Golden age for the Algarve in 2016!

Over the past decade the landscape of the overseas property market has changed vastly. After a turbulent 10 years it has finally found its feet and now is the time to look to the future.

It is no surprise to those of us living and working in the Algarve that the southern coast of Portugal is one such market which has overcome the difficult years to strongly bounce back and is now on the rise to a golden age of investment and a myriad property options.

http://www.menuportugal.com/#!property-investment-portugal/c1xg9

To the investor it offers strong rental yields, to the holiday home owner it gives a fantastic getaway from the grind of everyday life and to the relocating expat offers a lifestyle envied by many.

The Algarve is one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations due to the clean beaches, the cool, unpolluted water, its rich culture and diversity and the fact that it is relatively cheap, safe and overwhelmingly welcoming.

With English spoken throughout the region the Algarve is a top pick for retirees wanting a laid back lifestyle filled with sun and great food and wine. It is also a great choice for golfers and boat lovers.

Don’t let your dream of owning or investing in the Algarve slip away, make your enquiry with us now and let us open the door to a world of opportunities here in sunny Portugal!

Travel and discover! Fascinating rural views and craft. Portugal

Heritage

Discover the cultural heritage of the Algarve as seen in its architecture, its landscape and its traditions. The echoes of the past can still be heard in the old lanes of the town, with their traditional houses dating from the golden age of cork when São Brás de Alportel was one of the main centres of the cork industry in the country.

In these parts, old Moorish legends can still be heard, with the bell of the main church in the background. A few metres away, it is well worth having a look at the Jardim da Verbena, close to the Old Episcopal Palace, and then walk along the “calçadinha”, the cobbled Roman road. In the countryside can be seen water-wheels and other hydraulic devices from a bygone era.

This thematic hub is the entry point for visitors into the wonderful world of cork.

Nature

On the way up to the hills of the serra, enjoy the dazzling scenery, with cork oaks as far as the eye can see! Breathe in the pure air, listen to the birds singing and experience an eco-system into which human beings merge harmoniously. Walk along the old footpaths, discover some of the habitats of Rede Natura 2000, in the hope of catching a glimpse of a Bonelli’s eagle or even the very rare Iberian lynx. In this natural setting, you will find out about the techniques for removing the cork from the trees and stacking it up, techniques that have been employed for centuries.

Rural Life

With us you can rediscover the old customs of the rural Algarve, while you ramble through the fields and the villages of the Barrocal, carefully whitewashed in a clear affirmation of their Arab heritage.

This is a unique opportunity to speak to farmers involved in their daily toil and to try out some of the most authentic culinary treats. Enjoy the honey, the ‘aguardente’ brandy, the liqueurs and local sweets, which incorporate the flowers and berries of the serra so well, and the dried fruits from the dryland orchards: carob, figs and almonds.

by Rota da Cortiça

Beach paradise. Close to you. Portugal

Wish to feel this joy, this happiness, just enjoying yourself and this very moment..? Portugal beach paradise is what where you have got to be, that's right 
One of the most impressive and diverse ocean coast landscape in the world

And maybe it's good that not that many people are aware of it
Cause besides several famous spots there are hundreds of true gems, this hidden secret spots
Where you feel this pure bliss, tranquility and on top of the world
And nothing disturbs you
Only albatross accidentally screams too close to you. But it's rather cute!

The Atlantic Ocean coastline is immense and very diverse from region to region here, besides natural beauty and its variety it has all the best to offer for families and little kids, extreme sport lover, gourmands and great wine appreciators. And party goers too )

Get to discover it. Only in Portugal! )

Algarve. Portugal Golden age centre.

Discover the broad sweep of the rich cultural and historical legacy, bestowed upon the region by civilizations such as the Moors and the Romans. Such memories can be traced through the monuments, traditions, architecture and, of course, all the habits and customs of the people of the Algarve, with their well-deserved reputation for warm welcomes and fine hospitality.

The golden age of the Portuguese Discovery Voyages placed the Algarve at the centre of some key events in those great adventures that opened up new worlds to the West. 

Setting sail from Lagos and Sagres were the caravels of Prince Henry the Navigator and explorers such as Gil Eanes, a renowned Algarvian honored for his daring feats.

With its landscape enriched by such history, the Algarve has progressed in modern times, subtly preserving this fine blend of different forms of knowledge and culture.

