Faro International Airport (FAO): Approximate driving time is 25 minutes and distance is 17.5 kilometers (13.5 miles).

Taxis can be caught from outside the terminal building. Buses can also be caught outside the terminal building. AEROBUS provides a shuttle service between the airport and city centre daily (except Tuesday) in high season.

Local buses connect the hotel with many of the main towns in the Algarve. The closes train stations are at Faro, Loule and Albufeira, from where trains run to other parts of the Algarve and Lisbon.

All guestrooms have tables and chairs, luggage racks, wardrobes, minibars, safes, full-length mirrors, bedside tables with lamps, chests of drawers, desks, TVs, dial-up Internet access (fee), framed prints and balconies with tables and chairs. They also have small garbage cans with separate sections to recycle papers, cans and glass. Bathrooms are fully tiled, have double sinks with marble tops, bidets, shaving mirrors, bathrobes and complimentary toiletries.

Sirius - Decorated in dark wood chairs and red carpet, with a large mural at one end of Arabian women harvesting almond trees, this split-level restaurant is open all year and serves an à la carte menu of international food with a Mediterranean influence.

Aries - This restaurant has a terracotta tiled floor and dark wood chairs with tartan cushions, and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner during the winter, and breakfast and dinner in the summer months. It serves a Continental hot and cold buffet breakfast, and an international buffet lunch and dinner, and has an overspill section, known as Aries II, with large round tables, usually used for lunches for delegates from the Congress Center.

Castor Bar - A carpeted bar with sofas and upholstered chairs in warm red, brown and green ethnic fabrics with a large wooden bar at its center. Castor Bar looks over Vilamoura marina. Guests can relax with a coffee or something stronger here during the day or return in the evening to hear the hotel’s resident band, The Constellations, who play a selection of international classics from jazz and bossa nova to pop.

Orion Coffee Shop - Connected to the Congress Center via a glass walkway and located by the outdoor swimming pool, the coffee shop is round with a wooden ceiling and mosaic wall panels and serves a hot and cold buffet lunch from April to October.

Caramachao Bar - Guests can enjoy drinks at this poolside bar during the summer season.

Chiringuito Bar - The hotel’s beach bar is open during the summer months.

Amenity highlights: The hotel has the largest in-hotel conference facilities in Portugal, with a dedicated congress center catering for up to 1200 people theater style. The hotel also has a children’s playroom, scuba diving center, health club and tennis courts, as well as discounts on local golf courses.

Insider tip: Adult entertainment is on offer at the Vilamoura Casino, just a five-minute drive away, with international shows, a games room and a disco.

The dedicated Congress Center is located alongside the main hotel building and stands out with its white tent-like roof. The largest hotel congress center in the country, there are 17 conference rooms in total catering from 15 to 1200 people in theater style, with views of the beach and the marina. Full audio-visual equipment is available as well as simultaneous translation and secretarial services.

The hotel’s Health Center is located on the lower ground floor, beside the hairdressers, on the marina side of the hotel. Guests can take a dip in the large round swimming pool, or head for the gym where there are cardiovascular and weights machines, plus treatment rooms for massages, a sauna, Turkish bath, solarium and jetted tub (fee). There are also two outdoor pools, one for children and one for adults, with seating alongside or on the lawn, plus a children’s play area, two floodlit tennis courts, a volleyball court and a scuba diving center (open May to September).

Along the marina, at ground level, is an arcade with various boutiques, shoe and sports shops, plus boat sales.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or near the hotel; fees may apply.