After a few memorable days in Lisbon, we jumped in a rent-a-car and headed down South to the famous Portuguese holiday spot: The Algarve.
I was initially rather apprehensive, from what I’d heard the Algarve was very popular with English tourists and I was worried the place would be full of Irish pubs and fry-up ‘caffs’. It was overdeveloped in places. Our local village Carvoeiro was once a small fishing port that had expanded dramatically with apartment complexes. However, most of the coast was left unspoilt. High, ragged cliffs with rocky coves meant beaches were not easy to get to and their natural beauty was preserved. The best way to enjoy this was from the water as we took a boat trip along the coastline to admire the stunning rock formations.
On land, small coves meant limited space so beaches got really busy. The crowd there was very mixed, and far from English dominated. We heard French, Dutch but most Portuguese, who congregated in big groups under parasols. It was surprising how many native families there were, perhaps the majority were from in land and had holiday houses on the coast like the Spanish. (Speaking of which, the Algarve was very popular with Spaniards as it was not far from the Southern Spanish border)
The big number of Portuguese holiday goers meant that some sites primarily attracted locals. One evening, we visited a festival in Silves, twenty minutes from the coast. The entire town had been transformed into a medieval village, with old fashioned food stalls and music held in the castle grounds. People even dressed up for extra effect. The whole place was an explosion of colour and noise as the Portuguese embraced their Moorish roots with Arabic style bands and decorations. A performance was held to re-enact the countless battles between Muslims and Christians that plagued the city for centuries. It all sounds a bit OTT but we were taken away by the celebrations in the town. This was not your average tourist entertainment; foreigners were drowned out by floods of Portuguese enjoying the authentic, local event.
Coming back to the infamous beaches, although it was lovely lying in the sun, the problem came when you fancied a swim. From a distance, the deep blue water looked appealing but in reality it was absolutely FREEZING. We were used to the warm sea temperatures in Greece and Italy so we were not expecting the Algarve to be so cold! The reason was that the Portuguese coast is closer to the Atlantic than the Mediterranean, explaining the chilly currents. This was a pretty big downside, I love long sea swims on holiday but could only manage a quick dunk in these icy waters. The plus side was that you were well and truly refreshed afterwards!
Aside from the cold sea, the climate in the Algarve was perfect. Normally, August is just too hot in Southern Europe but the sun here wasn’t as strong. You still had to retreat to the shade during the hot midday sun but a constant breeze made it a lot more bearable. Cooler air meant we could go on day trips and play evening tennis without overheating – a real luxury!
Like in Lisbon, the food was great. The Algarve was even bigger on fish (famous for its sardines) and we enjoyed delicious chargrilled dishes on outdoor barbecues. The Portuguese also have the same sweet tooth as the Spanish. It was normal to start the day with a fresh sticky pastry or the traditional ‘pastel de nata.’ (custard cream tart) On the beach, men would walk up and down selling yellow cream sugar doughnuts that went down a treat. I have to make sure I don’t overdo the Spanish sugary delights when I’m out there…!
All in all, the Algarve gave us a wonderful holiday. Despite our love for doing nothing in the sun, we did a surprising amount as there was no end of beautiful beaches to see and places to go. Next time? Explore more of the inland (which is apparently very beautiful) and take a trip up to Faro….
La Buena Vida 