Influenced by a diverse range of cultures, the Algarve has blended the habits of its people with the customs imported from many far off destinations. Such an approach has resulted in the rich Algarve art and handicraft. The studios and workshops of artists and craftsmen produce the wide variety of articles that you will find on display in craft shops across the region. They feature all the truly impressive regional range of articles made of copper, wrought iron, wood, cork, ceramic, tile and clay, in addition to all the basketwork, delightful examples of bone lace, coverlets, and rag or jute dolls – the famous Martinlongo dolls.

In architecture, the lacework-patterned chimneys, fascias and roof terraces serve as testimony to the heritage of popular artistic styles.

Music and dancing merge in local folklore traditions and express all that is most authentic in Algarve culture. The ‘baile mandado’ with its spoken steps, the twirling ‘baile de roda’ and the contagious pace of the ‘corridinho’ are some of the most popular dances in the Algarve, enjoyed by both local people and visitors alike.

Festivals and religious celebrations are public expressions of the bonds that still bind modern Algarve to its roots. Throughout the region, ancient traditions are still celebrated in recognition of the fruits of both the land and the sea. The Fisherman’s Festival in Albufeira, with its century-old traditional games, is an event held in honor of the men that sail out from these shores. 

The Seafood Festival in Olhão and the Sardine Festival in Portimão are two of the leading gastronomic events that further evoke the ties with the sea and the longstanding fishing traditions of the Algarve people.

The Mãe Soberana (Sovereign Mother) Festival in Loulé and the Hallelujah Festival – including the procession of Flowered Torches – in São Brás de Alportel are two of the largest religious festivals in the Algarve and fill the streets with processions and religious music.

The Nights of the Enchanted Moorish Maiden in Cacela Velha, the Mediaeval Days in Castro Marim and the 16th-century Fair held in Lagos recreate scenes and events from times long gone.

Discover! Enjoy.

 by visitportugal 

Algarve in Portugal - an idyllic year-round destination.

The Algarve, derived from the Arabic term ‘Al Gharb’ meaning ‘The West’, is situated in the extreme south of Portugal. The region is a delight to visit all year round with golden sandy beaches on the coast offering a haven for sun seekers whilst the sleepy hillside villages further inland offer peace and tranquillity for those looking to get away from the stresses and strains of everyday life.

Must See

Resorts including Albufeira, Armação de Pêra, Praia da Rocha, and Vilamoura, are among the Algarve's main holiday destinations. Offering an excellent selection of accommodation, beaches, entertainment and a variety of nightlife ranging from cabaret shows at casinos to lively discos and quaint, welcoming bars, it is no surprise that the Algarve has visitors coming back year after year.

The coastal city of Faro is the region’s capital. Faro stands out as an important commercial, artistic and ncultural centre. Often simply passed through by visitors as a gateway, the city in fact offers fascinating architecture as part of the region’s rich history.

Sagres, on the western coast was the place where Infante D. Henrique (Henry the Navigator) founded a school of navigation during the 15th century thus instigating a culture of maritime exploration. Moving east, Henry the Navigator also had a great influence in Lagos. Set in one of the largest bays in the Algarve, Lagos was once an important naval centre and is now an attractive, bustling town. Evidence of its important naval history is still visible today with a large statue of Henry the Navigator gazing out to sea situated in one of the town’s main squares

Despite being most famous for its sandy beaches, the inland villages of the Algarve offer visitors peace and quiet in its lush green hills. The cork and oak forests are a haven for nature lovers and provide the natural habitat for the Iberian Lynx, now an endangered species. Just as interesting are the Algarve mountains of Serra de Monchique where you can relax at the natural thermal spa of Termas de Monchique once described as ‘sacred’ by the Romans.

Tavira, situated on the edge of the Ria Formosa Nature Park, is a must-see for visitors to this area of the Algarve. This pretty town is abundant with historic churches and fine mansions as well as a plethora of excellent restaurants where you can sample delicious local seafood.

Once a rich and powerful city, today Silves is a sleepy town lying in the foothills of the Serra de Monchique mountains. Believed to have been founded by the Phoenicians, its cathedral and red sandstone castle remind visitors of its rich and industrious Moorish past, which came to an end after a three-month siege led by King Sancho I in 1189.

Silves boasts the best preserved castle in the Algarve. Built on the site of the 11th-century Palace of the Verandahs, its turreted walls dominate the town and provide panoramic views over the surrounding countryside. The town's 13th-century Gothic Cathedral, built on the site of a former mosque, contains a number of Crusader tombs and a jasper statue of Nossa Senhora da Conceição believed to date from the 14th century.

