I visited the stunning Portugal resort that serves up celeb-spotting and fitness opportunities aplenty
Glancing up from my chilli-prawn-laden pizza, I spot Declan Donnelly and his wife strolling into KOKO, our lunch spot in Portugal’s Quinta do Lago Resort.
It seems I’ve stumbled across people-watching heaven – this place is a playground for the rich and famous, with celebs including Niall Horan and Holly Willoughby also known to holiday here.
The setting is 15 minutes’ drive from Faro airport, where the landscape quickly transforms from rustic farmland to manicured streets, luxurious villas and luscious, green golf courses.
Designer-clad joggers take to the flower-lined paths, and sports cars meander down to the ocean.
If you didn’t know better, you could be driving through Palm Springs, not the Algarve.
My husband Grant and I have picked one of the more affordable stays – The Magnolia Hotel, a white villa designed like a ’50s motel, complete with illuminated sign and a kitsch, pastel interior.
Our favourite spot here soon becomes the sparkling pool, surrounded by bird of paradise plants, and boasting cabanas and a Balearic beats soundtrack.
Each morning, we find an abundant buffet, including top-notch ingredients for a full English, plus fruit, yoghurts, pastries and cheeses.
But the pièce de résistance are the cooked-to-order banana and toffee pancakes. Double rooms here cost from £124 B&B (Themagnoliahotelqdl.com).
Quinta do Lago itself is more like a town, so we hop on the hotel’s complimentary bikes to The Campus, a 15-minute ride away, to meet Luke, our calm and collected padel coach.
By the end of our hour’s lesson, £70, we’ve mastered both a rebound backhand and a volley (Thecampusqdl.com).
The next morning, we hire mountain bikes from The Bike Shed, £45 per day, to explore the boardwalks lining the beautiful Ria Formosa Natural Reserve, and spy a purple heron and Eurasian oystercatchers on our ride down to the white-sand beaches.
Quinto do Lago Lake sits nearby with seafood eatery Casa do Lago and trendy tiki bar The Shack either side of the crystal-clear water.
After paddling around in kayaks, lapping up views of the mansions lining the lake, £18 for 30 minutes (Arturwatersports academy.pt), we head to the latter and gorge on zesty prawn tacos, £17.50, washed down with frozen margaritas, £12.
All of the resort’s restaurants are overseen by British executive chef Gareth Billington.
At Casa Velha, we share beef pica pau, a traditional Portuguese dish served in garlic gravy, £16.50, while the delicate sole at Casa do Lago, £37, paired with tomato salad and roasted potatoes, both £4.50, is a real treat and prepared at our table.
I head back to The Campus to work off some of our feasts at a Q Reformer Pilates 1-1 session, £48 for one hour, where instructor Pedro really challenges my strength and agility, before I’m tempted again at boutique cafe Pure.
Sipping on prosecco in the sun, with an afternoon tea spread of coronation chicken wraps, smoked salmon on toast, quiche and an array of home-made cakes, £33, I resolve to book a Reformer class back home.
Still, what’s life without a little cake?