You may have heard of Guia, but only if you’re a very big foodie, because the place has become quite famous nowadays thanks to its great chicken piri-piri and its local wine. Back in the 16^th century when Portugal firs discovered the piri-piri pepper, it became a major trading item with other European countries. The Chicken piri-piri is believed to have started somewhere in Angola and Mozambique, but it is today world-known as one of Portugal’s national dishes, which in turn makes Portugal the biggest consumer of chicken in Europe.

The village features a number of windmills which have played a major role in the past of the region, having been a centre for the milling industry. These have been such an important part of the village that the mill is present on Guia’s coat of arms.

A well preserved windmill can be found on the grounds of the vineyards of Adeva da Cantor – the vineyard of the singer – this being the name Sir Cliff Richard gave to his enterprise, which has produced some award-winning wines in a few very short years.

Guia can be a good pit-stop, featuring a good daily covered market for fish and vegetables – for self caterers – as well as quite a large array of restaurants and café/bars.

For those employing some Algarve car rental services, you’ll be glad to know that the place has lots of parking just off the high street and there are also several ATM machines. For a more relaxed stroll you should stroll around the many back streets to gander at the cottages which feature brightly colored frontages and a couple of bigger houses with carved stone door and window surrounds.

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.

Being located very close to the much larger and much better-known town of Armacao de Pera, Pera is usually associated with it, the former being located directly on the coast and still featuring a fishing industry.

The village gets its name because it sits on sandy soil which is ideal for the growing of pears, a fruit that was rather popular between the 16^th and the 18^th centuries. Interestingly enough, the variety grown here wasn’t that great for eating, but instead they turned it into marmalade or sun dried them. Other fruits that proliferated in the region were carobs and grapes, so much so that the Pera village has the carob and the grape on its coat of arms.

The neighboring village of Alcantarilha still holds an annual fair dedicated to dried fruits during the first week of September. The fair is a typical Algarve celebration, you come for one thing but get a bunch of many others, such as live music and stalls selling home-cooked food, as well as the opportunity to try the local vintage.

Back to Pera now, you can expect to find quite a few cobbled stone streets and two churches, which means that the village isn’t as small as you might initially think. One was built back in the 18^th century, being set on the highest point of the village and offering some great views of the coast and the surroundings.

The village has a pretty solid daily indoor fish market, lots of smaller shops and many bars and local restaurants where you can eat on the cheap.

You can make Pera part of a day-trip or a tour of the Algarve if you use some Algarve car rental services.