Vila Real de Santo António is 53 miles (85km) east of Faro and is neatly designed on a geometric grid system. Radiating out from the central square, the Praca Marquês de Pombal with its dramatic paved radial mosaic floor and central obelisk is edged with orange trees. The town is on the west bank of the River Guadiana. Back in the 17th century the original town was flooded by the sea, and was rebuilt by the Marquês de Pombal who had rebuilt Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake. The reconstruction was completed in just five months leaving a tidy town with streets lined by elegant 18th century townhouses, and a long esplanade along the riverbank where strollers can enjoy an impressive view. Visitors can take river tours inland along the Guadiana River from Vila Real de Santo António.

Wherever you opt on going, for sure you will discover really fascinating places and amazing gastronomy, and your experience in beautiful Algarve is just meant to be excellent.

by turismodoalgarve

Enjoying life in Algarve, Portugal - great fun, festivals and events!

In February each year there is a carnival being celebrated in most parts of the Algarve, but none has such a deeply rooted tradition as the Loulé Carnival.

The city fills up with colour as visitors and locals gather to watch the vibrant parade. This procession of colourful floats with over-sized puppets, samba groups and lots of music is a huge festivity in the region.

For five days, the Med Festival brings life and excitement to the streets of Loulé’s historic centre at the beginning of the summer (June). World music originating from Morocco and various southern European countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal as well as other forms of art, including handicraft exhibitions, dance performances and street theatre will keep any visitor enthralled.

A paradise for seafood lovers, the annual Festival do Marisco is held in August each year in the Jardim do Pescador Olhanense in the town of Olhão just five kilometres east of Faro and the gateway to the Ria Formosa Natural Park.

One of the most important gastronomic events in the Algarve calendar, the Festival do Marisco, is an opportunity for local fishermen to proudly display their catch on one of the hundreds of stalls that line the fishing port. Offering visitors the chance to sample some of the local delicacies, a wide range of seafood is available ranging from grilled sardines to fried shrimps and of course the traditional cataplana, a much-loved Portuguese dish. Music and folk dancing accompany the festival with performers encouraging both locals and visitors to eat, drink and enjoy the superb atmosphere.

At the end of August, Castro Marim and Silves return to the Middle Ages in a historical re-enactment.

During four days and nights the castle of Castro Marim once again plays host to kings and queens, knights in shining armour, jesters, buffoons, noblemen and ladies as the entire court takes part in a procession.

Jousting tournaments – on foot and on horseback – street theatre performances, banquets accompanied by medieval music and a handicrafts and merchandise fair complement the entertainment enabling visitors to relive the magic and mystery of times gone by.

by turismoportugal

Algarve. Great cultural heritage.

Visiting the Algarve is not just an opportunity to enjoy the magnificent beaches and delicious cuisine; it is also a chance to discover a rich cultural heritage handed down over many centuries of history.

Occupied since pre-historic times, the municipality of Aljezur enjoyed a period of great prosperity during the five centuries of Islamic occupation. Indeed, the town of Aljezur was founded by the Arabs in the 10^th century, and they built the imposing castle that can still be visited today.

In 1249, D. Paio Peres Correia won the town back from the Moors. In 1280, King Dinis granted Aljezur its charter and in 1504 it was awarded a new charter by King Manuel I.

After a period of prosperity which coincided with the maritime Discoveries and the town sending its agricultural produce to Lagos, Aljezur faced hard times, later exacerbated by the 1755 earthquake. The earthquake destroyed most of the town and left the main church in complete ruins. The intervention of the then Bishop of the Algarve, D. Francisco Gomes do Avelar, was needed to build this church and set in motion the construction of a new urban centre.

Aljezur Castle

An Arab military building dating from the 10^th century, located on the top of a hill. It has a long stretch of wall with two towers, and on the inside a vaulted cistern of Arab origin, as well as the remains of houses and barracks. Aljezur Castle was taken by the Christians in the 13th century and fulfilled an important defensive role until the 18th century.

Visitors can enjoy a wonderful view from here.

Bordeira Main Church

An 18th century church, it has a longitudinal floor plan with a single nave and a chancel with a carved gilt triumphal arch in front.

