We enjoyed our first Algarve cruise (dolphin watching) so much we booked onto another trip offered by Ocean Quest Algarve – their Traditional, Cultural & Cave Quest €35 per adult and €25 per child.
At nearly 4 hours long we did have reservations if it would be too long for the kids, but the rugged coastline of the Algarve was so beautiful the time seemed to fly along.
Holly loved being at the front of the catamaran as we cruised along the coast with her hair blowing in the wind as we passed Praia da Falesia beach.
This 6km beach was one of our favourites and where we had spent time at the Hilton Al Mar beach club. The layers of colour on the coastline is nothing short of spectacular.
Our guide pointed out the many beautiful villages, secret beaches, spectacular sea caves, the history of the area and even tips of where to visit by car including Ria de Alvor Nature Reserve which is home to hundreds of flamingos.
The entire coastline was so gorgeous you could have enough Instagram content for a month and we hadn’t even reached the star attraction, the Benagil sea caves.
We had first seen a picture of these spectacular caves in a magazine in our hotel room and we just knew we couldn’t visit the Algarve without seeing it in person.
The boat’s captain expertly managed to position the boat so that we had a spectacular view of the cave, and yes it’s as beautiful as it looks in the pictures.
Benagil is a huge circular cave with a giant hole almost 100ft above its own beach which allows light to flood in. You can only reach the cave by sea entering via two of the giant rock arches.
I was expecting that the caves and grottos would be impressive but when you see them in person nothing can prepare you for their sheer magnificence.
If you were feeling really brave (and we weren’t) you also had the chance to swim in the ocean as we moored off the coast.
The brand new catamaran that Ocean Quest uses was magnificent, spotlessly clean with great facilities including on-board toilets and fully stocked drinks and snacks bar.
Being able to walk around on the spacious deck to catch different vantage points during the cruise made it a much more immersive experience.
Many of the other companies who run boat tours out of Vilamoura use speedboats which meant that we would be strapped into our seats, which would have meant a much more restrictive experience especially with kids. The company advertises itself as being a great choice for families and it truly is.
On our return back to the marina the crew brought out a selection of the Algarve’s local delicacies to sample.
As the children couldn’t try the liquor’s the crew brought out fruity drinks for them which they enjoyed as we all relaxed on the comfortable leather seating on deck catching the last of the sun before it set over the ocean.
The crew like on our dolphin quest cruise were once more fantastic and it’s this level of exceptional service that make Ocean Quest a great company to choose – the tour of the coastline was made even more memorable with them.
The boat tour along the coast to the Benagil caves along with the dolphin watching were some of the highlights of our trip. The coastline is beautiful on land but seeing it from the water really is spectacular and highly recommended.