The occupancy rates in the region’s tourist accommodation establishments reached a solid 92.1% last month, representing a 2.4% increase when you compare the number to August of 2012.

This increase in occupancy rates is attributed mostly to a rather significant rise in French, German and British markets – these three registering a healthy 37.9%, 21.8% and a rather modest, but still good, 10.4% increases, respectively – thus making the month of August the most successful since 2008, and that can only be great news.

The growth of those markets made up for the 4.9% drop in Portuguese tourists.

According to the president of AHETA – Eliderico Viegas – thought he French market especially grew considerably, this only represented 4.9% of the total, which is still dominated by British tourists, while at the same time, admitting that this higher occupancy rate does not necessarily mean an increase in profit, because the tourist establishments had to lower their prices in order to attract the business to begin with.

He did also add however, that if the occupancy rates continue their upward trend for the following four to five years, the region might reach the same level of success that it registered in the past.

During the last month of the calendar summer, the areas of Carvoeiro/Armacao de Pera saw a 3.9% increase, Monte Gordo/Vila Real de Santo Antonio 3.4% and Albufeira a 2.3% registered the biggest boosts in their occupancy rates.

Albufeira was the municipality that registered the highest occupancy rate, hitting a 95.8%, while Tavira was the lowers with an 86%.

We don’t have other numbers to go by, but we’ll keep an eye on what happens to the tourism numbers in the future and see how the region deals with the recent calls to not close down for the winter.

The town of Monte Gordo, as opposed to most other destinations in the Algarve is actually a pretty large and spacious one; many of its wide streets having been exclusively dedicated to pedestrians.

The place used to be a rather thriving fishing village benefiting from a very wide variety of fish species thanks to the warmer waters of the Mediterranean.

The town is located just a few kilometers from Vila Real de Santo Antonio, being situated practically on the border of Spain, but the two towns are two quite different entities.

Monte Gordo saw a major change in the late 1990s when the Casino Hotel opened. This change came in the form of high-rise apartment buildings, thankfully however, the miles-long stretches of wide golden beaches have remained unspoiled by building sites, there is nothing to ruin the coastline view of the town. Monte Gordo is quite a popular destination for summer visitors thanks to the warmer Mediterranean waters.

The beach decking features access for disabled people in several locations and there is also a rather small but attractive park where one can find plenty of seating in the shade when needing to escape the hot summer Algarve sun.

Even though the place is known by tourists it doesn’t mean that it’s that tourist-focused, the place featuring several good Portuguese restaurants where you’ll find some traditional cuisine. This is an important distinction to make especially when comparing to very popular destinations such as Albufeira which has many bars and restaurants catering to English tourists for instance.

There are lots of pay-to-park facilities located close to the beach and along the promenade, the promenade is also where a monthly antique market is held on the fourth Saturday.

One other great advantage of Monte Gordo is that you can hop into Spain to enjoy some tapas in Ayamonte.

The Algarve is a great place to relax, great beaches, weather, food and drink, but it is also a magnificent area to explore for those who are history enthusiasts. This region has been this wonderful for thousands of years, so one shouldn’t be that surprised to find out that it changed hands between a variety of cultures throughout human civilization including the Romans, Moors, Crusaders, pirates and explorers in general.

We’ll start this guide in the Eastern Algarve on the right bank of the River Guadiana, bordering Spain, in the town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, also known as the ‘City of Enlightenment’.

The town was built in a famous grid pattern design during the late 18^th century, the focus of the town is a very wonderful central plaza, the Praca marques de Pombal, which is wonderfully lined with orange trees. Depending on how long you spend in this town you should consider taking the ferry across the Guadiana in order to visit Ayamonte, a very Spanish town, very different than Portugal.

Going north on the river you’ll find the Castro Marim which features a massive castle built here by Afonso III in order to defend the region from the Spanish. This castle later become the headquarters for the Order of Christ for three and a half decades.

Heading westwards you’ll find the small village of Cacela Velha, yet another settlement built as a deterrent, this one against the Barbary Corsairs who were terrorizing the southern coast of the country, and continued to do so for about three centuries.

We’ll stop our traveling here for now, we’ll continue in a future article, keep in mind our great Algarve car hire services, because they can help with your trip tremendously.

Those who will be heading here will notice how easy it is to get around the town thanks to it having been built on a grid system, which is something that not many other Algarve settlements can boast. With the help of our small Vila Real de Santo Antonio guide you should get a better idea of what it is that the town can offer you and whether or not you should seriously consider vacationing here.

The town’s grid system was designed by the Marques de Pombal who was rather keen on testing this new type of town planning after all the original settlements in the area were eroded by the beginning of the 17^th century. The Royal charter founding the town was signed on the 30^th of December 1773 and by August 6^th of next year, the Town Hall, Customs House and the barracks were already completed.

Towards the end of the 19^th century, the town was a major player in the canning industry, especially for sardines and tuna, and the port was constantly busy with the ships that sailed the river. As a sign of this very industrial focus of the town, Vila Real de Santo Antonio was the first town in the Algarve to be lit with gas, back in 1886. Nowadays the town thrives on a combination of fishing, agriculture and of course, tourism.

