Costa do Vizir Camping

Hard to believe that this large site (or ‘beach village’ but with no sign of a beach) was the ACSI winner of ‘2024 Best Bathrooms in Portugal’ and ‘2025 Best Site in Portugal’. The site itself is hard to access, a long hard drive from the A2 motorway, through endless road works and along a narrow coastal lane. There is a nice pool and children’s playground (no use in winter) and a small shop but no common room, and the bar/restaurant is closed in January. You can walk about a mile into Porto Covo, a tiny village by a rocky Atlantic cove, but it has very few shops or eateries open in winter. A narrow long-distance footpath runs along the coast but there is no provision for cycling. The site-wide free WiFi was not working when we arrived (‘due to the rain’) but it did function later the next day. But let’s look at the luxury toilets! The one and only toilet/shower block (unheated, in a cold wet January) is a long walk from many pitches and is badly signed. Each gender has a long row of toilets with no hooks, each has an open wastepaper basket with no lid and they are so small that knees almost touch the door. Directly facing the toilets is a long row of shower cubicles with a fixed overhead spray of water. Separately two parallel long rows of hand-basins have people standing close together, back to back, seeing each other in each other’s mirror (see the attached photographs). Overall there is no privacy and not even one self-contained cubicle with its own WC and/or washbasin. There is a separate disabled/children’s shower for each gender, squeezed into a tiny cubicle with no screen or curtain and nowhere to hang clothes inside or outside the cubicle. Totally unsuitable for the disabled, or a parent and child, or anyone else. The toilet/shower block also has an area of washing-up sinks and a modern laundry, with the large commercial washers and driers, operated with a bank card, that are the norm in Portugal, though there is nowhere to hang washing if the sun should shine. The pairs of double doors into the various parts of the block are made of clear plate glass, with just a tiny No Smoking sticker on one side. And if you avoid walking into that hazard, you can instead trip over the small marble step at each entry. There is a toilet dump point right next to the Ladies (a long walk with your cassette), but if you prefer the motorhome service point it is located down an unsigned narrow cul-de-sac (accessible for only one motorhome at a time) that you will only find if you ask at Reception (there is little signage of any kind around the site and you can forget the useless site map). One of the two receptionists was extremely helpful, translating a recorded message in Portuguese on my phone and making a call for me. Unfortunately, she was not the one who dealt with me on arrival! The totally confusing site map indicated two sizes of pitch in Zone A at 30 or 31 Euros (the smaller ones being better, with hardstanding and water), or two types in Zone B at 29 or 32 Euros (soft ground, no water). When I referred to the ACSI Card rate of 27 Euros, I was told that each price had a 10% ACSI discount and I was to go and choose a pitch and report back. After settling in Zone A at 30 Euros less 10% (= 27 Euros) I returned to check in, armed with my 2026 ACSI card. I was asked for over 60 Euros for 2 nights; I protested; I was told I had a larger pitch; so I invited the receptionist to come and look for herself. The other receptionist then came to my rescue and charged 54 Euros, but I got no apology. I would have left at this point, but it was late afternoon and pouring with rain. To summarise, this site is not at all suited to the needs of motorhomers or caravanners with real problems for anyone over 7 metres in length. The owners should continue building new bungalows for a different clientele who seek an upmarket pool and restaurant rather than a convenient place to empty a chemical toilet.

3 months ago

We booked in may 2025, 5 bungalows perfect at this campsite during our stay on the Rando Vicentina. (group hikings friends 25) Very good, Nice welcome, I recommend it. Thank you, happy holidays, Merry Christmas to all!

4 months ago

Such a lovely site. Super clean and tidy, good size pitches, great pitches and friendly staff. 5 min walk to beach and village centre, perfect! One of our best family camping holidays- would love to come back ❤️

8 months ago