Alvor - a quiet Algarve gem
It seems like Alvor is one of those places that you hardly register when you scan a map of the Algarve...
It's easily overlooked, when you're looking for Algarve locations, whether you intend to visit, or are seeking accommodation.
Certainly, the bigger, brassier, more renowned (or do I mean infamous?) resorts tend to spring to mind much more readily than does Alvor.
And yet...
I enjoyed it so much when we drove there from Portimao during our September 2005 stay that we went back another three times. And this was despite some frantic house-hunting taking place during the same vacation!
Why did I like it so much? Probably because it's so unassuming - and relatively unspoilt.
There are a few unfortunately concrete-bunker apartment blocks down at the eastern end of the town. But it hardly qualifies as urban sprawl.
Most of the rest of Alvor can be enjoyed on several levels.
My main attraction was the narrow roads and encroaching buildings of the old town on the hill. Lovely to walk around and just savour the atmosphere - even when it's full of tourists like me!
Then there's the splendid waterfront promenade, with its fronded palms and open-air tables and seating. Quite cosmopolitan-feeling, without resorting to the pearls-and-diamonds flash of Monte Carlo.
Just on the northern outskirts, there are some fine accommodation choices offering wonderful sea views. One of them is right next door to the camping site, of which I've written in more detail on my Algarve Camping page.
In the old town, simple plain tables clutter the narrow alleys and customers eat and drink while savouring the bustle around them.
For the determinedly 'techno' visitor, there are communications shops offering international telephony and Internet access at very reasonable rates.
But what I liked most was the variety of small shops that have no affiliations to the dreaded retail chains that seem to be swallowing up most of the inhabited world. There are plenty of outlets offering local crafts and genuine, non-touristy shopping experiences. Enjoy them while you can, I say, in case they're soon gone for ever!
The Alvor of Yore
Located as it is in a favourable and easily-accessed part of Algarve's southern coastline, Alvor has long been a popular spot with the seasoned traveller...
... and that comment holds true for as long ago as when Neolithic migrants struck up an encampment there!
Judging by the archaeological finds, the Romans also found it a sympathetic spot at which to linger.
It thrived, too, during the Moorish period of Algarve history, when its significance as a trading port was confirmed - and lasted right up to the earthquake of 1755, which laid low much of the Algarve's established townships. Only two lengths of wall still remain as proof that old Alvor was indeed a fortified settlement and, in the spirit of 'waste not, want not' now form buttresses for the houses that have been built against them.
Alvor Now
Much of what was a thriving fishing village, before the tourist boom, is still here to enjoy.
Few buildings loom large enough to obscure the view of the lagoon, and low-rise is the order of the day, (except for some blocks at the very outskirts, as mentioned earlier).
Whether by design or by sheer luck, much of the character of the place has survived, to be enjoyed by the discerning holidaymaker (that's you and me, by the way).
I was initially intrigued by the hourly sounding of the church bells, but they did help me make it back in time to meet Nev after I'd sloped off for some beach sun and left him to his own amusements...
The sights, sounds and smells are all part of the experience. Many of the restaurants, especially those specialising in seafood, have much of the cooking and grilling done outside, which I'm sure does wonders for swelling customer numbers, once the aromas have done their work!
As we were casting around for somewhere to eat, I was handed a leaflet about a restaurant named 'Blue Reef', which offered not only international cuisine, but also 3 - yes, 3! - vegetarian options. That might be something of a record in Algarve, so you fellow-veggies take note. If you're in Alvor, and despairing of finding something you can eat, you can always try the Blue Reef. (It's located near the roundabout as you approach the town centre, near the taxi rank and Post Office. Telephone 282 459 6196 if you're still lost.)
Alvor Beach
Interestingly, providing you don't mind the walk, Alvor's beach is a few minutes away from the town.
It is worth the stroll, however, as it's not only a fine expanse of sand, with enough waves to attract surfers, but is also huge in length.
Nev and I did spend some time, though, away from the main beach, on the other side of the lagoon from the town, where we lazed away part of an afternoon watching the goings on back where the tourist bustle was happening.
There was enough sand to repose comfortably, and few strollers came close enough to interrupt our langour.
The lagoon is something of a boon (if you'll pardon the inadvertent rhyme), with plenty going on for the interested observer to see. All sorts of craft pass by, from the workaday to the hugely expensive. While, on the other side of the water are some villas to make your mouth water - (one day, when I've saved enough)...
But the real appeal of Alvor, when I analyse it, is that wonderful higgledy-piggledy, up-and-down old town, around which I love to walk around, soaking up the atmosphere.
If you want an Algarve experience to remember, why not try Alvor?
If you've never visited Alvor, why not try it? I bet you'll enjoy yourself there.
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