The Algarve

We have put together a short description of the areas we cover. Click on an area on the map or use the menu on the left to view.

As you can appreciate there is much more information on these and other areas and if you would like any other information please let us know as we will be happy to send it to you.

Vila Real de Santo António

A lovely town on the border with Spain. It has a marina where you can get a ferry to the Spanish town of Ayamonte. There are many linen and pottery shops with a variety of café’s and restaurants. It is mainly a residential town with it’s 14,000 inhabitants it is a nice place to have a day out. The next village is called Monte Gordo, which has a beautiful flat beach and is a very popular holiday destination with its hotels and apartment rentals. Monte Gordo has a very friendly atmosphere and there are many places to relax and watch the world go by. There is a large casino and many bars and restaurants.

Castro Marim (Castle by the sea)

Just north of Vila Real you have a smaller town called Castro Marim which has a large well restored castle which you can walk around and during the year has a variety of entertainment for all ages. Across from the castle there is a fort which has fantastic views of the surrounding countryside and the bridge crossing to Ayamonte, Spain. The surrounding marshlands are a nature reserve called "Reserva Natural do Sapal de Castro Marim" it is a breeding ground of many species of birds including flamingos and storks which are beautiful to see in their own habitat, you can take a tour through this area to experience it for yourself.

There is a market on the second Saturday of every month selling everything from fruit and vegetables to plants and animals!
Castro Marim is a pleasant place to visit and to live, it is only a short drive from the beach front of Monte Gordo, but a little quieter than a more touristic town.

Castro Marim golf course is a very nice course with a nice club house, there is also a new course in construction close by called Quinta do Vale.

Monte Gordo

A lively seaside resort with a variety of restaurants and bars to cater to your needs and some boutique shops to provide some retail therapy! Monte Gordo has a stunning beach front, ideal for children as the beach area is wide so there is plenty of space to play games at a self distance to the water, there are a variety of beach café's and snack bars for your convenience.
If you enjoy walking, take a stroll along the beach to Cultural and Manta Rota to the west or Lila Real de St. Antonio to the east, it is a flat area with many pine trees and nature to see as you walk.
Monte Gordo also has the only Casino between Lamont in Spain to Vilamoura, it offers a variety of worldly shows throughout the year and has a very good restaurant so you can take in a show and dine at the same time. There are the usual slot machines and the more formal area should you choose to have a flutter!
The town itself has a few high rise hotels along the main sea front road with many apartments in between to add character and variety to the types of accommodation available. During the year there are many exhibitions and fares, street shows and beach sports also the Harley Davidson rally to keep you entertained.

Monte Gordo is popular all year round with all nationalities who enjoy the very hot weather in the summer to the cooler winter sun to relax in during the quieter season.

Praia Verde

Situated on a green hill with pine trees which can be seen from many miles away has a stunning beach front with a couple of restaurants located on the sand. The beach is wide and safe for children to play and very popular in the summer months.
There is a swimming pool which can be used by the public and one or two bars and café's with a small shop selling everyday produce.
There are some very nice villas in Praia Verde, also some town houses which are quite modern in design.

Altura

A quaint seaside town with a lovely beach front and some good restaurants and coffee houses it is a nice place to spend some time. There is one hotel and a variety of apartments and villas of all shapes and sizes from the traditional style to the more modern town houses.

Altura has one of the large supermarkets located on the main road EN125 called EcoMarche which you can buy most things you would need on a daily or weekly basis.

Vila Nova de Cacela

A very nice town on the other side of the EN125 coastal road, a wide variety of restaurants, bars and café's and many small shops selling fruit, and daily produce. Only a short drive from Manta Rota beach front you would not be far away from the seaside. Cacela is a residential town with many apartments and villas which are home to many Portuguese people who work locally, it does have a lot to offer and has a very large market once a month selling fresh fruit, vegetables and plants.

There is a high quality golf course called Monte Rei which a short drive away from Vila Nova de Cacela with a pleasant club house serving food and drinks.

Manta Rota

A lovely village on the beach with fine sand and sun chairs and a selection of snack bars and coffee houses. It is a very popular village and during the warmer months of the year it is very busy with Portuguese holiday makers enjoying their time away with their families, the great atmosphere is present all year round with many people coming to visit for longer periods of time when their home country is not as warm!
Manta Rota only has low rise constructions as the local council have not allowed building over this level as they do not wish the village to be ruined by large buildings interfering with the sky line.

Tavira

Tavira is a traditional town that was re built in 1755 with many 18th century buildings and 37 churches and picturesque bridges and café’s overlooking the river it is an attractive town. With many shops and long narrow streets it is a very pleasant place to visit whether you enjoy walking around the town or playing golf Tavira has all you could need. . There is also an island off Tavira, which is accessible by boat where you can lay on the beach undisturbed for hours.

