Algarve BlogThis Algarve blog is intended to keep you in touch with the latest in Algarve affairs. Now that I'm living here, I'm trying to keep you updated with what's going on in the Algarve and around those wonderful beaches. So, here's my regular take on occurrences in what used to be my favourite vacation spot...
but is now my favourite place to live. Tourism NewsBits and pieces that I've read just lately: British Airways have let EasyJet take over the franchise airline (GB Airways) that undertook its Faro route. So, from 30 March 2008, there'll be no Algarve flights carrying the BA livery to the Algarve's capital for the first time in over 40 years! There's also speculation that EasyJet may make Faro airport another of its mini-Euro HQs. BA, meanwhile, seems intent on operating its own Faro flights in future, but from when and at how competitive a cost are yet to be clarified. Algarve tourism appears to flourish unabated, with the official tourism body, the RTA announcing recently that the trade has grown continuously over the past three years. Although a tiny region of Portugal, Algarve is responsible for around 40% of the nation's total income from tourism, emphasising how important it is to the Portuguese economy. All the more galling then that the local authorities in Algarve feel left out of the major decisions that central government takes. The alleged misuse of the Algarve brand name by the Spanish property development in Ayamonte seems still to be rumbling on (read more here). The RTA (yes, them again) has filed a complaint about the matter with the Attorney General in Lisbon. I never did find out, though, why they think it makes sense to carry the 'Luz de la Costa' magazine in their own Turismo outlets, when it advertises nothing but the Spanish opposition... Must be that left-hand/right hand thing I blogged about - or perhaps it's just this lovely October heat? Tuesday 30 October 2007 Golfamoura?Good news for those who enjoy playing golf in beautiful surroundings, as Oceânico announces a large investment in Vilamoura Golf and Garden Resort.
It's planned to cover a 170-acre site, with Moorish-inspired buildings, gardens and pools, and a gymnasium in which to work off the effects of the bars and restaurants that are promised! Those who purchase the luxury villas and apartments will receive membership of Oceânico's seven existing Algarve golf courses. Given the likely prices of such real estate, those membership savings will be a drop in the ocean, but I suppose every little helps! Not forgetting... Meridian Penina has planned some winter-months refurbishments, ready for the 2008 fray. The driving range is to receive an extensive overhaul including covered bays with lighting. There'll also be a new irrigation system, a new chipping green, a new putting green, new car park allocations and cart paths. These investments will certainly help to cement Algarve's place as Europe's premier golf destination. Book your '08 visits now if you're a keen golfer, and... ... read more about these developments on the Algarve Golf page when there's more news available. Sunday 28 October 2007 Death and TaxesYou know how the quotation goes - they're the only two certainties. I read recently that Portuguese businesses had made a plea for a reduction in the rate of VAT (value added tax - called IVA in Portugal). The upper rate is presently an eye-watering 21%. The Portuguese finance minister's response confirmed that it was unlikely taxes would be decreased in the near future, because the country was on track to comply with the EU's Stability and Growth Pact. That'll make consumers feel better, then... On top of that, I read that inflation rose by 0.4 percent in August, fuel prices are due to rise by 2 cents per litre from January 2008, and that taxi fares will be increased soon. The answer, I suppose is to enter politics, get elected to office and enjoy all the tax-free perks they award themselves. If only I could be bothered... Saturday 27 October 2007 A Transport of Delight?
