The percentage for last year was 83%, so there’s a clear upward trend there, many families choosing to rent holiday homes from private owners which reflect better value than traveling to a foreign country because overall cost was seen as the main factor in the holiday destination decision making.

As one might expect, the most popular destination for Portuguese tourists was the Algarve region, which hosted a solid 69% of the country’s internal holidaymakers.

The Beira Litoral and Minho regions saw large growths in demand of 72% and 45% respectively.

The overall tourist figures were boosted by the availability of cheap flights towards well-known destinations in the Algarve such as Faro, Lisbon and Oporto. The numbers were also helped by the the fact that the prices in the Algarve where less than if the equivalent purchases would’ve been made in northern Europe for instance. This might’ve also been a consideration behind the growth of Spanish and French visitors.

Portugal proved to be the fourth most popular country in Europe as far as people searching for places to rent, this representing 11% of the total number.

Another interesting data point that the study revealed was that the Portuguese holidaymakers are big believers in the idea of last minute booking, with 52% of Portuguese tourists who booked in July and August traveling in those same months.

As we mentioned earlier, renting private homes for vacations is becoming increasingly popular, the current economic climate making it a much more cost-effective way of ensuring accommodation during a holiday stay.

These numbers coordinate with those coming from various Algarve sources which has seen an increase in foreign visitors as well.

The Algarve is amongst those holiday destinations that is popular not only during the summer but also during the winter, and that is due to quite a few reasons, one of them being the fact that it is located firmly on the European continent – which makes it relatively easier to visit from within the continent, and the fact that it features a lot of golf courses – but more on that later.

The reason for the region’s popularity during the winter and autumn is mainly due to the fact that even during these seasons the temperatures during the day will rarely go below fifteen Centigrade, but on average it’s usually above that. Considering how in most of the rest of Europe at the same time temperatures during the day are below zero, one can understand the appeal just from that stand-point alone.

While the Atlantic can be a bit on the chilly side of things – although there are always some thrill-seekers who enjoy the colder waters – one can still get quite a few solid hours of sunlight during any given day which will allow for some beach-side lazing.

Going back to the golf for a bit, the Algarve is a well-known destination for golf enthusiasts, it has somewhere in the region of thirty great golf courses which span the entire range of experience. Golfers love engaging in their favorite pass-time at any time of year that’s true, but when they can do it in great circumstances during the winter, well that’s just an extra incentive to visit the region.

Keep our Algarve car rental services in mind when visiting the Algarve during autumn and winter breaks.

You can win a FREE Car Hire group A vehicle for a week during your rental period worth 130 Euro. In case the winner wants to rent a car from a different group, then he or she will only have to pay the difference between what would be the price of their chosen vehicle and the price of a group A vehicle.

In order to enter the competition for this FREE car hire for a week in Algarve, you’ll have to book online a car between 1 Nov 2012 and 31 March 2013 and also be a fan of our Facebook page which you’ll find here.

Free Car Hire – Algarve, Portugal

At the start of each month we’ll be randomly choosing a client who made a booking in the previous month, and they will then be notified via email and receive a FREE CAR HIRE voucher, and all that winner will have to do at that point is present the voucher at our office.

We’re running this competition as part of our winter promotion, during this very low season the prices that we offer are lower than those during the summer high season so this offer means that you could afford to rent a much bigger car, obviously that only makes sense if you need one.

As we’ve been talking on the site, and we’ll continue to do so, the Algarve is a great holiday destination in the off-season as well, thanks to its wonderful weather, celebrating Christmas here or just taking a break from the cold winter in the rest of Europe can prove to be a great choice, keep our Faro airport car hire services in mind.

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.

One of the main reasons why Portugal is such a popular holiday destination is its absolutely wonderful climate. The average summer temperature hovers around thirty degrees Centigrade and while that may not sound like anything special since in the summertime it’s hot in most temperate zones and most of Europe.