A very stricking town with a great deal of culture and tradittion, with the old fasioned tiling on the fronts of houses lining the riverside (Rio Gilao) it is a beautiful place to explore.

Ilha de Tavira is a beautiful sandy island reachable by boat and offers a quiet beach with a couple of snack bars.

Moncarapacho

Set back from the sea front Moncarapacho is a pretty town surrounded by orange, olives and almond groves with a back drop of the Algarve mountains, it has a very quiet lifestyle and with two churches and a couple of shops it is an beautiful peaceful location just to get away for the every day hustle and bustle but not too far from nearby towns or the city of Faro should you miss it every now and then!

Olhão

A town well known for its fishing port since the 14th century, which is still operating today but on a smaller scale, but supplying the local areas with many different species of fish and shell fish of which is part of the Portuguese life style. Located on the edge of the Ria Formosa nature reserve it has beautiful spots of interest including Fuzeta village and the two dune islands of Faro, Culatra and Armona. The islands can only be reach by boat, there are a couple of small snack bars and cafés and flat fine sandy beaches.

There is one main pedestrian road lined with small shops and boutiques which are worth exploring, Olhão is not a tourist town and is very residential, with most of the residents in the service industry who are very accommodating and friendly people.

Faro (The capital of the Algarve)

Unfortunately most people coming to the Algarve only see Faro's International Airport and do not take the oportunity to visit it's beautiful town, with it's stunning history and night life.

Most of the property in Faro dates from the 18th and 19th century with traditional tiling and over flowing with Portuguese culture. It is a very residential city with the every day people going about their business and even though the people are very friendly to everyone they are not overwhelmed with tourists. There are many very attractive buildings from the Igreja do Carmo which inside has an incredible chapel of bones to the Jardim Manuel Bivara, which is a peaceful garden to sit and watch the world go by.

The marina is quite new with many boats moored within its walls offering a variety of sea bound trips.

Loulé

Located in the foothills of the Algarve mountains, Loule is a quaint town that has some stunning fruit groves and poppy filled fields in the spring. The town centre is a busy place all year round, it has a very popular market on a Saturday which people come from far to buy certain local produce and walk around the narrow cobbled streets taking in the atmosphere.There are many tradittional crafts still practiced here including blacksmiths and silver smiths which are definately worth a visit.

Albufeira

Central Algarve and very busy all year round, Albufeira is a very touristic location with many bars, shops and restaurants to suit every taste. Lively night life offering kareoke, night clubs and loud bars open late into the night.

Albufeira has an old town area which is much more Portuguese and has retained a lot of its history and culture and is very different to the main area known as "The Strip" so is a good place to experience too.
During the winter season it is quiet and many of the clubs and bars close to refurbish for a month or two, however there are still things to do and see. The beaches are very nice and quite different to the eastern beaches in the that they are quite striking with cliffs and rocky areas stretching out to sea.

Albufeira has many high rise hotels and a variety of property available for rental throughout the year. Close by you have many golf course which are to a very high standards and there are a variety of theme parks and water parks within a short drive.

Lagoa

Lagoa is slightly inland and is a charming town with shops and bars and lovely countryside walks. Carverio is a popular holiday destination and has a traditional look about the buildings still and the narrow streets and rocky beach area and there are any shops and bars and some very pleasant

restaurants also.

Portimão

A large town with many high rise buildings and many,many shops, a variety of bars and restaurants, Portimão has a vibrant and authentic atmosphere and an interesting place to visit.

The riverside promenade is a pleasant place to stroll along enjoying the Portuguese lifestyle.

Lagos

Towards the western side of the Algarve Lagos is a very picturesque town only 40km from Cape St. Vincent.

The outskirts of Lagos is made up of high rise buildings and industrial structures, however once you arrive in the town centre you will see why it is a very popular place to visit, with old properties which have been restored and the water front lined with palm trees it is a very pleasant Portuguese town.

A large variety of bars, restaurants and café's there are many places to sit and watch the world go by, the night life is quite vibrant all year round and there are many very good golf courses.

Sagres

The most south westerly point of the European continent. Sagres lies on a rocky plateau that stops abruptly at the coast to form striking cliffs of up to 150 metres high, where you can still see the local fisherman catching their evening meal from great heights! There are modest but traditional houses in this town set in a busy fishing community with a harbour full of history and culture.

Ayamonte, (Spain)

Only a few minutes across the river Guadiana by ferry or by car over the bridge straight into the town centre where there is plenty of parking, which does get very busy in the summer months. It is a pleasant town with a variety of shops, bars and restaurants and an attractive marina. It is a nice place to visit for a day out and you can explore further into Spanish countryside.