The main road of the town and of the region pretty much, runs straight from Monte Gordo to Vila Real and the Avenida da Republica runs along the front of the town, parallel with the Guadiana River. The river-front is very well developed featuring well laid out trees and water features as well as a marina which is great for watching boats.

The town’s grid system was designed to feature a large town square and the Praca marques de Pombal is truly a sight to see, being surrounded by orange trees and populated with low buildings, shops, cafes and outdoor restaurants. Behind the square you will find the Centro Cultural Antonio Aleixo – this used to be the old market, but the space is now used for temporary exhibits and various events. Nearby there’s a museum dedicated to Manuel Cabanas a local painter and wood engraver.

What it all comes down to is that Vila Real de Santo Antonio is a very relaxed and quiet town, an ideal holiday destination for those looking for a relaxing and peaceful type of vacation. Just like Monte Gordo the town is very flat, and this makes it idea for walking and cycling around it, however getting here can be arranged with the help of some Vila Real de Santo Antonio transfer from Faro Airport if you’re planning to spend your entire holiday around these parts. Otherwise you may want to consider some Vila Real de Santo Antonio car hire services.

The town features an absolutely lovely open sandy beach which is a couple of kilometers long, actually stretching close to Tavira.

Vila Real de Santo Antonio is part of a larger region, the Baixo Guadiana region, a place characterized by wonderful environment where the sun, sea, river, mountains and friendly inhabitants create a wonderful atmosphere to live and thrive in.

Related to this very laid-back approach to life, you can enjoy a boat trip along the Guadiana to Alcoutim for a special way of seeing the surroundings because it passes through some beautiful countryside and you’ll get to see the change in geography from very flat plains to rolling hills and lush vegetation.

Obviously this has been just a very short description of only some of the characteristics of Vila Real de Santo Antonio and its surroundings, rest assured that simple words and images can’t really do it any justice, once you’re there you’ll know that you’ll never be bored while on your trip here so you might as well focus on taking in as much of the place as possible.

Situated in the eastern part of the Algarve and in the south of Portugal, it is one of the relative few inland resorts but despite this it still features a beach, thanks to the river. The city proper offers a lot of interesting features including accommodations, gastronomy and various events. The city’s surroundings are also very rich with opportunities thanks to places like the Vila Real de Santo Antonio and Castro Marim to name a few of the major ones.

This part of the region is great for those holidaymakers who are interested in the region’s history, but not exclusively, as the traditions, sights and outdoor activities can appeal to almost anyone, so this is our little Alcoutim city guide, to give you an idea of what to expect.

Alcoutim city Portugal is located at about forty kilometers distance of Vila Real de Santo Antonio and there has been some type of establishment around these parts for about four thousand years, thanks to its rich deposits of copper, iron and manganese.

The settlement grew in importance during Roman times thanks to these resources and it continued to do so during the Medieval period; the remains of a 14^th century castle which overlooks the city can be visited, they house now a small archaeological museum.

The geography in this region is very hilly, and Alcoutim is itself a hillside town. It retains many of its more Medieval characteristics, in the sense that there are small squares and cobbled streets, but there’s also a paved promenade along the river front which is in turn populated by restaurants and cafes.

The church that you can fin near the river front was initially built in the 16^th century, however it required several reconstructions throughout the intervening centuries. The river is also quite narrow here which allows for a lot of sailing boats and other river craft to float gently.

Even if you will not be staying in Alcoutim you should still consider visiting it, and thankfully there are many Alcoutim city transfer from Faro Airport available if you’re interested. Of course the other option would be to employ some Alcoutim city car hire services and just drive in and around the place at your own leisure.

The town itself is worthy of a visit, but if not for that, then at least to see the unspoilt countryside that you’ll pass through on your way here. The region as a whole is quite different from the general view of what the Algarve is, but yet it is part of the Algarve, and is part of the wide range of diversity that the south of Portugal offers its visitors. It’s a very peaceful place and the green hills make it a wonderful area to walk around. It is interesting to note how completely different it is from the south coast beach resorts, even though it is only at a bout half an hour’s drive away. The rolling, green hills create quite a different type of Algarve experience.

The places around described in this Alcoutim guide are quite interesting as well, Pereiro and Martinlongo being two of the other destinations, and the picturesque town of Mertola can all prove to be interesting places to visit.

Towards the south of the town you’ll find the historically important town of Castro Marim which features the ruins of a Moorish castle as well as those a 17^th century fort, both of which were built in order to protect the border with Spain as well as to guard the ships which used the river. The castle now offers some great views of the salt pans, the Castro Marim Nature Reserve and of course Spain.

It is clear by now that the north-eastern region of the Algarve is quite different from what the general idea bout the region is, however this doesn’t make it any less interesting or alluring; it’s a wonderful place to visit and roam around the countryside and small towns – keep in mind that a rental car might be a good idea.