From luxury hotel openings and scenic resort renovations to updated flight routes, discover what’s new this season in southern Portugal
Bordoy Hotels takes over Grand House Algarve
Bordoy Hotels, a prominent hotel chain from Mallorca, has taken its first step outside of Spain with the acquisition of the Grand House Algarve, a luxurious five-star hotel located in Vila Real de Santo António.
The acquisition marks a significant milestone for Bordoy Hotels, which now adds Portugal to its growing portfolio, bringing the total number of its properties to nine, with 789 rooms. The Grand House Algarve is described on its website as a “stunning Belle Époque hotel,” offering 31 exclusive rooms, including suites and villas. One of the standout features of the hotel is the Grand Beach Club, situated at the mouth of the Guadiana River.
New luxury hotel to open in Lagos
The Norfin Group, part of Arrow Global, has revealed plans to build a new five-star hotel at the Palmares Ocean Living & Golf resort in Lagos.
Construction for the JW Marriott Algarve Palmares Hotel & Spa began in February and the project comprises 172 luxury rooms and suites, a continuous-service restaurant, a signature fine-dining space, a poolside bar, a lounge and bar in the lobby, a wellness and fitness centre, a Family by JW kids’ club, indoor and outdoor pools, meeting rooms, room and driver services, and dedicated spa treatment rooms as well as a JW Garden, various tranquillity areas, and Family by JW experiences.
This will be the first JW Marriott brand hotel in Portugal, with 133 JW Marriott-branded residences planned in the future.
Campaign promotes Portugal’s southwest coast
A new campaign launched by tourism authorities in the Alentejo and Algarve is shining the spotlight on Portugal’s beautiful southwest coast, namely the boroughs of Aljezur, Monchique, and Odemira, still recovering from 2023’s devastating summer wildfires.
Odeceixe beach ©Hélio Ramos)
With the slogan “Natural is Better!” (“Ao Natural é Melhor!”), the campaign will run until 2026 and includes works to rebuild the iconic wooden bridge over the Seixe stream, a symbolic link between the Algarve and Alentejo that was lost in the flames.
Other improvements include restoring hiking and biking trails along the Rota Vicentina, offering locals and tourists safe and sustainable access to one of Portugal’s most scenic protected areas.
Faro’s first luxury boutique hotel to open by 2027
Faro’s first luxury boutique hotel will open by 2027, built in a 16th century building in the historic centre of the Algarve capital.
According to the project developers, The Ashana will boast 29 rooms as well as an inside garden, a rooftop swimming pool, a gym, a multi-purpose meeting room and a restaurant and bar.
The developers describe what will be the city’s second five-star hotel as an “urban oasis”.
It is the first to be designed and built from scratch in Portugal by Terra International, a family-owned company in the construction sector.
Terra International has operated in the Algarve for 10 years and has hotels in Austria, Bulgaria, and the United States.
EasyJet reopens Faro base for summer
British low-cost airline easyJet has officially reopened its Faro base for the summer of 2025.
Originally inaugurated in 2021, the base will operate 19 routes until the end of October, deploying a fleet of four aircraft.
These will supplement the five aircraft that serve Faro year-round from other easyJet bases, boosting the total capacity to over two million seats for the summer season, the airline says in a statement.
The base will continue driving tourism in the Algarve by offering direct flights to cities in various European countries, including France, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
Vilalara reopens after renovations
Now under the management of the Azora group, the iconic Vilalara Thalassa Resort has reopened as Thalassa Grand Hotel Algarve following extensive renovations to some of its key areas.
Among the main new features are the Residences luxury accommodations. The hotel also inaugurated their new health-forward restaurant Vento, whilst the Coral Restaurant has been completely transformed.
Wellness has also been reinforced with the new Wellness Signature Program, a holistic and immersive concept with three- to seven-day programmes, five themed wellness “journeys”, specialised therapies and wellness suites designed for a transformative stay.
Hotel Baía Cristal to reopen as Wyndham Grand Carvoeiro Algarve
Hotel Baía Cristal, an iconic four-star hotel in Carvoeiro currently undergoing extensive renovations, will reopen as the five-star Wyndham Grand Carvoeiro Algarve, boasting 134 rooms.
“The concept involves a full renovation of the existing hotel – a building originally constructed in the 1980s – including changes to the current architecture, as well as all finishes on floors, walls, and ceilings, bathrooms, and interior design.
It will also include the creation of new guest rooms and the remodelling of all common and outdoor areas, including the addition of a new swimming pool,” says DDN, the engineering company tasked with supervising the construction project and coordinating safety procedures during the renovation work, on its website.
TAP resumes Faro-Madeira flights this summer
Portugal’s flagship air carrier TAP is set to restore its air connection between Faro, and Funchal, Madeira, this summer, marking a long-awaited return of the route after 22 years.
The operation will commence on June 2 and run until September 11, featuring two weekly flights.
On Mondays, the flight from Funchal to Faro will depart at 8.50pm, with the return flight from Faro to Funchal scheduled for 11.15pm.
On Thursdays, flights will leave Funchal at 6.10am and depart from Faro at 8.35am. Over the course of the season, TAP will offer a total of 30 flights, providing 3,180 seats in each direction.
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