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Praia da Vau Holidays

Snorkelling, cockle-catching and swimming from the glorious beach – that's the long and short of holidays in Praia do Vau.

Just next door to Praia Da Rocha, lies Praia do Vau - a very different resort from its exuberant neighbour. The beach is just as fantastic, but there the similarity ends. Praia do Vau is a calm and quiet resort, popular with families and couples - and the odd Portuguese celebrity. Nightlife here revolves around a handful of restaurants, but if you feel like dancing till dawn it's only a short taxi ride or a twenty minute walk into Praia Da Rocha. Evenings aside though, holidays here are all about cramming in as much sand-time as possible. The water is calm and clear, perfect for swimming or for small children to splash around in the shallows. There's a long stretch of sand with some pretty coves and rock formations. And the snorkeling will delight old and young alike. Especially around Tres Irmaos. A few watersports are offered, and there are bars and cafes along the front for drinks and lunch. Walk along to the west end of the beach at low tide. Wriggle your toes in the sand. Pull out any cockles or conquilhas - they'll taste delicious if you fry them with garlic and a little olive oil until they open. Ready to splash some cash? Here in Praia da Vau, you can buy all the essentials and plenty of local souvenirs. But for more exciting shopping, visit the larger town of Portimao or drive twenty kilometres west to Lagos. Bliss.

At the west end of the beach, try your luck catching 'conquilhas' - cockles. At low tide, just wriggle your toes in the sand until you feel one then dig it out! They are delicious fried with garlic and olive oil until they open.

Holidays in Praia do Vau are popular with just about everyone. You know how you can tell a restaurant is good if the tables are crowded with locals? Well, holidays in Praia do Vau are popular with Portuguese families as well as the British, so appealing, in fact, that you may even spot national celebrities chilling out on the white sand. And it is the beach that makes holidays in Praia do Vau so alluring.

Book a last minute holiday to Praia do Vau and you'll suddenly find yourself walking by the edge of the deep blue Atlantic ocean, along a stretch of fine, soft sand curving gently round a sheltered bay. It's great for families with children and expansive enough for adults who want nothing more from their summer holidays to Praia do Vau than to lie in the sun, away from the crowd, and read a good book. Interspersed with swimming in the calm waters and ambling off to find a lunch of freshly prepared sardines or 'conquilas'. Interestingly cockles are a local delicacy and can be gathered at low tide, on the western end of the beach.

But that's not all you can expect from cheap holidays to Praia do Vau. There are water sports and no less than three golf courses – one designed by Henry Cotton – within six kilometres, with great nightlife in nearby Praia Da Rocha. Giving a new meaning to the phrase 'all inclusive holidays to Praia do Vau'