Amieira Marina (Grande Lago - Alqueva)
Amieira Marina (Grande Lago - Alqueva)
Amieira Marina (Grande Lago - Alqueva)
4
Full view
Similar Experiences
Amieira Marina (Grande Lago - Alqueva)
Booking unavailable on Tripadvisor
Want other options you can book now?
Show optionsContribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
64 reviews
Excellent
26
Very good
28
Average
4
Poor
4
Terrible
2
Gibtraveler007
Gibraltar95 contributions
Jul 2020
Took a boat for three days with my wife, didnt know what to expect but as we are both in for adventures we took a plunge!! The boats have everything you need (even a BBQ and outside shower), all on the small size as you would expect but very functional. Although it was warm at night we left all windows and doors open and the breeze kept as cool.
At night you can moor on one of the pontoons or just tie yourself to a buoy in one of the coves (this is what we did), and what you can expect is a beautiful sunset and sunrise, the most amazing sky you can see at night and the biggest natural pool you can imaging and all for yourselves!!
The only negative (if I have to add one) is that the villages around the lake were extremely quite and sleepy so make sure you take provisions for your entire stay.
At night you can moor on one of the pontoons or just tie yourself to a buoy in one of the coves (this is what we did), and what you can expect is a beautiful sunset and sunrise, the most amazing sky you can see at night and the biggest natural pool you can imaging and all for yourselves!!
The only negative (if I have to add one) is that the villages around the lake were extremely quite and sleepy so make sure you take provisions for your entire stay.
Written July 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mikemandu
Woodbridge, VA41 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
We have taken boating trips on canals in France before, but this time around we wanted to explore a different region of Europe. After some discussion, we settled on Portugal and boating on the Alqueva reservoir. It was good to get out of our comfort zone of the England/Ireland/France parts of Europe.
To put it simply, we fell in love with Portugal and the people there and our experiences in this region were a large part of why.
To start, we drove down from the Douro Valley to the Marina and quickly discovered that we would not make it before they closed the Marina making it impossible for us to pick up our boat. We called to let them know we would be late and hoped we could get the boat the next day still and if they had recommendations for hotels. Incredibly, they informed us they would leave a light on our boat and gave us the combination to the lock on the gate. We arrived and had no problems finding our boat - complete with a couple of bottles of wine and a lovely loaf of bread. We spent a nice night on the boat tied up to the dock drinking wine and admiring the stars - the Alqueva area has beautiful night skies and has been named a Starlight Preserve area where they work to limit light pollution.
The next morning we were warmly greeted at the Marina desk when we went up for coffee and a light breakfast. Like everyone else we met in the country, the staff at the Marina were top notch. Incredibly friendly, helpful and welcoming. In going through the safety demonstration video, we were also given tips on good spots to tie up for the night and what we could expect to find in the little towns around the lake - however, they neglected to tell us about the stunning castle ruins in the area!
We spent the next week motoring around the lake and enjoying adventures in the Portuguese country side. Cork trees, birds of just about every color, fish, quaint little towns and old castles open for exploration. The area is filled with ancient history, though some of it is sadly covered by the reservoir now such as an old Roman fort. One of the towns was abandoned to the advancing waters and the residents were moved to the replica of the town that was built above the high water line. Very surreal place and experience in the museum showing relics and film of the old town.
Nothing prepared us for the castles in the area. Two castles and a walled town/keep on hilltops. The walled town is in good shape, the other two castles are not maintained but this leads to the grounds (and the walls!) being covered in absolutely stunning red, yellow and purple wildflowers. We spent hours exploring the walls, grounds and the buildings. One of the castles has symbols on the church that indicate it was used by the Templars. How often can you say you were wandering the countryside exploring and you stumble upon a Templar Knights castle that isn't blocked off or cost a fee to go in and see what they let you see? Definitely something we will remember forever.
The Alentejo, the area Alqueva is just beautiful. Cork trees, megolithic monuments, warm and friendly people and great wines. Definitely worth a visit and a couple of days of exploring.
