Agua Hotels Riverside
The peaceful riverside setting of the Agua Hotels Riverside belies its industrial origins. Past and present, the fishing communities of the Algarve have always relied on the Atlantic Ocean for their sustenance, and one of the region’s oldest canning factories once occupied this site. Standing proudly in the centre the hotel’s garden, the preserved torre beacon pays homage to Ferragudo’s lost manufacturing heritage.
Industry’s loss is our gain: the team at Agua Hotels chose wisely when they picked this peaceful location for their latest hotel, by the calm waters of the Arade River. The same facilities as the busy hotels of Albufeira and Carvoeira are here – indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, sauna, and gym, and the in-house Restaurante Vista Rio – but without the hustle and bustle. Room-wise, the hotel offers standard doubles and studios overlooking the torre, upper floor superior doubles and studios with balconies, and junior, riverside, and family suites with balconies and kitchenettes.
Ferragudo’s ‘zona velha’ is a five-minute taxi/thirty-minute walk downriver. Famously frozen in time, it’s been overlooked by 21st century tourism, and its cobble stone lanes and fishing wharf retain the charming, laid-back atmosphere of the old Algarve. The beaches of Praia da Angrinha and Praia Grande are just beyond the old town, separated by the impressive Forte de Sao Joao do Arade For a fix of big city life, it’s just a ten-minute drive to Portimao across the bay, and for nature lovers the Capitao Nemo Dolphin Watching team depart from the pontoon directly outside the hotel.
