To be panicking about holiday with 3 year old and 3 month old to Algarve?

Travelling with them this age is easier than when they’re older tbh

ww took 3 year old and 4 month old around Asia for a few months - baby always same so and easy on plane and travel days

hes 11 months now and omg I don’t know how I’d manage the trip

you don’t need loads of stuff - I just got laundry done e dry few days or hand washed stiff, bought nappies there, usually was able to get a cot (but co slept if I couldn’t) and bought a little pop up tent for beach for both kids to sleep in.

Vale do Lobo will be great with little ones. The beach is gorgeous with sun lingers if you want to rent (not expensive) . There’s a nice pram friendly slatted walk way on the sand and stunning red cliffs. Lots of beach bars around too. You’ll have a great time! The Portuguese are lovely and there’s plenty of supermarkets dotted around. If you want to visit an ‘authentic town’ then Loule is about 20 mins drive and gorgeous.tends to close in the afternoon, so go in the morning or evening. Lots of nice tasteful shops. You might just be happy to potter on the beach and enjoy your villa though!

We took our 18 month year old to the Algarve and loved it. It was really child friendly, beaches were great and everywhere was easy with the buggy! We stayed in Vilamoura but visited Faro, Quartiera, Albufeira and did a boat trip. You'll have a great time!

Vale do Lobo is great! Safe and family friendly. You can park near to the mini golf to access the beach. There is a good supermarket Pingo doce on the outskirts of the resort . Ice cream/ waffles cafe at the VDL praca.There is sometimes music/ singers in the Praca in the evening.
Marufos ( 10 minutes drive) is a cheap but very popular child friendly restaurant ( cash only) .
Gale beach ( 40 minutes drive ) is lovely and has free parking. Zoomarine and Aquashow are good for kids.
Quinta de Lago has the excellent Shack restaurant, great beach and pedaloes/boats/ inflatables but quite pricey.
Id just stay in the lovely villa, go for little walks around VDL and have bbqs with young kids.The beach at VDL has nice shells to collect especially in the morning. Have a great time!

Relax.

Some easy play with your three year old, at the villa.

Pans and spoons. A cheap paddling pool and empty bottles/jugs. Buckets of water and a brush. A packet of chalks ( and a brush to wash it off).

Some good routine. Sun tan cream on every morning before getting dressed. (saves unexpected burns and child knows what to expect each day).

Old/cheap t-shirt for playing/ swimming.

Freeze water in the child’s drinks bottle, every evening. Perfect for taking out for a cold drink.

You'll be fine, good thing about this kind of holiday is that toy will hopefully be able to relax once the kids are asleep and enjoy the villa.

Check to see if there are any hire companies where your stating so toy don't have to pack all the kids stuff

That’s a lovely area - we stayed just a bit nearer to Faro last week. Pingo Doce is your supermarket - plenty of choice and not too expensive.

Quarteira is a short drive away, with a traditional beach front. In the other direction is Garrao beach where you can park near several cafes and restaurants, and there’s a fantastic boardwalk that stretches several miles to the East for pushchair walks.

As others say, it is quiet and upmarket but it is lovely.

On practicalities, my DS and DDIL took a blow up paddling pool with a shade for my DGS when they went on a villa holiday, which they found invaluable.

You missed out the most important tip:

Dois copos de vinho tinto faz favor?

(Two glasses of red wine please?)

Don't forget two essential travelling with children tips! If you're taking your car seat buy a travel bag to put it in then pack that bag with nappies/towels whatever. It's not weighed or checked.

Secondly.. click and collect at boots in the terminal is your friend. Also nappies, formula if using, suncream and toiletries can also be collected from the boots in the airport terminal and thus you don't need to worry about cramming into suitcases.

3 month olds travel brilliantly in my experience and the 3 year old will be excited about the plane and the beach. Don't overthink it it will be lovely.

Yes, there are car parks next to all the beaches. The Algarve is kinda set up for tourists 😉

We recently had a trip to the Algarve with our 3 year old and it was fine. I would recommend shopping at a local supermarket and buying breakfast foods like cereal, milk, bread or whatever you like plus some light meals or snacks you can have at least one meal at home and then go out for one meal each day. We found it was quite cheap but even if you are somewhere more expensive you can probably stretch to one meal a day.

I know the area. It is a very upmarket, exclusive resort/residential area BUT there are supermarkets in the estate and lots of shops, restaurants for all pockets and things to do in Almancil which is a short drive away. Lots of bars and restaurants on the beach. The Portuguese adore children so your children will be welcomed and coo'd over everywhere you go!

Please don't worry - you'll be absolutely fine 😊

We hired stuff from a company called Little Rascals that operate out of the Algarve to reduce the amount of stuff we needed to bring on the plane which was really helpful.