... But, don't hold your breath. As is ever the way with governmental decisions, the requisite in-depth study won't be complete until later next year. And it will need to incorporate other mooted projects, such as the 'twixt-Faro-and-Loulé Parque de Cidades and the Central Algarve Hospital, which seem to have been on a back-burner since 2004. Patience being a necessity if you're to enjoy life here, it may be quite a while before I get to announce the celebratory opening ceremony of any of these schemes in a blog on this page. Meanwhile, we'll just have to steel ourselves to enjoy travel in the Algarve as it is. Tuesday 23 October 2007 Viver AlbufeiraOut driving around that neck of the woods, we decided that it had been too long since we'd checked out the state of play in good ol' Albufeira, so off we went. The newly-pedestrianised areas of the Old Town seem to be a success, though the municipal vehicles that still have access might drive just a little less dangerously, I suppose. It was a lovely mid-October day and there were surprisingly large numbers of visitors around. Good news for the businesses of various stripes that depend on them. Down at the town beach cafés, there was an accordion/trumpet band playing some decent jazz, so we lingered for a while. We also called by the Minar Tandoori Restaurant to say hello and see how things had gone since it reopened after the extensive works around Fisherman's Beach. We were pleased to hear that things had been busy during the Summer. The restaurant itself had undergone 'elements of refurbishment' (to quote the phrase immortalised by the US Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Mr Annenberg, some decades ago). New 'French doors' along the whole of the entrance have increased the amount of internal light, and the new decor is quite fine, too. We'll have to arrange to get back there when we're in the area again and feeling peckish. Fisherman's Beach seems to have had lots of new sand put down, leaving a steep ramp that acts as a 'sea wall' and holds the water back from the upper reaches of the beach. The 'on the beach' fish restaurant - at the bottom of the cliff below the 'Albufeira is cursed...' stone bench - has disappeared, presumably never to return. A shame, we thought, as it was rather a quaint feature. The area where we enjoyed the Fishermen's Festival in 2004 is now completely paved and pedestrianised (and sanitised?) We used to have lots of fun watching drivers trying to find parking spaces there, when we were taking an evening stroll. Another spectator sport confined to history. We'll doubtless be back in Albufeira soon, and will try to give a more fulsome review of the changes that have taken place. Sunday 21 October 2007 Earache?Mobiles, cellphones... whatever you call them, they seem to be a mixed blessing. Now that they're widely available and, unless you're a fashion victim, so cheap, there seems to be no good reason not to have one, and yet - I read recently in an English-language freebie newspaper a plaintive letter from an elderly lady somewhere in the north of the country (or it might have been Spain). She was upset that some recent rain had knocked out the local exchange and, with it, her landline telephone. On top of which, the area where she lives has terrible cellphone reception, so she was, effectively, incommunicado in her own home. Her fear was that, should anything happen to her, she had no means of letting anyone know. As she lived alone, this was a frightening situation. And yet - I also read that residents in another district had successfully applied to a court for the removal of a mobile phone transmitter-cum-generator (from the description given) that had been built on top of their condominium. And that's the thing with cellphones; everyone wants good reception, but nobody wants a mast or other transmitter anywhere near where they live! As for the effect of rain on an Iberian land-line service, our own recent experience was very similar. It rained on two consecutive days and was followed by two weeks of terrible problems, until we finally managed to have Portugal Telecom do something about it. Fortunately, we seem to be in a strong signal area, so our family (Nev won't have one of his own) cellphone is always available. The bit that bothers me about the health-risks associated with cellphones is that the research done to confirm their relative harmlessness to human grey matter seems to be done by people employed by the telecomms industry. I'm sure they're all terribly nice people, but are their findings truly independent? While 'two heads are better than one' may be true in certain circumstances, that doesn't mean I'd like to grow another one, courtesy of microwave radiation! Friday 19 October 2007 Girls in Kayaks!When my friend Flip and husband Paul visited recently, we went along to try out the 'Hobie kayak' experience. I'll be putting up an Algarve kayaks page with all the relevant details soon, but here are a few 'tasters' to whet your appetite. Our armada set out in the morning from Ilha de Faro, after due explanations from main man Steve (of whom more later) about how everything worked. The kayaks are imported craft, that are propelled by pedals that work underwater fins. Sounds weird, but works very well, and you can work up quite a rate of knots once you get the hang. Unlike normal kayaks, Hobies don't require you to be strong of arm or super-fit to propel yourself along. The kayaks can also be fitted with sails, whereupon they fairly scud along in a decent wind. Best of all, if you decide you need a rest, or have 'run out of puff', there's a support boat that will take you the rest of the way, while towing your kayak. The big attraction for me, as well as entertaining my guests, was that the time would be spent sailing around the beautiful Ria Formosa nature reserve, for which eastern Algarve is justly famous.