The great weather is just part of Portugal’s popularity

There are so many other factors which make it a great holiday destination

Portugal Beach

It deserves mention that in those regions the average temperature might jump well over thirty and that makes for a solid amount of discomfort so an average summer temperature of thirty is great. Also coupled with this is the average winter temperature in Portugal which never falls below fifteen degrees Centigrade very often, and while that may not sound like anything special, one has to consider the average temperature in the rest of Europe during the winter months in order to truly appreciate it.

Now the great weather would be enough of a pull to visit a foreign country but that’s hardly the only thing that attracts people to Portugal, its other great feature is its eight hundred and fifty kilometers of coastline which offer some of the best beaches and resorts on the globe.

While the entire country has many attractions and interesting sights, when it comes to the best combination of weather and geography, that would be the Algarve region, which is situated in the southernmost part of the country.

The Algarve itself is possibly the most visited region in Europe, if not the world, and for good reasons because it features the most spectacular beaches possibly on the entire Mediterranean coast.

There are several places where you can start your Portugal adventure, however some of the more popular arrival destinations are Lisbon, Faro and Madeira. Their airports are very accessible from pretty much anywhere else in Europe or the rest of the world so that is part of why they are popular. The other part has to do with the fact that they themselves are interesting places to visit on their own, Faro for instance being used as something of a gateway to the Algarve for many tourists but it is also an attraction on its own.

The whitewashed buildings and cobbled streets coupled with plenty of museums make for a great introduction to the country as well as a good stepping-off point for other destinations in the Algarve region.

Portugal offers a lot of holidaying option to its visitors and it has something for everyone, it all depends on what it is that you are looking for when traveling to a foreign country. If you’re interested in lounging on a beach, soaking in the sun and enjoying some water sports then surely you can find it here; if you’re interested in having a more family-oriented relaxing trip in which you can explore the country’s culture, traditions and history, Portugal has that as well; if you happen to be a golfer, the Algarve region especially has over thirty world-class golf courses which await your swing.

Whether it’s summer or winter in your home country you can rest assured that the weather in Portugal will be at least fair and depending on what your goals and preferences are you can surely find a region or a particular place in the country that satisfies them, so make sure to strongly consider Portugal as the destination for your next holiday.

Portugal Related Link List

Portugal Car Hire

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Portugal Low Cost Transfers

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Algarve2U Blog

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Visit Portugal

The city of Faro is the administrative center of the entire Algarve region and due to this characteristic the city is oftentimes used as starting point by visitors to the region. Just like most other cities or towns in the region, Faro’s population is relatively small, barely topping fifty-five thousand, however it is one of the more larger towns in the region.

Faro – Popular Travel Locations

Algarve Faro Portugal

It is true that many visitors use Faro as a type of a gateway for the rest of the Algarve, this is likely where they’ll be landing and the city is situated in such a manner that it provides easy access to other resorts in the region, so it’s not difficult to understand this approach to Faro, but the city can be a very interesting holiday destination in itself.

Similar to the entire region’s settlements, Faro features ruins from both the Roman and the Arab eras and one of the most popular attractions of the city is its “old city” or Cidade Velha part which is still surrounded by its original 9th century protective walls.

Inside these walls, on what was once the site of the Roman Forum, you’ll find a 13th century Cathedral that faces an 18th century Episcopal Palace, and also nearby you can see the 16th century Convent which now is the home of the local Archaeological Museum.

Keeping with the theme of religious-related buildings, Faro is also home to the Nossa Senhora do Carmo church which is one of the best examples of gold-leaf woodwork in the country but it has another claim to fame, a more macabre one. Its chapel is lined with the bones of over a thousand two hundred monks who lived there during the centuries.

Faro is home to a small maritime museum which on the other hand boasts a collection of small replica boats as exhibits, so this might be an interesting place to visit for any boating enthusiasts.

A large chunk of modern Faro is made up of apartment buildings and attractive shops and eating establishments, this means that you can get a complete experience while visiting Faro, getting a sample of the old and a taste of the new.

Faro’s beach, Praia de Faro, is about seven kilometers long, yes you read that right, seven kilometers of gently sloping sand so this practically guarantees that you’ll always find a spot that is not crowded.

