Top 10 All-Inclusive Resorts in Portugal

·Optional all-inclusive flexibility

Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve is a polished, quiet beach hotel behind Meia Praia, for couples and families who want a good room near Lagos. All-inclusive is an option here, not an obligation. Lagos is a real town with strong restaurants of its own, and the hotel is on its edge rather than in it, so the walk into the centre takes longer than the map suggests. The airport at Faro is at the other end of the coast, and the transfer is a paid shuttle or a taxi.

·Excellent family facilities, including one of the Algarve’s strongest kids-club setups.

Perched on the red cliffs of the Algarve, Pine Cliffs pairs dramatic ocean views with a clifftop nine-hole course and the Serenity spa. Seven restaurants, including the kid-favorite Porto Pirata, make it an easy family choice that still feels grown-up. Best April through October.

·True all-inclusive

Hotel Guarana, now branded 3HB Guarana, is a four-star all-inclusive at Olhos de Agua in the central Algarve, and it is built around water. Five pools: two main outdoor ones, two for children, one indoor and heated, plus the Tiki Splash Park with slides and jets for ages four to fifteen. The kids club takes four to twelve and there is a playground alongside. Guests rate the pools, the cleanliness and the staff, in that order.

·True all-inclusive product

Robinson Quinta da Ria is a sports and golf club resort in the eastern Algarve, for active families who will trade a beachfront for a golf course. It is about 40 minutes from Faro, with 270 rooms, two restaurants, three pools counting a heated indoor one, golf beside it and the Ria Formosa nature reserve around it. The beach is reached seasonally by train and boat rather than on foot, and the sport is the reason to come.

·Strong family room inventory.

Tivoli Alvor is a 491-room resort near Alvor in the western Algarve, with six outdoor pools, waterslides and a splash pad. The kids club takes four to fourteen, children stay free, and the family rooms go up to a two-bedroom at 66 square metres that sleeps six, which is the strongest family inventory in our Portuguese listings. It is lively rather than quiet, and the entertainment programme is loud enough that guests mention it.

·True all-inclusive

Pestana Blue Alvor Beach is a seafront five-star in the Algarve, for families who want four pools, a kids' club and Alvor village on foot. It is about 50 minutes from Faro, with 325 rooms, three restaurants, three bars, three outdoor pools including an adults-only relax pool, and an indoor pool for the days the Atlantic wins. Praia dos Tres Irmaos is below and the village is a walk away, and that pairing is what you are paying for.

·Large residence layouts with kitchens and balconies.

·PortoBay Blue Ocean is a clifftop four-star in the Algarve, for couples and families who want a new hotel, four pools and Falesia below. It is about 35 minutes from Faro, with 348 rooms, two restaurants, four bars, three outdoor pools and a heated indoor one, and Olhos de Agua within a walk. All-inclusive is a board option rather than the rate, and its edges are not described consistently from one booking site to the next.

·Direct access to Porto Santo's long beach.

·Directly on a rare sandy Madeira beach.