The main features are the altarpiece in the chancel and the two side altarpieces in the Baroque style, where some high quality statues can be seen. Examples are the

statues of Nossa Senhora da Encarnação (Our Lady of the Incarnation) and Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Our Lady of the Rosary)(18^th century), of Santo António (St Anthony) and São Francisco (St Francis)(17th century) and of São Sebastião (St Sebastian)(16th century).

There is more than a thousand impressive monuments and historical sites in the region. They will definitely be mentioned in the next series of articles. Explore and enjoy! And happy travelling.

Best places to be. In Algarve. Portugal.

The Algarve is one of the most beautiful regions of Portugal, featuring a cliff-lined coast of golden beaches and fantastic towns. Despite its reduced size, this region is very diverse and boasts a wide range of historic monuments and magnificent cathedrals. If you want to move to Portugal, buying or renting a property in the Algarve is an excellence choice. This part of the country is a paradise for those who love art and culture.

Here are top five best sights in the Algarve:

Caldas de Monchique

This spa town in the Algarve region is famous for its waters that have healing properties. The village is located in a narrow gorge with amazing rock cliffs. Its waters are hot at 32 degrees Celsius and contain fluorine and sodium. It is believed that these waters cure bone diseases and respiratory problems. Since it is located on the highest point in the Algarve, Caldas de Monchique is a wonderful escape.

Castelo

Castelo is located west of Albufeira, featuring a picturesque sandy beach surrounded by impressive cliffs and rock formations. This small town boasts a large number of shops and restaurants, as well as magnificent views of the region and surrounding countryside.

Zoomarine Theme Park

The Zoomarine Theme Park makes a great day for people of all ages. This popular attraction features various shows and presentations featuring a myriad of tropical birds, as well as dolphins, sea lions, and seals. Visitors can experience unique sensations while discovering the mysteries of marine life. This amusement park boats swimming pools, stores, restaurants, cinema 4D, rides, and various habitats.

Cabo de Sao Vicente

The Sacred Promotory or Cabo de Sao Vicente is Europe's most south-western corner. It consists if a steep cliff of approximately 69 meters with very little vegetation. If you live in the Algarve, you can visit this place to clear your mind and relax while watching the sea. The cliffs were once known as "El Fin de Mundo" (the end of the world). There is also an impressive lighthouse that provides guiding to ships passing the caps.

Old Town, Albufeira

The Old Town in Albufeira still delights travelers looking for the real Portugal. The old time is a step away from the commercial part of the city. There is a lovely sandy beach where visitors can watch locals making sand sculptures. You can also take lunch or dinner one of the traditional restaurants in area, go to the local gipsy market, and walk along the beach to the new marina.

Life in Portugal is not only quiet and relaxing, but full of joy and tradition. If you want to move to the Algarve, you will discover a different culture and unique customs. The best sights in this region reflect its long and tumultuous history

by ezinearticles.com

Design in Portugal. Fazenda Nova - a smash hit Hotel in the eastern Algarve

For years they dreamed of selling up and moving to a place they considered a glorious secret: the eastern Algarve. Hallie and Tim Robinson, from London, viewed it as one of the world's hidden gems – a place of salt pans and sand dunes, vast white beaches, wildlife-filled nature reserves and colourful ferries seemingly taking you back in time to tiny, old-fashioned holiday islands.

Over late-night glasses of wine, they plotted and planned how they would pack up their treasures (the three children – Felix, Milo and Riley) and leave, never to return. But busy jobs, children's schooling and the stress of life got in the way. Hallie worked in fashion PR, while Tim ran a logistics business.
That was until one day early in 2008 when Tim, then 43, suffered a mild heart attack that stopped the family in its tracks. Within six months, the jobs were gone, friends had waved them off and they were in the Algarve, roughing it in the sunshine.

Three years later, they speak Portuguese fluently, their children are in local schools and they have a secluded, 10-bedroom country-house hotel called Fazenda Nova.
Fazenda Nova is 25 minutes by car from Faro airport, and a short drive from Tavira, a town that many Portuguese consider their country's prettiest, dating from the bronze age.

With a magpie eye for flea market knick-knacks and idiosyncratic antique furniture from around the world, the couple have imbued a highly polished modernist interior with their story. Old letterpresses are filled with quirky keyrings and brightly coloured tins wink from the shelves. There are toy robots and glass bottles and old shoes stays, all adding character to the polished concrete and reclaimed wood.
Some of their chairs and consoles were Portuguese pieces exported to Brazil during colonisation, which the couple have shipped back
Upstairs in the library are old copies of The Face, Arena and Smash Hits – British cult magazines founded in the 1980s by Nick Logan – Hallie's dad and business partner. Hallie first came to the Algarve as a child with her parents, and says she feels the place has been in her blood ever since.