To put it simply, we fell in love with Portugal and the people there and our experiences in this region were a large part of why.
To start, we drove down from the Douro Valley to the Marina and quickly discovered that we would not make it before they closed the Marina making it impossible for us to pick up our boat. We called to let them know we would be late and hoped we could get the boat the next day still and if they had recommendations for hotels. Incredibly, they informed us they would leave a light on our boat and gave us the combination to the lock on the gate. We arrived and had no problems finding our boat - complete with a couple of bottles of wine and a lovely loaf of bread. We spent a nice night on the boat tied up to the dock drinking wine and admiring the stars - the Alqueva area has beautiful night skies and has been named a Starlight Preserve area where they work to limit light pollution.
The next morning we were warmly greeted at the Marina desk when we went up for coffee and a light breakfast. Like everyone else we met in the country, the staff at the Marina were top notch. Incredibly friendly, helpful and welcoming. In going through the safety demonstration video, we were also given tips on good spots to tie up for the night and what we could expect to find in the little towns around the lake - however, they neglected to tell us about the stunning castle ruins in the area!
We spent the next week motoring around the lake and enjoying adventures in the Portuguese country side. Cork trees, birds of just about every color, fish, quaint little towns and old castles open for exploration. The area is filled with ancient history, though some of it is sadly covered by the reservoir now such as an old Roman fort. One of the towns was abandoned to the advancing waters and the residents were moved to the replica of the town that was built above the high water line. Very surreal place and experience in the museum showing relics and film of the old town.
Nothing prepared us for the castles in the area. Two castles and a walled town/keep on hilltops. The walled town is in good shape, the other two castles are not maintained but this leads to the grounds (and the walls!) being covered in absolutely stunning red, yellow and purple wildflowers. We spent hours exploring the walls, grounds and the buildings. One of the castles has symbols on the church that indicate it was used by the Templars. How often can you say you were wandering the countryside exploring and you stumble upon a Templar Knights castle that isn't blocked off or cost a fee to go in and see what they let you see? Definitely something we will remember forever.
The Alentejo, the area Alqueva is just beautiful. Cork trees, megolithic monuments, warm and friendly people and great wines. Definitely worth a visit and a couple of days of exploring.
Written December 31, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martin S
London, UK62 contributions
Jul 2016 • Family
We hired a boat on this huge man-made lake in Eastern Portugal, mainly because it looked rather interesting and different to the alternative of the French canals.
It turned out, instead, that the similarities were very positive. The boat was comfortable, the fridge and freezer were huge - very important in the 35-40 degree heat! - and the evenings, eating a meal on deck, watching the sun go down, were very pleasant indeed. We hired a mobile wifi device which worked pretty well. And the marina staff were welcoming and professional.
But the differences from the French canals meant that we were overall disappointed with our holiday. The scenery - dry hillsides covered with olive trees - was initially attractive but eventually monotonous as it varied very little along the length of the lake's 90+ kilometres. There were almost no other boats on the lake - rather nice in many ways but eventually rather boring. And the villages were attractive but very quiet - almost abandoned - and often some distance from the lake. In particular, there were no substantial grocery shops - even in Monsaraz, the biggest town. It was therefore necessary to drive c.20 minutes (each way) from the marina to a large supermarket to stock up on the first day, and then to return to the marina to repeat the process when we ran out of food half way through the week. This led us to use the marina as a base - and indulge in some pleasant but car-based tourism throughout Alentejo - towards the end of the week.
It is particularly worth noting that it is dangerous to swim from the shore of the lake, because of weeds and other obstacles. Strong swimmers can have a great time swimming from the boat in the middle of the lake or frnm a pontoon, but you need to be willing to swim out of your depth.
Because we didn't travel huge distances each day, we had to run the boat's engine to charge its batteries and this would have cost us c.€8 per hour if we had not opted for a fuel inclusive package. Indeed the full fuel cost would have been c.€130 had we not prepaid - even though we travelled only half the full length of the lake.
