Algarve Weight Loss & Fitness Retreat: A Week of Beach Workouts, Coastal Walks and Massage

FitFarms run their Portugal weight loss retreat and fitness camp on the Algarve coastline, under an hour from Faro Airport. The course runs Saturday to Saturday, and free transfers from Faro are included: you are met at the airport by Jane the FitFarms hostess and massage therapist, with transfer times at 2pm and 7pm, followed by a short 50-minute drive to the coast. The nearest town is Lagos, which has some of the best unspoiled beaches in the Algarve.

The setting is what makes the week work. The climate holds up for most of the year, with the lowest temperatures around 20 degrees in March and November, so beach sessions happen outside the summer crush. The nearest beach is Meia Praia, a 4km stretch of golden sand that the camp uses for beach workouts. On foot you have stunning coastal walks straight from the door, including the Ponte de Piedade headland.

Accommodation is a villa and luxury apartment with a contemporary, minimalist design. Bedrooms either have a private balcony or open onto the garden, all facing into the daily sun. There is an extensive gym that opens out onto the outside swimming pool overlooking the grounds, with sunbeds next to the pool for the periods when you are not training. A full range of massage therapies is available at the property, and staff include a qualified massage therapist among the hosts.

On the programme side, you get a health assessment at the beginning of the course. Body analysis is not run on the Portugal course, but scientific blood testing is available as an option if you want it. The award-winning FitFarms weight loss and fitness programme is the core of the week, and there is an optional aftercare programme after you go home, delivered by an ITV Good Morning health guru. FitFarms describe themselves as the original FitFarms and have been featured on TV. Full details of prices, dates and the £100 early booking discount (applied to the balance payment when booking before 6th October at 10pm) are covered in the booking section of their site.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation in the Algarve villa and luxury apartment - Bedrooms with private balcony or garden access - Free transfers from Faro Airport (2pm and 7pm pickups) - Award-winning FitFarms weight loss and fitness programme - Health assessment at the beginning of the course - Use of the extensive gym - Use of the outdoor swimming pool and sunbeds - Access to the full range of massage therapies (treatments bookable) - Beach workouts at Meia Praia - Coastal walks including the Ponte de Piedade headland - Optional scientific blood testing - Optional aftercare programme delivered by an ITV Good Morning health guru

What's not included

- Flights to and from Faro Airport - Travel insurance - Massage therapy treatments - Optional scientific blood testing - Personal expenses - Anything not listed as included