Official UK partner to the Paradors, Pousadas, Pestana Hotels & Resorts,
Teritoria, and European Hotels Collection. Keytours International,
formerly Keytel International, your agent in the UK.
The Pestana Viking Resort, with its fabulous gardens and spectacular panoramic views over the ocean, is perfect for a peaceful break. This 4 star hotel has direct access to the beach, and is located in the heart of the Algarve, just 25 minutes from Faro International Airport, 15 minutes from the centre of Portimão and 1 Km from Armação de Pêra.
The hotel is located on a cliff top and affords spectacular panoramic views over the ocean and the beach of “Senhora da Rocha”, to which it has direct access. The beauty of the Resort grounds featuring beautiful gardens is complemented by a range of services that makes Pestana Viking Resort the ideal destination for those seeking relaxing holidays, or for families seeking a comprehensive range of sports and leisure activities. You'll waste no time in getting to know the four swimming pools, two of which are for children, and the health club with jacuzzi and sauna and the tennis & squash courts.
The Pestana Viking Resort is made up of the Pestana Viking Hotel, with 182 rooms, and the Pestana Porches Praia, with 60 Resort Suites. If you are looking for the perfect location in which to hold business meetings, conferences, presentations or any other group event, this hotel also has all the necessary facilities and services on-hand with four conference rooms with the capacity to accommodate up to 135 people.
The 182 well-appointed, recently renovated hotel rooms all have a kitchenette and are ideal for those looking for all the comforts of home. Located within the main building, all rooms feature bathrooms, air conditioning, television, mini-bar, private safe, telephone, hairdryer, free wifi, laundry and room-service. Most rooms are also equipped with a kitchenette and private balcony and there are some rooms equipped for disabled guests. In a region of such varied gastronomic influences, the hotel's restaurants and bars have been designed to appeal to every taste showcasing originality, quality and service. Variety is the key ingredient of the buffet restaurant where a wide range of national and international dishes are on offer. On beautiful summer evenings, meals can be enjoyed under the stars on the terrace near the pool.
During the day, the Pool Bistro is a great place to enjoy some refreshment in the glorious Algarve sunshine. The hotel's facilities include an outdoor salt water swimming pool for adults and children, direct access to the beach with a special concession area for guests, a wellness centre with indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna, turkish bath, gym and professional massage, multisports pitch (Tennis, Basketball, 5-a-side football), games room, Kid’s Club & entertainment (from May to October), as well as excursions and walks (trekking, cycling, horse riding and boat outings), a car rental desk and souvenir shop.
In addition, due to its ideal location in the heart of the Algarve, the Pestana Viking Resort is close to many major regional amenities such as golf courses, diving centres, water parks, theme parks and places of historical interest.
The southernmost region of Portugal, the Algarve, is without a doubt the best-known to visitors to the country from overseas thanks to its popularity as one of Europe’s main holiday destinations. Certainly the Algarve’s attractions are many, and not least its enviable climate with sunshine virtually year-round.
The region is probably most famous for its beaches and its numerous golf courses. The Algarve has around 100 miles of coastline, stretching from the border with Spain in the east right across the south of the country to Cape St Vincent in the west (this is the most south-westerly point in Europe), and then north for about 30 miles up to the border with the Alentejo region. And it’s a wonderful coastline with a mixture of extensive beaches of fine golden sand, small sandy coves and, in places, dramatic cliff-faces and rock formations. Inevitably, since the sixties and seventies there has been a lot of development centred on the main resorts such as Albufeira, Praia da Rocha and Vilamoura with the construction of hotels, apartments, marinas and so on, but in the extreme east and west of the Algarve coast, smaller towns – Tavira and Sagres as examples - while still offering the same glorious beaches remain almost untouched by the frenetic activity of the tourist centres.
The Algarve is not, however, just about beaches and golf. Inland the region is largely rural – hilly, and in places mountainous – and many of the picturesque little towns and villages in the interior appear to have changed little over the centuries and still retain their quiet, unhurried and relaxed way of life. Like the rest of the Iberian Peninsulathe Algarve became part of the Roman empire in the second century BC (there are important Roman remains on the coast in Lagos), but the longest occupation of the region was by the Moors who named the region Al-Gharb and who were finally expelled in 1250, completing the reconquest of Portugal. As in Andalusia in Spain,he archtectural legacy of the Moorish occupation is much in evidence throughout the region.
The principal, and by far the largest, city of the Algarve is Faro. Practically every visitor arrives here thanks to flights into its airport from all over Europe, but very few actually stay in Faro. But it’s an elegant coastal city with a medieval wall and many monuments, museums and churches and it definitely deserves a visit. Away from the coast two particularly attractive towns are Monchique, up in the hills about 20 miles from the resort of Portimao, and Loulé, an active market town a short drive inland from Vilamoura.
Apart from high-quality ‘international cuisine’ stemming from the tourism so important to this region, there are plenty of delicious local dishes available throughout the Algarve. Pork and chicken are the main ingredients for meat dishes, notably ‘Cataplana’ (pork with lots of clams and garlic) and ‘chicken piri-piri’ ranging from mild to very hot and spicy. But fish and seafood reign supreme here; grilled sardines are excellent on the Algarve coast and available practically everywhere while swordfish, bass, bream, squid, clams, lobsters and prawns are all of the highest quality and fresh as can be. Wines from all over Portugal are freely available, but the local wines from Lagos, Tavira and Lagoa are all good and the region produces several local varieties of liqueur.
For Pousada pool information please visit our information on pools page.
Restaurant "Valhalla":
Breakfast: 07:30 - 11:00
Dinner: 19:00 - 22:00
Tapas Bar: 18:00 - 00:00
Pool Bistro: 11:00 - 18:00
Driving Directions from Faro Airport (FAO) to Pestana Viking Beach & Spa Resort
Exit Faro Airport and follow signs for N125-10 / IC4.
Continue on N125-10, then follow signs to merge onto the A22 (Via do Infante) motorway heading west (Portimão / Lagos).
Stay on the A22 for about 35 km, passing exits for Albufeira and Guia.
Take Exit 7 toward Alcantarilha / Armação de Pêra / Lagoa / Silves.
At the roundabout, follow signs for Porches / Armação de Pêra.
Drive through Porches, continuing toward Praia Senhora da Rocha.
Look for signs to Hotel Pestana Viking or Praia Senhora da Rocha.
Turn left onto Estrada da Nossa Senhora da Rocha.
Continue straight to reach the entrance of Pestana Viking Beach & Spa Resort.
Private parking available for guests