To sum up, therefore, this would have been an excellent 2-4 day holiday on a well appointed boat in an interesting part of the world. But 7 days would probably be too long for many people, unless you really are very keen to 'get away from it all'.
It turned out, instead, that the similarities were very positive. The boat was comfortable, the fridge and freezer were huge - very important in the 35-40 degree heat! - and the evenings, eating a meal on deck, watching the sun go down, were very pleasant indeed. We hired a mobile wifi device which worked pretty well. And the marina staff were welcoming and professional.
But the differences from the French canals meant that we were overall disappointed with our holiday. The scenery - dry hillsides covered with olive trees - was initially attractive but eventually monotonous as it varied very little along the length of the lake's 90+ kilometres. There were almost no other boats on the lake - rather nice in many ways but eventually rather boring. And the villages were attractive but very quiet - almost abandoned - and often some distance from the lake. In particular, there were no substantial grocery shops - even in Monsaraz, the biggest town. It was therefore necessary to drive c.20 minutes (each way) from the marina to a large supermarket to stock up on the first day, and then to return to the marina to repeat the process when we ran out of food half way through the week. This led us to use the marina as a base - and indulge in some pleasant but car-based tourism throughout Alentejo - towards the end of the week.
It is particularly worth noting that it is dangerous to swim from the shore of the lake, because of weeds and other obstacles. Strong swimmers can have a great time swimming from the boat in the middle of the lake or frnm a pontoon, but you need to be willing to swim out of your depth.
Because we didn't travel huge distances each day, we had to run the boat's engine to charge its batteries and this would have cost us c.€8 per hour if we had not opted for a fuel inclusive package. Indeed the full fuel cost would have been c.€130 had we not prepaid - even though we travelled only half the full length of the lake.
To sum up, therefore, this would have been an excellent 2-4 day holiday on a well appointed boat in an interesting part of the world. But 7 days would probably be too long for many people, unless you really are very keen to 'get away from it all'.
Written July 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
silverfoxMuscat
Alcacer do Sal, Portugal68 contributions
Oct 2016 • Couples
We booked a 5 day boat trip on the lake and on arrival were welcomed and taken for a pre-trip briefing. We were handed a very useful and informative package, containing details and history of the lakeside villages and navigation map of the lake.
We the transfered our bags etc to the boat where a dock boy took us over the technical workings of the boat, including GPS,Sonar and Fish Finder. The boat was fully kitted out with large fridge, gas cooker,pots, pans and bedding.
It was fortunate that we had come prepared with all the food for the trip, as we later found that the villages were not serviced with shops and limited restraunts.
With only 15 boats on a 270 square mile lake, didn't make it a risky trip and the calm lake stunning sunrises and sunsets proved tranquil. Chances for a spot of fishing were plenty with black bass proving popular. The best village for scenic beauty was Monstaraz with its medieval castle and amazing views of the countryside.
Overall an enjoyable experience.
We the transfered our bags etc to the boat where a dock boy took us over the technical workings of the boat, including GPS,Sonar and Fish Finder. The boat was fully kitted out with large fridge, gas cooker,pots, pans and bedding.
It was fortunate that we had come prepared with all the food for the trip, as we later found that the villages were not serviced with shops and limited restraunts.
With only 15 boats on a 270 square mile lake, didn't make it a risky trip and the calm lake stunning sunrises and sunsets proved tranquil. Chances for a spot of fishing were plenty with black bass proving popular. The best village for scenic beauty was Monstaraz with its medieval castle and amazing views of the countryside.
Overall an enjoyable experience.
Written October 8, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sara M
2 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
The location is indeed beautiful and at night the view of the sky full of stars is really amazing. However, the sleeping conditions were just terrible, in particular if you suffer from breathing problems related to dust allergies. All beds are surrounded on the side and above by a thick yellow carpet. Also the bathrooms smell and in the boat they were just next to the beds. We didn't sleep much, also felt cold and unconfortable on the nappa matrixes. No need to say that we cancelled the second night. The good part was that they were prompt to refund it. All in all not worth it.
