Algarve, Portugal » top notch

Algarve as a winter destination

Constantin B. — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 11:06:37 +0000

Not many people consider the Algarve as a winter destination, and that’s a very simple mistake to be made, after all the Algarve is great in the summer right?

Well while in the summer its high temperatures and warm waters definitely attract the most of its visitors, one should also be aware that during the winter season, while most of Europe is encased in rain, snow or ice, or all of them, the Algarve is still wonderfully sunny.

In fact for quite a few potential visitors the winter season is by far the best time to see what the Algarve has to offer thanks to several reasons, not least of which being the considerably lower prices than those that you’d find during the summer peak season.

Golfers enjoy the Algarve already, thanks to its large number of top-notch golf courses, the place is that much better during the winter season because the weather is great during the daylight hours to spend on a course. This wouldn’t be possible in the summer season except for those very accustomed to those types of temperatures.

Winter in the Algarve is great for those who don’t like visiting crowded places, because usually the region is quite crowded, however in the off-season the number of tourists is almost negligible, which makes for a much quieter and easier time, getting access to attractions and the like.

Despite it being winter though, the water might actually be acceptable to those who love a chilly dip, however you can totally be lucky enough to get some sunny days which will actually allow you to lounge on the beach for a bit of a tan, it can happen.

Whether you’re choosing this period to explore a new location, or whether you want to see how places like Albufeira, Carvoeiro or Vilamoura are during the winter, keep our Algarve car rental services in mind while on your winter Algarve holiday.

Algarve visitor satisfaction numbers are great

Constantin B. — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 09:52:02 +0000

The Algarve visitor satisfaction has to be some of the highest possible considering it’s popularity. While it may be one of the most popular holiday destinations for Europeans, but that doesn’t mean that Europeans are the only visitors here, quite the contrary, and it appears that those tourists that come from Brazil show the highest satisfaction with their vacations in Portugal.

Or at least that’s what a recent ‘tourist satisfaction study’ released by Turismo de Portugal says. The overall level of tourist satisfaction is very high, stating that 34% of respondents enjoyed a holiday that was above their expectations, and a solid 85% percent of those asked said that they would certainly or probably return to Portugal within the next three years.

The Brazilians are the happiest of nationalities who visited the Algarve, however it is the Brits who are most likely to return, but this can be due to the fact that the United Kingdom is closer to Portugal.

When it comes to the reasons why tourists like it here, eighty-four percent answered with ‘nature and culture’, and that the landscapes and beaches are top notch, which is rather true it has to be said, with hospitality coming in second thanks to the ‘pleasant nature of the local population’.

The other tourism-related areas, which include activities, infrastructure and tourist information, rate somewhere about fifty percent, however the study does highlight that ‘tourist information’ and ‘rent-a-car’ companies were actually ‘below expectations’. This view of the Algarve car rental companies might be in part due to the introduction of the A22 toll taxes and such, since those have created quite a bit of issues when it comes to contracts.

The Algarve received forty-six percent of total region tourists, while Lisbon forty-two percent, so the capital is a major pull still, and for good reason.

When it comes to planning their break, forty percent of visitors found the Internet to be the main research tool, followed by recommendation of acquaintances, friends and relatives with thirty-one percent.

The study involved asking more than eight hundred individuals at national airports with tourists from Spain, UK, Germany, France, Holland, Ireland and Brazil.

Algarve Golf Holidays

Constantin B. — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:24:39 +0000

Golfing holidays in the Algarve

Portugal’s Algarve region is quite possibly Europe’s most popular vacation destination. Due to its location on the southernmost region of the country and indeed of the Iberian peninsula, the Algarve benefits from some spectacular weather all year round. When you couple that fact with the almost two hundred kilometers of beach it shouldn’t come as a surprise why this region of Europe is so popular with tourists.

The Algarve, place for sun, sea and golf

Algarve Golf Club

Now those characteristics would be quite enough for the region as a tourist magnet but the Algarve offers so much more than just great weather and beaches, the region has great resorts, great food, unique culture and not least the best golf courses in Europe.

The popularity of golf has increased considerably in the past decade with more and more people, of all ages, becoming fans and enthusiasts of this originally Scottish sport.

All of these golf enthusiasts will be glad to find out that the Algarve is in fact home to well over thirty world-class championship golf courses all of which are situated within short one to two hour drives from any of the main resorts or cities in the region.

One of the many great things about golfing in the Algarve is the fact that the facilities here have been around for quite a while and they’ve been attracting a constant stream of players ever since so they are very well maintained and the services that they provide are top notch.

Another great thing related to Algarve golfing is also one of the main characteristics of the region as a whole, its wonderful weather. As stated earlier the weather itself would have been enough of a pull for visitors from the chillier areas of the continent but when you couple that great weather with the opportunity to play eighteen holes on a top tier course during the winter season it’s simple to understand why this is such a popular attraction to the region.

Enthusiasm for the sport, any sport, brings with it a certain amount of investment, be it financial or emotional, in the case of most games or sports it is both and golf is no exception; however when it comes to golf the financial investment can be a rather serious one when you’re talking about top notch, state of the art clubs. While these are designed to hit a golf ball with as much power and precision as possible they themselves are not designed to withstand hits, so transporting golf clubs can always turn into a problem.

The problem can be two-fold, one is related to the extra cost that one would have to incur in order to carry their clubs with them and the other being that there is no way of guaranteeing absolutely that they won’t get damaged or worse, stolen, during the trip, so this is a thing that many golfing enthusiasts have to deal with when they consider visiting the Algarve particularly for the golfing opportunities.

Thankfully since golfing is so popular in the area, adjacent industries have sprung up around it offering various services to golfing enthusiasts, services such as golf club hire services which will allow the golfer to get the best of both worlds, he or she will be able to play golf in this stunning environment and not fret about their prized golf clubs, everybody wins.