst comes to the worst. A return flight to Faro costs an average of 350 euros per person in midsummer, while a week in a three-star hotel costs an average of 500 euros.
In the end, it’s a question of type. If you see traveling as an adventure and discovery tour, you should travel to the Algarve individually. If you are primarily looking for relaxation on vacation, all-inclusive is usually a good choice.