Written August 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
guysmum
Devon UK568 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
We rented a boat for 2 days/nights and had a wonderful time pootling around the reservoir. It was lovely. Hardly anyone about, perfect peace. We moored overnight in a little bay disturbed only by the swifts hurtling around the jetty.
Downside...many of the lakeside villages were basically closed for business, as a lot of restaurants only open weekends or high season. Upside. ..we had the place to ourselves.
The boat was comfortable and well equipped, though don't be over ambitious in what you try to cook. Very basic stove.
Only slightly sour note was the extra charges..(though, to be fair, they are in the small print if you comb through). I thought it was already pretty expensive, but they whack another £50 odd quid on for "preparing the boat'. Odd that. I've never hired a car then paid an extra £50 for them having it ready or booked a hotel and paid extra for them preparing the room. It felt underhand. Then there is another hourly charge for every hour the boat engine is running. They call it a fuel charge but you'd have to be running the engine on single malt to make that equation balance.
So all in all. .. a good experience but NOT good value.
Downside...many of the lakeside villages were basically closed for business, as a lot of restaurants only open weekends or high season. Upside. ..we had the place to ourselves.
The boat was comfortable and well equipped, though don't be over ambitious in what you try to cook. Very basic stove.
Only slightly sour note was the extra charges..(though, to be fair, they are in the small print if you comb through). I thought it was already pretty expensive, but they whack another £50 odd quid on for "preparing the boat'. Odd that. I've never hired a car then paid an extra £50 for them having it ready or booked a hotel and paid extra for them preparing the room. It felt underhand. Then there is another hourly charge for every hour the boat engine is running. They call it a fuel charge but you'd have to be running the engine on single malt to make that equation balance.
So all in all. .. a good experience but NOT good value.
Written July 2, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roman Stelmakh
Lisbon, Portugal43 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
it was really nice to spend a day on a boat recharging batteries. We spend the whole day with friends on the lake and slept right in the boat.
Written May 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PedroSerpa2014
Funchal, Portugal219 contributions
Jul 2016 • Family
Nice place were you can rent a kayak. There’s also a restaurant. Despite being forbidden, we found no reason not to swim in those waters.
Written August 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charlotte S
Kaltenbach, Austria26 contributions
Aug 2015 • Couples
Book a boat, fil the fridge and enjoy life..
This is a perfect choise for a relaxing holiday. You only need to worry about where to dock, and where to swimm.. Remember to shop grosseries, as the shopping options are very limited, but the fridge is large, and even with freezer..
The area beautiful and quiet.. You can enjoy the sunset and sunrise every day from the front row.
This is a perfect choise for a relaxing holiday. You only need to worry about where to dock, and where to swimm.. Remember to shop grosseries, as the shopping options are very limited, but the fridge is large, and even with freezer..
The area beautiful and quiet.. You can enjoy the sunset and sunrise every day from the front row.
Written August 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AntonioBarata
Lisbon, Portugal99 contributions
Dec 2014 • Family
Being near this big lake in the middle of Alentejo is like dreaming of a partnership of development with the primitivity of the local nature . This Marina has it all in the middle of nowhere. A restaurante, a bar , many boats to rent and lots of quietness and beautiful landscapes to enjoy during all the year. Alentejo is also worth to be visited for those enjoying wine and good cheese and all the nice food that Portugal offers.
Written January 7, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bonjour pourriez. Vous me donner les tarifs?êtes vous ouvert après le 5mai
Written May 5, 2017
Hola!me gustarÃa coger un barco durante 4 noches en el lago.
En otra ocasión lo hicimos en Francia,canal de MIDI,pero no se sà el lago da para tanto tiempo,somos una pareja con un niño de 7 años y un perro.
Alguien me puede informar.
Gracias.
Written February 16, 2017
Showing results 1-2 of 2