During our day out, we saw masses of amazing marine life, plus some interestingly large birds, including pink flamingos, a huge blue heron, storks and assorted waders. It's a wildlife-lover's paradise! On top of which it was all nicely sociable, and we had food and drinks provided at the regular stop-overs. As you may have read elsewhere on this website, I'm not the best sailor in the world, but the ride was fine, I enjoyed myself immensely, and will definitely be going back for another shot at Hobie kayaking! It's suitable for most ages, it's fun, and the scenery's wonderful. What more could you ask of an adventure day out? Tuesday 16 October 2007 Poor Old Querença...They're still at it, the boys in the Municipal Works department, that is. Having begun the refurbishment works (necessary or not) in May, at the start of the tourist season, they were supposed to be finished within four months, as I wrote here. Alas, another fine plan has come to naught, and the lovely village is still in a very unlovely state, as my picture of yesterday shows.
I was tempted to cut out the figures on the left, but thought I'd leave them, just to show that there are still some hardy souls braving the mess and disruption (apart from your trusty correspondent, that is). Watch this space for the unveiling of the new-look Querença (I liked the old look), and take pity on the poor folk who try to make a living there, like the restaurant and craft shop owners. Monday 8 October 2007 Tourist TalesTourism, I understand, is a very fragile flower. For a country or region to remain top of the places-to-vacation list, it must either offer a unique experience, or perhaps unbeatable value for money. I'm always interested when I read or hear anything about Algarve tourism - and I have been ever since I first became an Algarve tourist... ... But I have never understood the concept of 'twinning'. What is it meant to achieve? Latest example to grab my attention was the upcoming signing of the documentation that will twin Albufeira with Linz in Austria. If this action brings the 'Algarve brand' to the attention of the good burghers of Linz, all well and good. (I'm not sure how many of them can have escaped hearing about Algarve thus far, but let's put that aside). I can see how it might appeal to the local politicians in both locations, entailing as I'm sure it will, taxpayer-funded 'fact-finding visits'. Whether it will encourage residents of Albufeira to vacation in Linz is a moot point. I'm sure it's a lovely place, but is it a vacation magnet? If so, it's evaded my notice (but perhaps that's why Linz is keen on the twinning). The official version is that the association of the two places will promote events and partnerships in areas such as "culture, sports and tourism" (and many others, alas unspecified). Thinking back to my last spell living in Bournemouth, UK, I drove almost daily past the road-side signs that told me of all the places it was 'twinned' with. I'm pretty sure it was approaching 'sextuplet' status... And I can't recall a single relevant cultural exchange that was reported, except for the visits from the worthy politicians involved. Of course, there's a good chance that's down to my shockingly poor memory (not!) Anyway, if this results in a sudden glut of off-season visitors to Albufeira to fill up all those empty beds in hotels, residencias and pensões, then good on the lot of them say I! And I'll eat some humble pie right here in this blog. Wednesday 3 October 2007 Road to Ruin...There are rumours about action over the state of the EN125 road that runs east to west along the Algarve coast. It used to be the main arterial road serving the Algarve until the Via do Infante (the A22, previously the IP1) was constructed using European Union money. Although the new motorway eased the traffic from the EN125, it has still managed to fall into a state of disrepair along most of its route.
But (there's always a 'but', isn't there?) the mayors of the municipalities through which the EN125 passes are all chiming in with high expectations of what should be done to improve access points and layout within their own fiefdoms. Which probably means that the central government will have to come up with cash injections, if they can be so persuaded. My fear is that, should the wrangling prove to be too protracted, the EN125 will deteriorate to the point where repairs will mean its closure for a long period. And that would throw extra burdens onto alternative roads that were probably built when cars, trucks and coaches were much scarcer than is the case today! In that case, it'll be 'watch out for Algarve road chaos'! It'd be tourism suicide if they mess up easy access to those Algarve beaches...
More news on this when I learn of any developments. Monday 1 October 2007 Return from Algarve Blog to Home page Back to top
Blog Archives
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Plans
are afoot (if that term is applicable in this instance) for
an overhaul of regional transport in the Algarve. Some of
the existing railway infrastructure may be incorporated into
a form of 'over-ground subway' (don't ask - it's Portugal!)
It may even turn out to be a tram network, if that would
prove most suitable...
And,
during peak times, when folk are driving to work or doing
'the school run', it can be frustratingly jam-packed. So,
any measures to ease such problems and make the highway more
useable should be welcomed.
