The Rough Guide to The Algarve - Softcover

Hancock, Matthew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1858288312 ISBN 13: 9781858288314

Publisher: Rough Guides, 2002

Synopsis

INTRODUCTION "The Algarve has always been at variance with itself, more Mediterranean than Atlantic, as much African as European, its Islamic heritage visible in a Christian society. It is altogether, in its 5,000 square kilometres, a contradictory cosmos."

from The Portuguese by Marion Kaplan With some of Europe’s best and cleanest sandy beaches, picturesque rocky coves and year-round sunshine, this contradictory cosmos has become justifiably the most popular region in Portugal for both overseas visitors and the Portuguese themselves. Popularity has led to heavy development on the central coastal strip from Faro west to Lagos. But even here you can find quiet cove beaches and vestiges of traditional Portugal amongst the panoply of villas, hotels and sports complexes. It is this combination of natural beauty and superb facilities that have made the region popular with celebrities and sports stars from Cliff Richard to the Beckhams. Development is much less pronounced at the two extremes of the Algarve. Around Sagres and along the west coast, low-key resorts are close to a series of breathtaking wave-battered beaches, popular with windsurfers. To the east, relaxed resorts lie within reach of island sandbanks boasting giant swathes of dune-backed beaches. Away from the coast, inland Algarve has a surprisingly diverse landscape, with lush orange groves and wooded mountains offering superb walking territory around Monchique and Silves to the west and Serra do Caldeirão in the centre. In the east, a more wildly beautiful landscape marks the border with Spain along the fertile Guadiana river valley.

About this title

About the Author:

Matthew Hancock is a freelance journalist writing regularly for national newspapers, mostly on Portugal, including The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, and High Life (British Airways' in-flight magazine). Hancock is also the author of Rough Guide Directions: Madeira, Lisbon, and the Algarve. He is the coauthor of The Rough Guide to Portugal.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

WHERE TO GO

International flights call at the coast’s main airport at the regional capital Faro, a picturesque and historic harbour town lying on the edge of important natural wetlands. These are protected by a series of sandy offshore islets – the ilhas – which front the coastline virtually all the way to the Spanish border. The sweeping beaches on the islets can be reached from Faro itself and the ports of Olhão and Fuzeta.

Just west of Faro lies a series of pupose-built resorts including Quinta do Lago, Vale de Lobo and Vilamoura, each with grand beaches and a brace of golf courses and sports facilities which has led the area to be dubbed Sportugal. North of Faro there are the impressive Roman ruins at Estói and the attractive market town of Loulé, while further inland lie small villages and walking country round the mountain ranges of the Serra do Caldeirão.

The eastern Algarve starts at Tavira – one of the region’s most instantly likeable towns within reach of another glorious offshore island beach – and covers the area up to the Spanish border at Vila Real de Santo António, taking in the smaller coastal resorts of Cabanas, Altura and Manta Rota as well as the high-rise Monte Gordo. The verdant Guadiana river valley marks the border with Spain, bolstered by impressive fortresses in the villages of Alcoutim and Castro Marim. West of here lies some of Portugal’s wildest areas, a mountainous barren landscape of small agricultural villages.

Central Algarve includes the region’s most popular resorts, as well as one of its largest towns, the functional port of Portimão. The coast contains the classic postcard images of the province – tiny bays, broken up by rocky outcrops and fantastic grottoes, at their most exotic around the major resorts of Albufeira, Armação de Pera and Carvoeiro. This stretch also contains some of the region’s biggest – if most developed – beaches at Galé, Praia da Rocha and Alvor, along with smaller resorts near great cove beaches such as Ferragudo, São Rafael and Praia da Marinha. Inland, the Moorish capital Silves, is en route to the Serra de Monchique, the highest mountain range in the south, with great walks through the cork and chestnut woods, remote villages and a beautiful old spa village in Caldas de Monchique.

The western Algarve embraces Lagos, one of the region’s liveliest historic towns which lies within reach of more fine beaches; and continues up to the cape at Sagres – site of Henry the Navigator’s naval school. In between, development is restricted around the former fishing villages of Luz, Burgau and Salema, each with cliff-backed beaches. Quieter still are the string of villages along the rougher west coast, where the cooler waters of the majestic beaches near Vila do Bispo, Carrapateira, Aljezur and Odeceixe are part of the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina.

WHEN TO GO

There is a local Algarve saying that "Saturday without sun is like Sunday without a church service", and indeed it is rare for the sun not to make an appearance even in midwinter. As a result, the Algarve is a year-round destination, with bright, mild winters and long, balmy summers.

Sunny, warm weather with barely a cloud in sight is pretty much guaranteed from late May to early October, which is considered high season. Not surprisingly, these are the busiest months and most resorts are bustling. Peak season is in July and August, when northern European visitors are joined by Portuguese holidaymakers lured by peak temperatures of 25–30°C, though cooling Atlantic breezes usually make things comfortable.

Golfers ensure that autumn remains a busy season, as the cooler breezes off the coast in September and October are ideal for the game. But it is not too cool for beachgoers either, and swimming is tempting well into October (and year round if you’re hardy, with water temperatures rarely dropping below 15°C).

In many respects the region is at its best in spring or winter, with temperatures usually a pleasant 15–18°C, the countryside at its most lush and the resorts delightfully quiet. This is ideal walking weather; only the extreme west of the region round Sagres could be described as cold even in midwinter. Despite the chance of the occasional downpour, most hotels and restaurants stay open, so rooms are easy to find. Indeed, off-season travel in the Algarve will get you some of the best deals in the country, with luxury hotels offering discounts of up to seventy percent.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1858288312
• ISBN 13: 9781858288314
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368