Well as you have sorted Zoomarine, I think that leaves Slide N Splash.

http://www.slidesplash.com/index.php?lang=en

Or the beach - close by, nice and and sandy and free so long as you don't sit on a lounger!

Thanks...does anyone known what the policy is with food/drinks etc at Slide & Splash. Can you bring your own packed lunches or do you have to buy at the park?

Hello S B M, I have just had a look on the site put up by cubsur it only shows one restaurant for the hole place, I have never been there but I can't see why you should not be able to take your own food and drink.
Dave.

You can take whatever you like in regards food and drink,and you can take a locker to store it away while you go and enjoy the park.The food in the restaurant though is quite good and fairly reasonable.

Thanks everyone...for anyone who has been, how does the Aqualand park compare to Slide N Splash for the younger kids age group, as that looks slightly closer to where we are staying.

I went to Slide n Splash the summer before last - 2007 - & would say there is more for teens than little ones as there are lots of slides, however plenty visit with kids the age of yours & there is a dedicated part for young kids, so I wouldn't let that put me off, if you fancy a day out.

We took our own food & drink in as what is on offer is a bit limited. It's extremely popular in the peak of the season, lots of Portugeuse go at weekends, so you need to arrive early to set your towels down on the grass. Massive beautiful swimming pool at the back, but unfortunately not heated so even in July freezing.

We did go to Aqualand years ago when my kids were 3 & 5 or maybe 4 & 6 and if my memory serves me correctly the reason I chose it was it seemed more suitable for this age group. But I am talking 1998/99 so this is very out of date info and the place may have changed. It would be good to get more recent info.

If you are going on a package holiday and have a rep hopefully they could advise which is the most suitable.

Re slide and splash, nearly all supermarkets have flyers in them which give a per person discount, so worth picking these up if you are going under your own steam.

Also if you are hiring a car and driving there, you get to stay in later when it's less busy as most of the coaches seen to pick up about 5ish to take people back to their hotels.

Not sure if the Sand Sculptures would be of interest to that age group, but my teens loved them and took endless photos. Only good for a couple of hours though not a whole day out.

Other than that I would say picnics on the endless sandy beaches and the swimming pool at you hotel/apartments would both be winners, also most restaurants are pretty family friendly.

The Algarve is a great place for a family holiday with young kids.

Doe

Thanks for the info and advice Doe, very helpful....maybe we'll give both parks a go, as we're there for 2 weeks anyway.

That was what we did the first time we were there when the kids were little. We went to one each of the weeks. We also did Zoomarine in both 98 and 99 and had a fantastic time both years and I beleive it has had some improvements and updates since then. It has a marine aspect to it and a fair few rides, better places to eat than the waterparks from what I remember, plus a nice souvenir shop for the kids. It's a place that you can spend a full day at and not get bored.

Last time we went we spent an afternoon in Algarve Shopping as that's what seems to happen if you have teens. It had a Zara and a Mango in it with a sale going on so make the most of it while they are little as one shopping mall is much like another, although there were a few bargains to be had for my teenage daughter.

Take Care, Doe