Review: Fiesa Sand Sculpting, The Algarve

We had seen many many signs for Fiesa Sandsculpting on both our trips to the Algarve and it looked impressive. So, on a very hot day in July 2018 we decided to go visit.

It’s located near Lagoa, which is between the bigger towns of Albufeira and Portimao. We drove in our hire car.

We were surprised initially at how small the car-park was and should have realised that this reflected the popularity of the venue.

We crossed the road into the attraction itself, we hadn’t booked online but you can for a 10% discount.  Entry (2019) is €9.50 per adult, €5.90 per child and children aged 5 and under are free. The website mentions guided tours but we weren’t offered any.

There was a sign for art workshops but the next one was in 1.5 hours so we decided not to sign up. 

Beyoncé

The kids played in the sandpit for a bit before we ‘decided to go explore the sand sculptures. The sand sculptures are arranged in themes like “Hollywood”, “Idols”, “Lost Worlds” etc. I thought the place would be much bigger from what I had read, but it’s quite small. There is no shade at all in the sand sculpture part so our afternoon visit was scorching.

Having visited Ireland’s Sandsculpting festival in my home village of Duncannon I thought I knew what to expect, however these permanent sand sculptures were not what I thought I would see. They were more like concrete blasted with sand.

 

Some of the sculptures were very good, like Beyoncé and the Star Wards one, and the kids like the Kung Fu Panda and Penguins of Madagascar. But it was hard to ignore the fact that many of the  sculptures were cracked or crumbling away, making them hard to recognise what they were supposed to be. 

We did had fun at the football table and bought snacks from the on site cafe which were fine.

Football tables in the shade

All in all it was a disappointing experience, only added to by the heat (probably added to by us arriving around 1.30pm) and the kids’ moods on the day.

I’d avoid and put the cash towards a day at Zoomarine or at the Adventure Golf in Alvor.  You can read about our top family day trips on the Algarve HERE.

Did you have  a better experience than we did?

Leave a Reply