The couple created Fazenda Nova by taking what they saw as the best of old and new: combining original features and traditional Algarve style with contemporary architecture. Family friend David Eyre – founder of London's Eagle gastropub and latterly of the Eyre Brothers restaurant in Shoreditch – has given guidance on the menu, and Kate Lewis, a former chef at the Eagle, works there alongside Ricardo Aragao, who brings years of knowledge of Portuguese cuisine.
The seasonal produce that is served in their restaurant, "A Cozinha", is supplemented by the harvest from their 10 hectares of olive groves, carob, fig and pomegranate orchards and a herb garden.
A 200-year-old bread oven has been restored to working order and is now producing loaves under the watchful eye of local women who know how it should be done.

Nine of the rooms have private gardens or terraces. There's a penthouse suite and two apartments with small kitchens. The infinity pool has views of the surrounding countryside and pod-style hammocks swing under the shade of olive trees.
Tim and Hallie have several favourite places just a short drive away, which they pointed out to me on a map: pretty 18th-century cobblestoned towns, bustling fishing ports and a system of barrier islands – the Ria Formosa – that stretches for 60 miles.
Tim directed me to what he considers his secret haven: the tiny island of Armona. As I stepped off the ferry, I could see the appeal. It is a paradise for those seeking peace, with just a few bars and shops, one-storey bungalows and chalets. There are similar islands and beaches all along this stretch, some accessible by ferry or water taxi. There's also a toytown-style train to the beautiful Praia do Barril beach.

Hallie led me to the place at the top of her list: a flea market, held on the first Sunday of every month beside the beach in the town of Fuseta. It's one of the best I've visited. At one stall, she did the haggling for me and for €30 I walked away with a stunning art deco-style crystal chandelier. And of course, she couldn't help buying a few things for herself. Then, turning the corner, we bumped into Hallie's father, bearing a series of vibrant women's magazines from the 1950s. They too were destined for Fazenda Nova.

Célia Pedroso, a Portuguese food writer and friend, took me to the fish and vegetable market in the port town of Olhão where we ogled sardines caught less than an hour previously and stalls of colourful vegetables. We picked the best piri piri peppers, bunches of dried oregano, locally produced honeys and jams, almonds and tinned sardines – all to be stuffed in my suitcase.

On Armona, Célia showed me a trick she learned as a child: digging in the sand with your heels at low tide and collecting dozens of cadelinhas, tiny sweet clams that she later cooked with garlic, coriander and olive oil.
That night, beneath a clear sky, with no light pollution to spoil our view of the endless stars, we sipped at glasses of crisp, slightly gassy vinho verde, and I began plotting my own escape to this secret coast.

by guardian.co.uk; fazendanova.eu  

Tavira Island, Portugal. Museum on a beach.

Rust In Peace: Portugal’s Eerie Anchor Graveyard

Tavira Island (Ilha de Tavira) hugs southern Portugal's scenic Algarve shoreline, it's long and slender dimensions hugging the coast for 6.85 miles (11km). Park of the Ria Formosa nature reserve, Tavira Island boasts some of the Algarve's best beaches.

Take a few steps back from the beach – not too many, as the island is only 500 ft to 3,300 ft (150 m to 1 km) wide – and you’ll find a curious sight among the shifting sand dunes: a graveyard of anchors.
Interestingly, the upturned tips of the half-buried anchors strikingly resemble some of the standing sea stacks characteristic of the Algarve coast.
The Cemitério das Âncoras, as it’s known in Portuguese, is an odd and unexpected assemblage of several hundred iron anchors. Gnarled and rusted from years of use and even more years of disuse, the anchors are positioned on their sides with one hook looping into the air and the other driven into the island’s moist, welcoming soil.

Anchor Species

There is no exclusionary fence at the Anchor Graveyard, no sign or signal as to who made it and for what purpose. What little we know, we have learned from the remaining descendants of the people who, for many generations, exploited the formerly abundant bluefin tuna that once plied the wild waves just offshore.
The rough and unpredictable waters where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean called for a unique tuna-fishing technique invented long ago, perhaps by the ancient Phoenicians who first explored and colonized the area before the Romans built an Empire.

