Being situated north of Aljezur and just before you come to the Alentejo, you can reach Odeceixe via the EN120. The main road towards the town is set on a sharp bend that will give you a view of the town and you’ll be able to see its still-working windmill on top of the hill. You can actually drive up to the top of the windmill and while on that road you will see one of the town’s churches. The windmill is an important characteristic of the town, being featured on the Odeceixe coat of arms.

The town has lots of things to offer its visitors, from the traditional cobbled streets of the region to a small square at the centre of it featuring a stone water fountain adding to the overall charm of the place. The square has a bunch of public benches surrounded by planters filled with flowers, so they make for a very relaxing resting spot. A bit unexpectedly for such a rather small town, there are somewhere around a dozen or so restaurants and bars featuring inside seating as well as having small terraces set upon the cobbled pavements.

The buildings are a blend of styles and building periods, with the occasional merchant’s house featuring tiled fronts and cast iron and stone balconies.

Those who self-cater will find plenty of shops for their grocery shopping as well as lots of gift shops offering hand-made items to take back to those waiting for you at home.

With such a large number of bars and restaurants, one can expect the nightlife to be rather solid, with the bars holding all sorts of music events during the nights, live and otherwise.

At a short distance from the centre, you’ll find the golden sand beach, easily accesible by foot or with a rental car.

Bolt Resources PTY has applied to the Portuguese government to prospect for gold as a result of the discovery of gold particles by University of Algarve scientists, who were studying sediments in the river estuary in the area of Castro Marim.

The company will be prospecting for gold and silver as well as other valuable deposits like copper, zinc, lead, tin, tungsten and antimony.

It’s a known fact that precious minerals have been found in many parts of the Algarve region throughout the ages. During Roman times, various precious metal was mined across the Algarve region and up towards the Alentejo, alongside other useful metals such as tin and copper.

The search will focus on the Alcoutim and castro marim region – covering 576 square kilometers, however it will also focus on the Alentejo district of Mertola.

The scientists also theorized that Monchique might have some hidden reserves of gold and silver as well, but they wanted to emphasize that there is no evidence of large deposits of the metals.

This discovery of small gold particles happened back in 2007, but the company has only decided to explore the possibility this year.

Jose Estevens – the Mayor of Castro Marim – wasn’t aware of the Bold Resources plan so he wasn’t able to comment on the fact, but he did know about it after reading the official government publication and said that the initiative would be a benefit to the region.

The application for prospecting is subject to a 30-day waiting period in which time interested parties will be able to lodge objections or submit preferential rights to the Direção de Serviços de Minas e Pedreiras da Direção-Geral de Energia e Geologia in Lisbon.