Can you suggest some good spas in Vilamoura, Portugal, where “golfing widows” can enjoy themselves? There are four of us and we aim to travel in October. Isobel Trincke, Altrincham, UK

Times Online spa expert, Miranda Allard responds:

It's an increasingly common situation: either non golfers joining their partners on what used to be thought of as a boys' holiday or women keen to play the game alongside their partners - of course, it mustn’t be assumed that the golfer is always male or, indeed, that the spa-goer is always female.

Vilamoura is close to some of the best golf courses in the Algarve and has a marina with some excellent restaurants and bars. Over the past couple of years two new 5-star hotels have opened with large spas and another big spa is due to open this summer at the existing Tivoli Marine Hotel.

It is not clear from your question whether you are booked into hotel or villa accommodation. All three spas have outside entrances for non-residential guests wishing to book treatments. Day guests have full use of the extensive spa facilities but do not have access to the hotel pools and sun terraces which are strictly reserved for residents. So if you are hoping to top up your tan before winter I suggest you book into one of these hotels or make sure your villa has a heated pool.

If budget permits then without doubt the most impressive place to stay is the Lake Resort. A 10-minute walk from the marina it occupies a huge space overlooking extensive gardens which lead down to the beach. The resort opened two years ago and its spa is split into two areas – “Green” and “Blue”.

Blue covers all wet areas including an indoor swimming pool with massage jets and a brine floatation pool. Though the Blue Spa has some treatment areas the majority of rooms for both beauty and holistic treatments are found in the quieter Green Spa just down the corridor.

The menu and product choice is extensive and facilities amazing. Treatments, rooms and furnishings are designed according to five areas of the world and the magical Pedro, as spa manager, recruits and trains his therapists to an excellent standard while offering treatments himself.

Having just arrived from a hectic schedule I was treated to a full-body massage including a cranial facial massage followed by 30 minutes relaxing in the dry floatation tank – total bliss.

There is no entry fee for day guests who can only enter when booking a treatment. Herbal teas are on offer by the pool free of charge and lunch can be ordered from the room-service menu and taken by the pool. The changing rooms are small but practical.

Hilton opened in Vilamoura last summer as Cascatas Golf Resort and Spa. The 5-star hotel is built around swimming pools and waterfalls and located on the Pinhal golf course (courtesy shuttle runs to both the marina and beach).

This has a lively family atmosphere but outside school holidays was reasonably quiet – except for the continuous noise from the waterfalls which you either love or hate. For sure peace and a wonderful view opt for a room facing the golf course.

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