Category Archives: Travel
Half of the Algarve hotels are closed for the winter
It appears that during this cold season – the 2013 season – the number of Algarve hotels closing their doors is expected to rise according to the Portuguese Hotel Association – AHP.
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.
New Lagos licensing restrictions might hurt tourism
New Lagos licensing restrictions are about to come into effect in a very odd move from mayor Barroso; these restrictions will cover Lagos and its surroundings and this is surely to negatively impact the businesses in the region.
Lagos and the region surrounding it is currently a top nightlife destination for tens of thousands of holiday makers, however the regional council has recently decided to close all of its bars at midnight.
Piri-piri chili – The spice of the Algarve
The Piri-piri chili is regarded as being a Portuguese specialty and that is true in the general sense of the word, it is in fact an Algarve specialty which means that you can always find it while visiting the Algarve.
But even though the piri-piri is almost synonymous with the regions’ chicken, shrimp and a plethora of other dishes, it’s interesting to note that it wasn’t indigenous to the region. The piri-piri chilli, as well as other sweet chillies were brought by Portuguese seafarers from the New World. It’s not well known where exactly the piri-piri came from but what matters is that it has been part of the region’s gastronomy for many hundreds of years by now.
A quick introduction to the Algarve
For those of you who are new to the knowledge of the existence of the Algarve, we thought to make an article right at the beginning of the year to start you off with a basic idea of what the region of the Algarve is all about, before you dive into some of our other articles about different destinations in the region.
We’ve talked about, and most likely we’ll continue to talk about the wonderful weather, beaches and culture of the Algarve in the future, but today we’ll focus on things that are less obvious, although just as popular once you get there.
Winter low-season in the Algarve
January has only started for a week, and most of Europe still has to go through at least two to three months of freezing to cold weather, and there are surely some who were not able to take a break from work for the end-of-year holidays but will want to do so soon, and that’s when the Algarve is primed and ready for their business.
There is a very well delineated difference between Algarve in the summer high-season and the winter low-season.
During the summer, at least half of Europe seems to shut down and run either for the mountains or for the coastline – and in the case of the Algarve, it seems like those who prefer the coastline all come here. This obviously means a spike in all prices and obviously very crowded resorts.
Algarve destinations – Almancil guide
Almancil town is part of the Loule district and close-by to Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Largo. The region formed by the three places is called the Golden Triangle because it is one of the most expensive areas of the region, but there’s an interesting paradox at work here. Houses can sell for well into the millions however Almancil appears to have been forgotten by the tourism industry, but that is not necessarily for the worst.
