Discover the Eastern Algarve !
Fuzeta This is the nearest beach to the villa, it’s about a ten minute drive, then you park and take a delightful little boat trip out to the island - crossings are very regular and frequent more or less one after the other. The beach is beautiful, long and sandy as are all the beaches on this end of the coast. Other Beaches Include Monte Gorde, Manta Rota towards the Spanish border (here you can drive straight up to the beaches), Cabanas, Tavira Island (a ferry ride), Pedras del Rei here you take a little train across the salt flats to the beach, kids just love it! There are literally dozens of other beaches for you to explore, too numerous to mention here.
Moncarapacho Nearest town to the villa (5 minutes drive) has every amenity for self-catering - well-stocked supermarkets (mini-mercados), banks and post office, small fish/meat market. On the first Sunday in every month a STREET MARKET well worth a visit. The Colibri restaurant is a very nice one it is opposite the Post Office in the village there is a coffee shop in the front and the restaurant is in the back try their Steak on the Stone for something different. Turn left on the Alfandanga road down to cross roads left again Ali-Super (mini market) is on the right also the Caravella restaurant/bar. In the village there are also coffee shops, bars, a pizzeria, a bakery with cake shop, a pottery, a lovely church and a very old chapel, as well as a very interesting, although small, museum. In the charming old village square the bar owners have set their tables and chairs outside to make a very pleasant place to spend a warm summers evening
Santa Caterina Turn left out of the villa to this typically Portuguese village again a few supermarkets, bank, petrol station, daily small fish market a few cafes drugstore/pharmacy (FARMACIA). On the 4th Sunday in month except August, a STREET MARKET this is a must for market lovers. Sao Bras About 15 minutes drive, here you will find a very pretty Municipal Swimming Pool (Piscina) set in the hills, also the excellent value chicken restaurant "Luis de Frangos", a first class Chinese restaurant also many other very good eateries, shops, cafes etc. There is also an Indian restaurant; we have not tried this yet.
Loule This Market Town is about 30 minutes drive from the villa, but well worth the travel, here you will find excellent shops, markets another Municipal pool with an Olympic sized pool, a diving pool, and smaller pools for the children, a café and grass lawns for sunbathing also a new indoor pool.
Olhao Lots of shopping here for all your gifts, shoes, clothes in fact everything, pavement cafes a wonderful FISH, MEAT and FRUIT/VEGETABLE MARKET down on the waterfront also some very good restaurants including Chinese, Italian, Pizza, and excellent Sea Food and supermarket for stocking up. Architecture here is very Moorish and it’s a very pleasant town to wander round. The markets have been recently modernised and outside there are cafes and bars now open, which provide a lively atmosphere in the evenings.
Tavira Is the Algarve's pearl. It lies on either side of a tidal river and has a castle and the buildings have interesting "treasure" roofs modelled after the spices brought from the East. Alongside the river are lovely gardens with a bandstand in the middle, here on a summers evening you may see local folk-dancing and singing. Plenty of restaurants and pavement cafes also the old market has been redeveloped into cafés and restaurants. There is always a pleasant atmosphere here. .Over the ‘Roman’ bridge across the river there is a maze of little cobble streets with lots more restaurants with tables set out in the open air.
Faro is another interesting town within easy reach of the villa. It has an old sector reached through arched gateways (look out for the storks' nests) and, within the walls, there are restaurants, museums, the Cathedral with its most unusual bells, and little cafes. There is a pedestrian shopping area in Faro. There is also a large hypermarket/shopping mall near to the airport very nicely set out with all the popular kids favourites – like Mc Donald, Burger King etc. also some very nice restaurants.
Estoi Here you will find some interesting Roman Ruins and a Palace there is also a market held here once a month.
Castro Marim Boasts a very fine castle set high on a hill near to the Spanish border. Villa Real this town is also on the Spanish border and is very good for shopping lots of gifts and Portuguese linen to be found here and you can cross over to Ayamonte in Spain by ferry or over the bridge by car – but check your insurance covers you for driving in Spain if you are in a hire car. Take the IP1 towards Albufiera and the more commercialised resorts and you will find several Aqua Parks, one of the nearest is Atlantic Park - just past Almansil on the N125. There is also a Zoo-marine and an Aqua Show in the same direction, which are within easy reach for a lively day out. You will find details of these attractions in the villa or you can call in at one of the Tourist Offices in the towns. There are tourist offices at Sao Bras, Tavira, Loule, Olhao and most of the similar sized towns.
Night Life As far as nightlife is concerned the choice is totally yours. If you want it there is everything from cosy all night bars and folk festivals to the discos to be found scattered all around. UBIS disco nightclub in Tavira is highly recommended by our teenagers and young people. (But be warned it starts around 11pm and goes through till early morning sometimes 6 a.m.) Also note that the nightclubs are to be reached by car. There are not any locally. Walking - this is a great walking area, but not in the heat of the day, and this is not only for the serious walker or rambler as the labyrinth of mule tracks that scatter the area afford calmer routes. But if you fancy a gentle climb you can always stroll up the Cabeca, a little hill just outside Moncarapacho. For a pleasant evening stroll go out of the villa gates turn right and take the track on the left after the first white house on the other side of the road this leads up to the windmill above the villa.
Nearest Shops to the villa are in Moncarapacho which is about 5 minutes drive down the same road past the motorway, turn left at the Pottery/petrol station junction. The nearest café/bar (mostly snacks and drinks) from the villa is few minutes’ walk towards Moncarapacho but for better restaurants the nearest are the Colibri and
Antonio’s Restaurant (the Internet Café) in Moncarapacho five minutes drive. There are some very ‘Portuguese’ bars around which you may come across if you go out walking – you will find the beer pleasingly cheap in these bars! These are just some of the places we have discovered, there are many, many more for you to discover for yourself in the Eastern Algarve. From the villa you can also easily reach some of the better-known resorts like Albufiera, Villamoura, Quarteria etc. A holiday here is what you want it to be, stock up and relax in the sun, or go out and find the real Portuguese or combine the two, whichever way you choose we are sure you will find it a very enjoyable and different kind of holiday.