Alvor
If any one place on the Algarve deserves to be called paradise, it is the lagoon at Alvor. As the sun sinks towards the distant shadow of Ponte de Piedade the yachts and fishing boats become silhouettes against the blazing sunset.

The village of Alvor, with its twisting streets and small squares stands not on the beach, but on a sheltered tidal lagoon. The lagoon is a great place for children to play and a favourite with locals when summer beaches become crowded.

It is a bustling fishing village with a daily fish market near the harbour; the scores of fishing boats moored there land the daily catch. Some development has taken place in the area, with several hotels and holiday villages nearby, however Alvor and its ancient harbour still retain their unsophisticated appeal.

In the evening holidaymakers stroll the narrow streets of the old village to choose from the wide range of attractive restaurants offering a choice of delicious and inexpensive local fare and international cuisine. You will find some restaurants offer traditional Portuguese entertainment with folk music and the haunting 'Fado' singing. As is to be expected, fish is the speciality dish in this charming village from where the fishermen set out each night.

Alvor is perhaps best known for its wide beach, almost 15 kilometres of golden sand, popular with families because of its good, safe surf. There are beach restaurants available and wind surfers and sailing boats for hire in season. At the eastern end is the Praia de Três Irmãos "beach of the three brothers" - which is a more intimate, sandy cove, particularly good for snorkelling, with underwater grottos and rock formations to explore.

On the north side of the river is a nature reserve and over twenty-two species of wading bird have been counted enjoying the salt marches and sandy banks.

Golf
The Penina 36 hole championship course, designed by the late Sir Henry Cotton, is located within the grounds of the Le Meridien Hotel and is one of the most famous courses in the Algarve, having hosted the Algarve Portuguese Open. It also offers excellent "beginner" facilities on the resort course. However priority is given to residents of the hotel. Alto Golf and Country Club is less than 6 kms away and also relatively close by is Palmares Golf - 18 hole course just before Lagos, with daily green fees and reduced rates for unlimited weekly play.

Portimão
After the regional capital of Faro the town of Portimão is the Algarve’s main commercial centre. Portimão is not a resort but a busy Portuguese town, which lies at the mouth of the River Arade and bustles with life. Here is the real Algarve and it seems barely aware of the thousands of tourists who visit nearby Alvor and Praia da Rocha.

The pedestrianised town centre combines the fashionable with the quaint, but is a great place to shop for those truly unique presents. For the more modest spending spree Portimão has a reputation as the place to buy shoes, and the better the shoe, the more you will save. These shops specialise in overruns from the shoe industry in northern Portugal, and are just a few minutes walk from the town centre.

Portimão was once a hub of the fish canning industry. What remains today is grilled sardines on the quayside. The restaurants need no advertising just follow the delicious smell.

After dark the riverside parks and squares take on a distinctly southern European atmosphere as families come out to stroll, meet friends and drink coffee in the many open air cafes. This is pavement café culture at its best and you cannot fail to feel relaxed by the atmosphere.

Praia da Rocha
For a night out join the crowds around the bars and restaurants of nearby Praia da Rocha. This is a resort that is unashamedly a resort. Large apartments with lots of facilities, a superb beach and bars abound.

Praia da Rocha. The “beach of the rocks” is a gorgeous strip of golden sand backed by low cliffs. At the western end of the beach the golden sand is broken by the tall pillars of rock that give the beach its name and here you can often find a deserted bay or corner beneath the cliffs.

The main strip bustles with life. Pedestrians rule here, as there is a highway along the back of the resort to take the traffic. Bars and restaurants spill out onto the pavement and the atmosphere is distinctly alive.

Lagos
Ten kilometres to the west is the old harbour town of Lagos, steeped in history, this is the port where Portugal’s great explorers; Vasco da Gama, Bartolomeu Dias and Henry the Navigator set out on their voyages of discovery. The pace of life is relaxed in Lagos with traffic free streets and a maze of cafes, bars, shops and museums.


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