As mentioned earlier, Faro is usually considered the starting point for an Algarve holiday because it is surrounded by many other destinations in the region. To the North there’s the inland village of Estoi where you can see some remarkable Roman ruins of a villa which will astound you when you see the comforts that its owners enjoyed about two thousand years ago.

To the West you’ll find the well known holiday resorts of Quinta do Lago and Vale de Lobo, both of them being five star resorts featuring golf courses, tennis court, riding schools and many more things that will surely make your stay there enjoyable.

Faro Related Link List

CarHireFaro

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Portugal Low Cost Transfers

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Portugal Car Hire

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Faro – Algarve – Portugal – Weekend trip

The Spanish city of Alicante is probably one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, mostly due to it being a very popular tourist destination seeing not only lots of visitors from within its own borders but also quite a lot from the rest of Europe.

Enjoy the sun, sea and sand in Alicante

Alicante has something for everybody

Alicante is indeed a very popular tourist destination, however it should also be noted that it is also a historic Mediterranean port city as well, and as such it is also a commercial town with services and public administration playing an important role in its economy.

Costa Blanca

Alicante is endowed with great weather and some of the best beaches in the world, the beaches of the Costa Blanca, however it is also an important wine producer as well, the region being known for growing the Moscatel and Monastrell grape varieties.

The area in and around the city of Alicante has been inhabited by many thousands of years and the first fortified settlement came about in the 3rd century BC during the wars between Carthage and Rome.

Since that moment, the settlement continued to expand regardless of the leadership of the region which changed hands quite a few times in the following millennia. However the city couldn’t have maintained its status and continue to develop if it didn’t constantly change and adapt itself to the economic realities of any particular era.

For instance, a relatively recent example of this is how the port of Alicante transformed itself into on of the most important cruise ports in the country after most of its mercantile traffic was attracted by the nearby Valencia harbor.

Due to it being a port city one has to assume that it also has access to a certain amount of beach area, and that assumption would be rather correct. Alicante actually has a beach located at the center of the city, it is called Postiguet Beach and while popular during the day, once night falls it all becomes a bit of a surreal sight as it is illuminated by sodium street lights. That’s just one example of course, a little bit farther away you’ll find the San Juan Beach which is seven kilometers long and is considered to be one of the best in the country.

However Alicante offers much more to its visitors than just great beaches, in fact it features quite a few great attractions starting with the Castle of Santa Barbara, one of the largest medieval fortresses in the country. The fortification was built in the 9th century by the Moorish conquerors of the region, another similar attraction albeit more recent is the Castle of San Fernando which is located on Tossal Hill. Some other sights that you may be interested in visiting are the Concatedral de San Nicolas de Bari and the Baroque-style Casa de La Asegurada.

Depending on your goal when visiting the city you can either rent a car in Alicante or make use of some Alicante transfer services in order to get from the airport to your accommodations or anywhere else around the region, rest assured that you will not regret the flexibility of having a car at your disposal during your stay there.

Alicante Related Link List

Alicante Low Cost Transfers

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Low cost Spain car hire services

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Low cost and quality Alicante transfers

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Alicante City – Spain – Video

The Algarve region of Portugal is considered by many to be the perfect holiday destination thanks to its great mix of characteristics. The Algarve has absolutely wonderful weather, modern amenities which make for a truly luxurious holiday experience, it is very family-oriented but it also offers a vibrant nightlife, great opportunities for practicing sports and other outdoor activities and last but not least, great food.

The Algarve packs a lot of fun for young and old alike

Algarve Beach

The way in which this happens is thanks to the size of the region itself, a bit over two thousand square miles, and directly linked to this the number of various resorts, villages and cities that dot its coastline and landscape.

As mentioned earlier, the reason why the Algarve is such a popular tourist destination is due to a combination of factors, main among these factors being the weather, however its location in Europe helps as well since it is reachable from most any spot in Europe in more or less three hours by plane.

Also, once you get there, regardless which airport in the region you touch down at, you are only a couple of minutes away from your accommodations by car, and whether you choose to rent a car while there or to employ some airport transfer services, they will all prove to be very good value for money.

