Portugal (Algarve probably) at May Half term - help me plan!

[ConflictedCheetah]

I've never been to Portugal and also have never booked a package, family holiday as we've only booked in the UK before now.
DC are 8 and 10 when we travel (both boys) and it's DH and I.
Thinking of May half term as DH doesn't deal with July/Aug heat well and think May should be nice enough. Also various Secondary transition dates etc. up in the air this summer.
Travelling from London.

Any recommendations of resorts? We're happy to do self-catering as food allergies are an issue so buffets don't work.
Outdoor pools and ideally water slides available. Some other kids activities there or nearby ideal.
Not sure of budget - we can splash out a little but not 4/5 star kind of thing.

Any help or recommendations?

really need budget to help

I guess I'm not sure what's needed or what's realistic for a self-catering holiday in the Algarve, flying from London!

but you set the budget and then go from there

i don’t want to be suggesting £5k holidays if your budget is £2k for example

I went Radisson. Gran Canaria in May half term. The pools are heated and the temperature was perfect. It's within walking distance to the town where there are many restaurants and a beach.

I booked with Jet2 but you can also go with EasyJet, Tui or book independently.

Oops just realised you said Portugal and not the Canaries.

I've also been here Martinhal I went in June. The weather was warm but blowy we didn't go to the beach as it was too windy. the outdoor pools were cool. The indoor one was warm and the resort is lovely.

Thanks @Triptastico and I might look into the Canaries too!

@rochethenut you're right. I would say £2-2.5k is probably more our budget

should be ok with self catering

but…. i doubt you’ll get one in a resort for that price.

So buy flights separately
get an air bnib with a pool
hire a car
and make sure close to town / beach with some of the activities you list

We loved Tavira. Have a look at Convent Bernadas. Some places much nicer than others. Pool is fab, walking distance to town with loads of restaurants and an amazing part of the Algarve! Reasonably priced to stay there as well ( although flights expensive.( we’ve also been looking at may half term). Martinhal is lovely but much more expensive.

https://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/portugal/algarve/albufeira/nau-salgados-palm-village?ibf=true&to=02-06-2024&from=26-05-2024&dst=PT&geog=PT&sAccId=&flex=2&org=LGW&aa=1&rooms=2_2:4|8&outId=Eca02af1d38504313edfb8091315f7388&inId=Efef9e55b8de94b255e02160dc1c768ec&accId=PTAL0041&packId=2154824959/2/2339/7&boardType=AI&offerRooms=2_2:8|4/1BA01&transfer=ECOV000473SS&dtransfer=ECOV000473SS&isExt=0&lateRoomCheckout=0&theme=beach&__ejhsort=hotels_list|95|MfombN5K

My friend stayed here and said it was really nice. That is all inclusive for just under 2.5k

we go every year to a villa near portimao. in May the weather can be hit or miss but overall is usually good. this year we had 3 days of rain and thunder but the rest of the time was 24-25. you need a cardigan in the evenings. some previous years have been 28/29 tho!
definitely recommend visiting Zoo Marine for a good day out, good for all ages too.

We stayed at Alvor Baia last year. It is an AI resort but would probably fit your budget. We found EasyJet the cheapest. My boys are a similar age to yours and they loved it there. The pool is huge, there’s an adventure golf nearby and there’s a little train to take you down to the beach or harbour area.

Actually I’ve just checked and the Alvor Baia is coming up £4k+ 🙈 We went in August last year and paid less than £2500 for 4 of us!! I can’t believe how much the price has gone up by.

These are all great suggestions thanks. And we'll need to up the budget a bit I think but that's fine. I sort of plucked that figure out of the air but we can go higher

Olhos d'Agua is where we go. Lovely beach, Albufeira is a short car/Uber ride away for water parks and the like. There's a few hotels in the village which might work for you OP. Carvoeiro is somewhere else we've considered but not actually been yet.