The Algarve Coast

20 November - 9 December 2007

The weather on the south coast of Portugal is temperate – in fact it is warmer here in winter than in the French Mediterranean – the last week of November and the first week of December have consistently seen highs of 18-19 Celsius in the shade and 23-27 in the sun. Consequently this is a tourist region. At this time of year, with good prices and good weather, there is a preponderance of Brits, from all parts of the UK, with all their varied accents. We see this in the campgrounds, condos, hotels, bars and restaurants. Most parts of the UK are 2-3 hours by plane – at very inexpensive fares. Every ocean front bar and café advertises soccer or as it is known here FOOTBALL – with the round robin of the European Cup being played in various parts of Europe between regular (i.e. not special national teams) city-based clubs like Tottenham Spurs. This is a big thing here and throughout Europe and the UK.

English is widely spoken by Portuguese in the tourism industry here and this is a very good thing because Portuguese is such a different spoken language – Roger thinks it resembles Polish while Marie-Claire thinks it sounds Arabic. But Roger, with his background in Spanish, can read a lot of Portuguese. The Portuguese tell us that they can understand spoken Spanish, and we have found this to be the case when Roger speaks Spanish to non-English speaking Portuguese, from shopkeepers to labourers working on street repairs. They also tell us that most Spaniards cannot understand spoken Portuguese.

The architecture along the ocean fronts looks a lot that in parts of southern France’s tourist areas. But in general it tends to be a step less interesting, less radical and less well executed. You will find the ocean-side restaurants facing onto the Atlantic.

Marie-Claire reads some local literature while relaxing from her road repair flag-person’s job.

The beachfront condominiums are less sophisticated than for example the pyramids of La Grande Motte on the French Med (see January 2007). But even in the small resort town of Quarteira there is a beautiful 2 km long promenade paved in pavés, small blocks of cut stone about 5 centimetre squares.

Quarteira was historically a small fishing village serving the inland town of Loulé, about 10 km from the coast, and now the “capital” of the regional municipality of that name. A few fleeting vestiges of the old fishing village remain such as these homes.

The nearby steeple of the old church (Our Lady of Conception) affords a site for a large stork’s nest and the announcement of a religious festival on 8 December.

Commercial facilities are located in what North Americans would call unusual locations, seemingly carved out of homes like this electrical store and, surrounded by scooters, the bicycle repair shop where Roger had a flat repaired.

Kitty-corner, the jack of seemingly all-trades has set up to serve Portuguese and English customers with “fantastic prices”.

The hotels lack the sophistication and charm of those in say Cannes, although from the signs they seem to offer another type of diversion.

This intelligently designed marina at Vilamoura (the seaside town adjoining Quarteira) is enclosed on 3 sides by upscale condominiums, apartments, hotels, stores and restaurants. Power boats somehow outnumber sailboats even though each of the harbours leads to the open Atlantic.

But there are some sailboats, most under 40 feet.

A couple of areas of luxury villas are centered around golf courses and tennis courts – and lots of security that seemed to follow our motor home everywhere as we drove through their streets near Almancil.

Vilamoura has an area known as the “Old Village” that is actually a fairly recent development about 1.5 km from the marina and the ocean. Here too, there are British pubs and restaurants. In fact we have never seen so many advertisements for Full English Breakfast as here in the coastal Algarve. So while the “Old Village” is picturesque, well designed, pedestrian friendly, sunny and warm, it does seem somehow incongruous and detached from the culture and community around it. Perhaps the integral golf course is the meeting place for the Brits and the Portuguese.

The shade of this bower would be most welcome in the 30-40 degree temperatures of summer.

Rooftop terraces provide a stunning, sunning platform with wide views over the golf course and endless vistas over the Atlantic, while shaded balconies overlooking the walkways create a respite from the “noon-day sun” which “only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in…” (Noel Coward's famous 1932 spoof on the British colonial mentality).

You can dine in the sun near flowering trees, or pick an outdoor setting on the shady side of a building.

Perhaps a seaside venue on a less developed beach is more to your liking. Here is a couple of choices.

Further east along the coast, the ocean comes within about 50 feet of this patio. Access is by a sandy track. For us this was the place for a cooling beer in the early afternoon while we pondered whether to return for supper. They were closing at 5 P.M. but promised to stay open until 7 if we wanted supper.

As Sagres and Cape St. Vincent demonstrated, parts of the Algarve coast are composed of towering cliffs. But here closer to Faro, the cliffs are somewhat diminished in size giving way to kilometres of wide, safe, swimming beaches, and resort towns.

There is a variety of possible destinations on the Algarve coast with differing topography, levels of development, sophistication and shopping. The two constants are excellent winter weather and friendly, helpful people. Hotels and campgrounds offer reduced prices in the off-season, which for us in the on-season and meals are less expensive than in France. Of course, the exchange rate for the Canadian dollar can be damaging, especially for those on fixed incomes. The fuel is more expensive than in North America and in Spain - diesel toady is 1.20 Euros per litre and with the exchange rate it comes close to $1.80 Can.– gas is between 1.40 and 1.55 Euros per litre ($2.20 and $2.65Can.) so we are happy that we have a diesel with its higher mileage and lower cost per litre. Would we come back? Definitely!