We tout the idea of visiting the Algarve during the winter a lot on this website because of the reduced prices, considerably smaller crowds and milder temperatures however we’ve also talked about how the tough economic times are battering the area, and today is going to be one of the latter types of articles.

Almost half of the Algarve hotels associated with the AHP have decided to suspend their activities during the low season, for at least three months – 48% to be exact.

AHP representatives have admitted that this move is going to be bad for the region as a whole and that there is definitely a seasonality trend taking place in the Algarve, which a few years back wasn’t that prevalent. On the other hand it is a clear sign that there just aren’t enough customers for all of these hotels to continue operating through the winter season.

This seasonality phenomenon is having some effects in other regions of the country as well, not only the tourist-heavy Algarve. For instance in the Alentejo region – which is just North of the Algarve – fourteen percent of their hotels shut down during the winter, while none of them did so in 2011.

This issue isn’t the only one hitting the hotel industry in the region, with a sharp drop in prices being yet another critical matter to consider.

Between January and September of 2012, the average price of a hotel room was of 40.48 Euros, while the occupancy level overall averaged at 59.39 percent.

The capital, Lisbon, stood out by far with the biggest of price drops with the average room price dropping in September by 15.77 percent.

This region of the Algarve is quite limited, it acts as sort of a natural borderline between the Algarve and the Alentejo region to the north, and as we’ve seen with the other parts of the Algarve, this part of Portugal has also adapted its gastronomy to the most easily accessible ingredients, but it did this without losing the marvelous flavors of the south.

This region is very well-known for its use of pork and as such there are some very widely appreciated pork dishes in the region, the home-made sausages are also well regarded, and even something as simple as the gruel made from corn-meal is a bit special because it is made using the water in which the morcelas – the earlier mentioned blood sausages – were prepared in, and of course with all of this pork just lying around their dark-coloured smoked ham is something to die for.

There’s a hunting season in this region, and during said season you can also find a very delicious hare soup on the menu alongside stewed partridge.

All of the above and more can be found while adventuring through this, relatively narrow, part of the Algarve, but what it maintains in common with the other regions is the particular flavor, a special type of aroma typical to Algarve cuisine thanks to the combinations of the very many different condiments, herbs and spices that naturally grow in the region on the whole.

When you add to these the very close proximity of the very healthy olive oil which is produced immediately to the north in the Alentejo region, then you get a much better idea of the tastes that you should expect.

Explore as much of the Algarve culinary map as you wish with the help of our Algarve car hire services.