The anchors might look like those used to hold small ships steady but they weren’t used for that purpose. Instead, Portugal’s traditional tuna fishermen used them to hold their huge funnel nets (“armações de atum”) in place against both the force of the sea and the exertions of massive, trapped bluefin tuna.

by weburbanist.com

Lisbon. Portugal. Must see! Mercado de vinhos do Campo Pequeno

O Mercado de Vinhos do Campo Pequeno, em Lisboa, vai recriar o espírito dos antigos espaços de compre a venda portugueses. Ou seja, lugares onde se adquiria tudo diretamente aos produtores. No caso vertente, o mercado vai estar adaptado a uma temática: os vinhos provenientes de dezenas de produtores nacionais. 

A organização promete reunir, entre 1 e 4 de novembro, “os melhores vinhos, produzidos por pequenos e médios produtores de cada uma das regiões vinícolas de Portugal”. Um encontro que augura “muita qualidade e preço atrativo”.

O Mercado de Vinhos nasce com um duplo objetivo: promover micro e pequenas empresas ligadas ao sector vinícola e sensibilizar os consumidores para produtos portugueses inovadores e criativos.

As regiões presentes neste mercado são: Alentejo, Douro, Dão, Tejo, Bairrada, Terras do Sado, Lisboa, Beiras, Trás-os-Montes, Algarve, Açores, Vinhos Verdes, Madeira, Porto.

by enofiloprincipiante.blogspot

Amazing rural retreats in Portugal

by Guardian the Observer


Portugal quintas - country estates with bags of character. Some are hidden in the hills, some on the coast, some cheap, others very chic, but glorious scenery and a slower pace of life come as standard.

Rustic chic

Quinta das Sequoias Estremadura

Hidden in a deep forest, this long, two-storey white quinta, dating from 1870, is full of delights and dream-like views of palaces and castles. Corridors and walls are adorned with paintings and sculptures from some of Portugal's foremost artists, alongside fascinating older pieces from all over the world. Bedrooms are individual, with carved beds and polished mahogany furniture, with rugs on tiled floors. In front of the house the garden descends on lawned terraces, with pergolas and lush foliage, to a burbling stream below and a swimming pool with views for miles.
· Estrada de Monserrate, Estremadura

Quinta de Alcaidaria-Mór Ribatejo

The wisteria-clad manor has been in the family for 300 years and is every inch the grand country house: stately cedar-lined drive, box-hedged gardens, 14th-century chapel. The main house is a cool, gracious building - light streams into lofty, elegant rooms with marble floors, arches and delicate plasterwork. An attractive self-catering house is just up the hill, while the B&B rooms are in the main building - and very special they are, too. Expect antique dressers, beds, comfortable chairs, perhaps a grand bathtub with clawed feet. Add to this great views, a peaceful pool and the natural kindness of your English-speaking host and you begin to get the measure of this charming place.
· Ourem, Ribatejo

Quinta Dimalago Algarve

Silves is the oldest city in the Algarve and Quinta Dimalago has a fantastic view of its Moorish castle, gorgeous when floodlit at night. The big, beautiful, tropical garden with its natural pool and waterfalls is on a migrating path for birds and is a wildlife haven. Choose between the renovated 200-year cottage - stunning with its Sri Lankan doors, Dutch antiques and Moroccan suite - and the newly built quinta, whose modest shell hides a strikingly decorated and superbly well-furnished and equipped interior.
Generous rooms have natural ventilation, while solar panels and rainwater harvesting reflect the green consciences of the relaxed and delightful Dutch owners. They live opposite and welcome you on arrival with a glass of sparkling wine. Heaven.
· Silves, Algarve

Quinta da Fonte Bispo Algarve

Enjoy the benign climate and closeness to the sea in the gentle hills of the Algarve hinterland. This old farmstead is a long, low, white building with pretty chimney stacks and broad bands of blue around doors and windows. Parts of the farm are 200 years old but it has been completely renovated. The six suites in the converted outbuildings, fronting a cobbled central patio, were designed with families in mind: open-plan sitting rooms have beds which double up as sofas and open fires for cosy winter days. The restaurant serves Portuguese food (delicious cheeses and chorizo), and there is a sauna, table-tennis, pool and mini-gym.
· Fonte do Bispo, Tavira, Algarve