Vila Joya SEA — Restaurant in Albufeira

Went on a short holiday with my girlfriend whom is Portuguese but from Lisbon. I prebooked this restaurant months in advance as it was the only 2 star michelin star restaurant in Albufeira (i think so) and as a keen foodie i needed to add this to our itinerary.

As soon as we got off the uber we were confused on where the restaurant was as the sign for Vila Joya is hard to find, but it is literally a gated chic boutique hotel with a restaurant. As soon as we entered we were wowed by the hospitality and how the staff made us feel welcome. They already knew our names and had a seat for us straight away.

The views from the restaurant are amazing overlooking the beach and surrounding ocean.

The food was amazing and will always stay in my memory. We tried the signature menu which felt like an adventure. Even though we had 4 courses we felt we had 12 with the additional palette cleansing food. It is definitely worth a try, and we loved the foie gras.

We did pair the wine with the food, and definitely don't regret it although as it was my first time trying port i wished i knew about the after effects and hangover haha. We were also treated to a view of the kitchen- inside and met the team, which was a great suprise. Definitely worth a visit and try to experience the local culinary and Portuguese food. The hospitality showed here will never be...

There's no doubt Vila Joya is a truly great restaurant. It's certainly an expensive meal, but one that most would say is well worth it. Here are a few aspects to consider:

Food: In total we were served 15 courses. The first 4 were all unique and interesting 'pre-appetizers' of all types. Followed by 6-7 courses on the main menu - including 3 fish and 1 beef main. Each was unique and certainly at minimum very good. Some great. Then 4-5 dessert courses to cap off a great night of eating. The courses change nightly - it's safe to say each will be an amazing food experience

Staff: Incredibly nice - considerate and not overbearing. We must have chatted with 5-6 servers and all had a story and seemed to form a Vila Joya family of sorts.

Atmosphere: Vila Joya is located in a 22 room boutique hotel which just won the best of Europe for 2015. The restaurant is at the back of the main building, which used to be a mansion that overlooks the ocean and throughout the night you hear the waves crashing. Most tables are small and are for couples - making the atmosphere quiet and romantic.

Price: Even though the set menu food price is EUR 175/person, plenty of reasonably priced wines are offered, so you won't have to pay that much more for drinks. They have a huge wine cellar, so I'm guessing you could spend as much as...

We were lucky to get the last room at the end of the season. The place was understandably popular even that the weather was already more on a cooler side: the water wasn’t that warm and a sun wasn’t that hot, but the grounds are picturesque and calming in the same time, and you just realized that you don’t need anything else. They are known for the Michelin star restaurant, but I fell in love with their unpretentious beach restaurant, that was impressive in all means. Its a perfect mix of lightness and precision. The level of sophistication and imagination is unparalleled in their desserts. The slippers on the photo disappeared so quickly, and we didn’t even order it, because we were completely full, but we couldn’t resist the offer. The beach is long and fun to walk on. There is not much outside of the place, but honestly I found it actually beneficial, no temptation to ruin...