Embracing the element of surprise at Quinta do Lago resort in the Algarve

Quinta do Lago’s new surprise holiday package is tailored to your interests, allowing you to kick back and enjoy your holiday while the resort experts plan your dream stay. Alice Cattley checks in

We venture into the Algarve’s Ria Formosa Natural Park onboard a boat with painted eyes – a traditional symbol of protection for Portuguese fishermen.

Shading my own eyes against the sun, I watch as we glide past whitewashed villas and palm trees, the beaches becoming emptier the further out we float.

Soon, only the occasional figure breaks up the expanse of sand and sky. Bent over with tools in hand, their stances immediately reveal their purpose – and we’re here for the same reason: to fill our baskets with freshly caught clams.

Our guides dock our boat in shallow waters and we wade onto the beach to start our search, our trousers hitched above our knees. Armed with an angular trowel, we comb through densely packed sand, quickly unearthing shellfish that we place in our wicker baskets.

The land might be empty of people (save for a few fishermen who joke about giving us a job), but it’s alive with fiddler crabs and flocks of birds. This vibrant ecosystem is just part of what makes Quinta do Lago so special: a luxury resort in the heart of the Ria Formosa lagoon and nature reserve, it’s a haven for wildlife experts, golfers and beach lovers alike.

Ria Formosa, Algarve (Image: Quinta do Lago) Ria Formosa bridge (Image: Quinta do Lago)

Surprise surprise

When I hopped on a plane from London to Faro, I had no idea I would spend the following morning learning how to catch razor clams, nor that I would try my first oyster – sea-fresh and squeezed with lemon – while sipping sparkling wine on a fishing boat. But that’s the beauty of Quinta do Lago’s surprise holiday package.

Designed to free you from the stress of planning your own itinerary, the package is a brand-new offering that enables guests to enjoy a holiday tailored to their tastes and budget. The twist? You won’t know exactly what you’re doing until you arrive.

According to Quinta do Lago, removing the burden of responsibility when it comes to booking a holiday is an excellent way to recharge.

Guests who want to try the surprise package are required to answer a simple survey outlining their interests – for example, sport, food, culture, wildlife – and the team at the resort will do the rest, from hand-picking your activities to organising all your travel to and from the hotel and each activity. Not only does this help you avoid any of the logistical headaches, but it can also encourage you to try new experiences.

We find this out the fun way during a group padel lesson at The Campus, Quinta do Lago’s upscale fitness hub. Most of us have never played the racket sport before but, thanks to a brilliant instructor who takes my questionable ability to hit the ball in his stride, even I leave the class eager to play it again when I return home.

The Campus, Quinta do Lago (Image: Quinta do Lago) The Campus (Image: Quinta do Lago)

Tailored to taste

We’re staying at the Miami-inspired Magnolia Hotel, which has seven family cottages and 74 rooms that each come with a private balcony. An outdoor area with a heated swimming pool separates the accommodation from the reception, restaurant and bar, providing the perfect spot for late-night cocktails as the sun sets over the Algarve.

The Magnolia Hotel reception (Image: Quinta do Lago)

In the Magnolia Restaurant, those of us who self-described as foodies on our surveys are treated to a demonstration from the hotel chef, who shows us how to cook in a cataplana – a traditional Portuguese pan used to prepare seafood dishes.

Humouring my request to help chop the vegetables, he tells us the only secret to good cooking is high-quality ingredients. Though my uneven chunks of sweet potato suggest some technical skill wouldn’t go amiss, I can definitely taste the freshness of the mussels, clams and prawns when we sit down to eat our lunch beside the pool.

A warm welcome

The warmth and knowledge of the staff at Quinta do Lago is a theme that runs through the resort like a ribbon, wrapping the surprise package with a flourish. Nothing makes this clearer than a meeting with biologist Ricardo, who takes us on a guided walk through the Natural Park.

When conversation turns to the flamingoes we’ve heard frequent the region, he says he knows where a flock can be found and offers to drive us there to try and catch a glimpse of them. A few hours later, after fortifying ourselves with a wildlife-inspired cocktail at the resort’s newly opened beach bar, Gigi’s – I opt for the fruity gin-based green woodpecker – we’re on the road from Quinta do Lago to Faro, watching golf courses give way to orange groves and terracotta-coloured grass.

The journey reveals a different side to the Algarve: wild and wooded, with prickly pears clinging to the ridges on either side of the road.

Ricardo points out different species on the way to our destination, which turns out to be a stretch of deserted track flanked by a rippling lake. Finally, the elusive flamingoes.

It’s too early in the season for the birds to have blossomed into their distinctive pink plumage, but the unmistakable shape of the bodies – bent over the water like clam-pickers raking through sand – is still a thrill to see in the wild.

Flamingoes at Ria Formosa, Quinta do Lago (Image: Taniaaraujo/Shutterstock) Image: Taniaaraujo/Shutterstock

For me, it’s another reminder that Quinta do Lago, and the people and animals you’ll meet there, are always ready to surprise.

Quinta do Lago is a 15-minute drive from Faro airport. Its surprise package starts from £435pp for three nights in a Standard Double Room staying at The Magnolia Hotel, including transfers between the hotel and the activities.

Main image: Quinta do Lago