Caldas De Monchique, Algarve, Portugal Tel: 01983 852555 Mobile: 07817 270 343 Email: iowtv@hotmail.com

TOWNS AND VILLAGES

MONCHIQUE is a sleepy hilltop town where you can relax in the square on a hot day with a cool beer and tune in to the free WiFi! Or you can wander through the narrow cobbled streets and look for the chocolate shop. If you have the energy, walk up the winding road to the old convent building high above the town. The gardener there may let you look around the ruins if you buy some fresh fruit or vegetables from him.

Monchique is the home of Medronho, Portugal's fire water that is made from the strawberry like fruit of the Arbutus trees that grow all over the mountain. Much of it is made moonshine fashion in backyard stills deep in the forests and if you get to try a shot, the best way to drink it is in one swallow and then wait for the afterburner to ignite! A much tamer version is Meloso, or Medronho Com Mel which has the fire taken out of it by being sweetened with honey and flavoured with cinnamon making it quite a pleasant liquer. Some restaurants will offer a complimentary tot of either, after your meal.

Follow the road to Foia to reach the summit of the Monchique mountains. Nearly as high as Snowdon, fantastic views over southern Portugal as far as the west coast can be had from this, the highest point in the Algarve. There is a large gift shop there where you can buy local crafts and souvenirs of your visit.

The village of Caldas de Monchique is only a short distance up the hill from the villa. It is well known for its spa water and as a beauty spot. There are some nice walks there and also some very good but expensive restaurants. Most mornings, they bake bread rolls with chorizo sausage in them in a huge outdoor oven which is in the centre of the village. The challenge is to catch the smell of the hot bread and then see if you can resist buying a sample! Monchique spring water is bottled here and sold all over Portugal. You can visit the spring and taste the water or splash even out on an expensive spa treatment.

PORTIMAO is a big and busy port. Look out for the sardine restaurants on the quayside upriver of the old road bridge. There are some huge free car parks in this area and Portimão pedestrian areas and shops are within walking distance so don’t pay to park in town. Hot chestnut vendors (long since gone from England) still cook on Smokey braziers along the pedestrian streets so for a euro or so you can get a true taste of the past. The car parks on the riverfront near the bus stops, but these are now charging but are not too expensive. The municipal market is worth a visit where in the big modern building you will find huge areas of fresh fruit and vegetables and freshly caught fish being sold by dozens of vendors as well as the biggest selection of fresh meat you will have ever seen. There is a big car park under the market and you can stay up to an hour free. Across the estuary from Portimao is Ferragudo, a particularly pretty village with waterfront restaurants and the same laid back atmosphere you will find in most of the Algarve as well as some secluded beaches.

Aqua Portimao is one of Europe’s biggest shopping malls. Only opened in spring 2011, it is about 15 – 20 minutes drive from the villa it has 1800 free parking spaces underneath a vast range of shops including a very big Primark store and a hypermarket. On the top level is the food court with a large open air seating area where they often have entertainment in the evenings and it is a free WIFI zone. Close by this is another mall which is popular with ladies from the UK as it has a C&A store. Also in Portimao is a big Continente hypermarket complex, lidl's, Aldi, Macdonalds and Barclays.

SILVES It is possible to get a boat trip between Portimão and Silves along the picturesque River Arade. At Silves, you will find an ancient castle and the Cathedral. The castle was once an important fortress when Silves was the capital of the Algarve. It is open to the public for a small fee and the views from its ramparts are hard to beat. If visiting the Cathedral and castle, look out for the gift shop/café near the castle gates which has nice quality linen gifts and the café bar seats are old motorbike saddles. Alternatively, have a coffee at the nearby café, Casa Inglés and you may meet a small friendly dog who “sings” whenever the church bell rings! Silves has a couple of useful supermarkets, the Continente and also a Lidl. Near Silves is a lovely lake (follow signs to the barragem (google earth co-ordinates: 37.2396, -8.377) on the main road toward Messines) in the nearby hills.

LAGOS is a lovely historic town and port. There is an interesting museum in the old church in the centre of town and the original slave market is near the seafront. There are some good coffee bars and cafes and surprisingly, the marina cafes are not expensive. One of the bars even offers customers free ‘phone calls to landline numbers! There are miles of secluded and sandy beaches nearby just waiting for you to discover them. Cat lovers should take some cat food with them to the end of the road, past the marina and boatyards where there is a purpose built house for stray moggies!

Different types of watersports can be booked at Lagos marina. These range from surfing and waterskiing to dolphin watching cruises and river trips, from exploring coastal caves to trips on old pirate ships, modern yachts or powerboats. We would recommend going in one of the smaller cheaper boats that will take you right into the sea caves and show you the weird and wonderful sculptures provided by nature.

Consider making the trip to the Eastern Algarve and Spain, but make sure your car is insured to go to Spain. On the Portuguese side of the river is Vila Real de St. Antonio where you can buy bargains in bedding and glassware aimed at the Spanish and then cross the big suspension bridge into Spain and visit the town of Ayamonte where you can buy bargains which are aimed at the Portuguese! Alternatively, take the ferryboat over from the centre of the Vila Real waterfront, a good trip for about 4 euros return, but do make sure not to miss the last boat back!

If you have time on the way home, stop off at Tavira, a picturesque old town with a Roman bridge over the river or stop at Faro, where you can climb to the top of the Cathedral bell tower in the centre of the old town or if you want nightmares, visit the gruesome Chapel of Bones in the beautiful gold encrusted church Igreja do Carmo! On the N125 road towards Albufeira there are a couple of big waterslide parks as well as Zoomarine which has some wonderful dolphins and sea lions who are all well cared for and seem to enjoy showing off to the humans. Nearer to the villa there is a waterslide park at Lagoa and if you missed the bones at Faro, there is a smaller chapel of bones beside the parish church at Alcantarilha.

A full day out will allow you to visit Portugal's Stonehenge, the Cromeleque dos
Almendres. This is one of Europes biggest neolithic sites and dates from about
5000 BC. Located near Evora it comprises of about 95 granite stones and when
we visited, it was open to all and free to visit.