Four-star Two MICHELIN Keys Albufeira, half an hour west, Quinta do Lago
Vila Joya
A Moorish-style villa above Praia da Galé, its rooms facing the Atlantic, and a dining room that won Portugal its first two MICHELIN stars.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- Two Keys; the restaurant holds two stars
- Rooms
- All facing the sea
- Opened
- 1982
- From the airport
- Faro 48 km, about 40 minutes by our estimate
The hotel
A family house by the sea.
The Jung family bought the land above Praia da Galé in 1979, when it had no road, no running water and no electricity. Claudia Jung, a German interior designer, turned it into a villa in the Moorish style and opened it to guests in 1982. She named it after her daughter, Joy. The MICHELIN Guide now describes it as a former private home among the dunes, a few steps from the beach.
In 1991 she hired the Austrian chef Dieter Koschina. His dining room won a first MICHELIN star in 1995 and a second in 1999, the first restaurant in Portugal to hold two. Claudia died in 1997. Joy Jung has run Vila Joya since 2003, and Koschina still leads the kitchen. The house keeps a cellar of more than twelve thousand wines, and its beach restaurant, Vila Joya Sea, stands on the shore below.
- Two stars at home Dieter Koschina's restaurant, in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide with two stars, and a cellar of more than 12,000 wines.
- On the beach Vila Joya Sea, the house's beach restaurant on Praia da Galé, serves lunch and dinner by the water.
- Candlelit spa Massage and detox treatments, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, plus a gym and private yoga.
Dining
Koschina's table and a beach shack.
Restaurants as listed by the hotel; stars from the MICHELIN Guide Portugal 2026. Shown for information.
- Vila Joya Two Michelin stars Modern Dieter Koschina; dinner from 7.30 pm
- Vila Joya Sea Beach restaurant On Praia da Galé, lunch and dinner
- The Bar Bar In the house
Recognition
Stars and Keys.
- Two MICHELIN Keys 2026
- Two MICHELIN stars Vila Joya restaurant, 2026 guide
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by noon.
- Pets Not accepted.
- Children Cots and extra beds on request, at a charge; babysitting can be arranged.
- Golf Thirty-six golf courses lie within an hour's drive.
Getting there
Flying to Quinta do Lago.
Faro airport is 48 kilometres away, about forty minutes by car by our estimate. Private jets use Faro too, where Omni Handling runs a dedicated FBO. Lisbon is 258 kilometres to the north.
- Lisbon 35 min
- Madrid 1 h 05
- Geneva 2 h 20
- Paris 2 h 25
- London 2 h 35
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How many MICHELIN Keys does Vila Joya have?
- Two, in the 2026 selection. Its restaurant also holds two MICHELIN stars.
- How far is Vila Joya from Quinta do Lago?
- Albufeira lies about half an hour west of Quinta do Lago, and Faro airport is 48 kilometres from the hotel.
- Who is the chef at Vila Joya?
- Dieter Koschina, an Austrian chef who joined in 1991 and took the restaurant to two MICHELIN stars by 1999.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Quinta do Lago?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Quinta do Lago, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Quinta do Lago
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Vila Vita Parc Resort & Spa Three MICHELIN Keys, the most in Portugal: 203 rooms, suites and cliff villas in 54 acres of gardens, ten restaurants including the two-star Ocean, and the country's first Sisley spa.
- 3HB Faro One MICHELIN Key in the city itself, twenty minutes from the resort and a few minutes from the airport.
- Viceroy at Ombria Algarve New to the 2026 Keys list with one Key, in the hills behind the coast.
- Conrad Algarve The resort's main hotel: 154 rooms and suites with balconies, indoor and outdoor pools, and Gusto by Heinz Beck with its MICHELIN star.
- The Magnolia Hotel A four-star boutique hotel in a bright Miami manner, 74 rooms, three suites and seven cottages, a short walk from the Quinta shopping centre.
Staying at Vila Joya?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Quinta do Lago, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.