Albufeira Classic

Your weekend, day by day

1. 1

   Day 1

   

   Boat party & cruise

   From about 15:00 · 2.5 hours

   Arrival day. The transfer brings the group from Faro to the accommodation, then the boat trip in the afternoon with the whole group on board. Boarding is at a fixed time and latecomers are left on the dock, so leave a margin. Trainers or deck shoes and a layer for the water.

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   Boats leave from Albufeira Marina, about ten minutes' drive from the centre, or from Vilamoura Marina further along the coast. The public party boat is a Saturday-afternoon fixture from April to mid October: two hours from about 4.30pm, a DJ, swim stops and transport back to the Strip, and the onboard bar can be cash only. Private charters run three hours with an open bar and paddleboards, for groups of 12 to 60. Cave cruises towards Benagil carry water and soft drinks only. Check in 30 minutes early, and note that crews refuse boarding to anyone visibly intoxicated.

   You board at a fixed time and the boat runs a set loop, so latecomers are left on the dock. Onboard there is a bar and usually a DJ or a sound system you can plug into. Some are private charters for your group alone, others are shared with other bookings.

   What is included varies more here than anywhere else: some are entry only, some include a drinks package, some include food. Get that in writing before you pay.

   Deck shoes or trainers, nothing with a heel. It is colder on the water than on land, even in summer, so bring a layer.

2. 2

   Day 2

   

   Beach & pool party

   From about 13:00 · 4 hours

   The beach party: reserved beds or terrace space from the afternoon into the evening, with a bar and a DJ. It is a long, slow afternoon rather than an event. Swim shorts, sun cream and something smarter for after dark.

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   Albufeira's pool parties run on Saturdays from 4pm to 8pm, roughly May to August, in the New Town, with inflatables, DJs and a bar. They are seasonal and weather dependent, and one beach club event enforces a strict all-black dress code. On Saturday evenings in season, sunset beach parties start from 5pm and run four to five hours, with a BBQ buffet and two drinks, then move on to the Strip. For daytime, a three-hour beach games session on Praia dos Pescadores comes with a co-ordinator and kit. Over 18s only, and bring ID.

   You are given a set of beds or a section of the terrace for the day, with waiter service and a DJ playing from the afternoon into the evening. Some clubs include a drinks package or a bottle on the table, and some only include the entry and the beds.

   It is a long, slow afternoon rather than an event with a start and a finish, which suits a group that wants somewhere to be rather than something to do.

   Bring swim shorts, sun cream and a towel if the club does not supply one. Most have a dress code after dark, so pack something to change into.

3. 3

   Day 3

   

   Guided bar crawl

   From about 20:30 · 4 hours

   The big night. The guided bar crawl: meet the guide at a fixed point and work through a run of bars, finishing with club entry, with the guide handling the doors. Eat first so the group makes the start time. Dress is casual; bring photo ID.

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   Albufeira's crawls run along the Strip in the New Town, where the bars are close together. Expect a 9pm or 9.30pm start, five or six bars over four to five hours with a shot at each, and guestlist entry to a club at the end, led by an English-speaking guide. Shorter two-hour versions start at 8pm or 10pm. Dress is casual. Some crawls run every night of the week and others only on Fridays and Saturdays, so check before fixing the night. ID for 18+ is checked.

   You meet the guide at a fixed point and move through a run of bars across the evening, usually four or five, finishing at a club. The guide knows the doors, so you skip the queue and the group is not turned away for being too large.

   Most crawls include a welcome drink or a shot at each stop, and entry to the final venue. The rest is on you. Groups from several bookings are often merged, which some stags like and some do not, so ask whether yours is private.

   Dress code is the club's, not the guide's. No trainers and no sportswear at the last venue, and matching shirts get refused at some doors.

4. 4

   Day 4

   

   Club entry, VIP & booths

   From about 23:30 · 4 hours

   Guaranteed club entry for the group on the guest list, past the queue. The clubs on the strip stay open very late and are busiest after about three, so there is no rush. Doors turn away groups that are rude or too far gone, so pace the night.

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   The clubs that take stag groups are on the Strip in the New Town. A VIP table package runs from 10pm to 4am, with part of the booking credited to the drinks menu, and the bigger clubs stay open until 6 or 7am. The clubs themselves recommend arriving after 3am for the busiest part of the night, so pace it. Doors can and do refuse groups that are rude or too far gone. For a smaller warm-up, Old Town bars sell 90-minute group packages with a welcome drink, shots and platters. Bring photo ID.

   Standard entry gets the group past the queue on a guest list, which matters because large male groups are the first ones a door turns away. A booth adds a reserved table, a set number of bottles with mixers and a host who looks after the table.

   Booths are sold on a minimum spend rather than a flat fee at many clubs, so the bottles you order count towards it. Ask what the minimum is and what it includes before you agree to anything.

   Dress code is enforced hard on stag groups. No sportswear, no trainers at some doors, no matching shirts, and nobody visibly drunk gets in regardless of the booking.