The truth of the matter is that many people visit the Algarve because it offers such a wide variety of attractions, starting with the great weather – over three thousand hours of sunshine per year – continuing with the almost two hundred kilometers of great, clean beaches – which themselves can be categorized further – and of course you have to add to these the unique culture and history of the region, the great food and last but not least, the amazing golfing opportunities the region offers.

While the Algarve is a warm and sunny place for most of its visitors, for a serious percentage of those it is one of the premiere spots on the globe for their sport of choice, golf.

There are over thirty world-class golf courses that can be found in the region, most of them not more than a quarter of an hour’s drive from a main resort or city. In fact golfing is so huge in the region that you can employ special golf transfer services to take you to and from specific golf courses throughout the day, not to mention the services which allow you to rent golf clubs for your stay. And make no mistake about it, any golf enthusiast you will need these types of Algarve transfer services because there are so many courses to try out, you will not be satisfied with just the few that are in close proximity to your accommodation.

The great thing about the Algarve is that it is not just about one or two things, it’s not just about the golf, or the sunny weather, or the great beaches, it is about all those things together and much more that makes it such a popular holiday destination with people of all ages and interests.

Algarve Related Link List

Algarve Transfer from Faro Airport

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Algarve Car Hire, Portugal and Madeira

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Portugal car hire

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The Algarve – Travel Guide VideoClip

• The whole world envy’s France their sophisticated culture. They just seem to know how to do things in a certain way that makes many of us want to emulate them. The French just seem to have chic down to a tee with little or no effort whereas the rest of us struggle with it. A shopping trip in France is perfect for the shopaholic.

• France has so many different types of scenery and geographical features. You can visit the French Alps and enjoy the snow or go down south and enjoy the Rivera. There are unique features and attractions in almost every part of France.

• The infrastructure in France is great and it is really easy to travel around the country. The rail network is magnificent and the high speed rail networks mean that it takes little or no time to get from one side of the country to the other. The French roads are also easy to drive on.

• French food is admired around the world and you have to go there to sample the real thing. You will be able to sample many different dishes no matter what part of the country you are in; the choice really is very broad. French cheese is also something that you should try as well.

• Wine is another thing the French are famous for and there really are so many options that you will probably find it quite confusing knowing which ones to choose. Make sure that you bring a few bottles back with you; wine is surprisingly cheap in France.

Sometimes on holiday you want to go out, be sociable and enjoy the cultural sights and sounds of the world’s great destinations. At other times though, all you really want is to get away from it all.

Island holidays are brilliant for escaping from the rat race of a busy modern life. If you are looking for a complete escape, why not whisk yourself away to one of these isolated paradises?

Madeira

Madeira is a long way out into the Atlantic Ocean, which means that not that many people are prepared to slog their way out there – making it a superb island retreat. The island has lent its name to both the famous cake and fortified wine, and has some simply stunning rugged scenery for walkers and ramblers alike.

Easter Island

Easter Island is about as remote as you can get. Once you’ve taken a flight to the most westerly point of Chile, you’re still over 2,000 miles (3,500km) away from the island. The trip is totally worth it though, with some of the most sensational views in the world, including the world famous Moai statues. Easter Island is about as remote as you can get for an island. Once you arrive at Chile, which is the most westernly point you are still over 2,000 miles away! The trip is totally worth it though, Easter Island has some of the most amazing views in the world, inlcluding the uber famous Moai statues.

Koh Phi Phi Leh

Koh phi phi wasdmade famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio film The beach. Flights to Thailand are getting cheaper and cheaper at the moment, and Koh Phi Phi is best accessed by river from Krabi or Phuket.  The Island was really tampered with during the filming of the movie, but since the tsunami in 2004 most of the islands natural beauty has returned.

Meerufenfushi

The Maldives islands are a total of 1,200 islands of paradise, each one totally unique. The capital Male is worth seeing, but if you are just wanting to relax away from it all, Meeru is one of the best resorts available.

Necker Island

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has most things money can buy, including his own private island. Necker Island in the British Virgin Isles of the Caribbean is about as exclusive as islands come. Resplendent with luxury facilities, the island has capacity for around 30 people, so bumping into other tourists is a rare occasion indeed.