THE JAILHOUSE IS RETURNING TO ITS ROOTS
THE JAILHOUSE AN ICONIC MUSIC VENUE SINCE THE 1960s, IS RETURNING TO ITS ROOTS The story goes that, after months of sitting on a melody with the working title Scrambled Eggs, Sir Paul McCartney wrote the lyrics to the Beatles’ classic hit Yesterday while on holiday in the Algarve. Whether it was in Albufeira, as sources suggest, or on the cliffs of Algar Seco, as business-owner and musician Roger Bernou believes, the fact of...
CRUNCH TIME
THE GRUPO DESPORTIVO DE LAGOA NOW HAS ITS OWN BASKETBALL TEAM In September 2014, they didn’t even have a ball, let alone a kit. By mid-season, they were 5th in the league. This may only be its first official season as GD Lagoa, but the basketball team now wearing Lagoa’s municipal colours has actually been around for much longer. Already veterans on the country’s basketball scene, the players once formed the ACD...
THE ITALIAN JOB
FROM ITALY TO THE ALGARVE INSIDE LOOKS AT THE METEORIC RISE OF THE NOSOLO GROUP From its humble beginnings as a small ice cream parlour that opened on Portimão’s riverside in the early ’80s, today, you can’t visit the Algarve and now Lisbon, for that matter without seeing the Nosolo logo somewhere on your travels. It’s a name that’s on everyone’s lips, and one that has become synonymous with...
LIVING THE GOOD LIFE
COLOURFUL AND LARGER THAN LIFE THE FUN ARTWORK OF MADELEINE VAN KLEEF When Madeleine van Kleef decides to do something, she does it. That much was clear when she gave up working as a secretary in her native Holland to become a beautician relatively late in life, just as it was clear when she suddenly decided to learn how to paint. Fast-forward nine years, during which time she moved to Portugal to be closer to her son’s young...
ART AMONG THE ROOFTOPS
FERRAGUDO WELCOMES ARTE ALGARVE’S NEWEST GALLERY If Rolf Osang were ever to open a new gallery, it would have to be something quite special to follow in the footsteps of Arte Algarve, whose artworks hang on the walls of ÚNICA, a working winery in Lagoa. Four-and-a-half years after it first opened, the gallery owner has finally found what he deemed to be the perfect place for a second exhibition centre: a quirky townhouse in the...
SPRING SKINCARE
Like many before him, and no doubt many after, Dutchman Ron Voskamp fell in love with Ferragudo the moment he laid eyes on this charming fishing town. And while this is where his business is based, in a tiny showroom right on the main square, it is not Ferragudo he is promoting, but the mountain town of Monchique, more specifically, its spring water. The natural springs of Caldas de Monchique, the only termas in the Algarve, have been...
SURF THE SKY
IS IT A BIRD? IS IT A PLANE? NO, IT’S A FLYBOARD jetpack that shoots you up into the air and lets you leap in and out of the water like a dolphin all sounds very futuristic, but it’s actually a pretty common sighting just off the beach at Praia da Rocha. It’s called flyboarding and it’s the latest watersport to arrive in the Algarve. “We have been selling jet skis in the Algarve for more than 20 years, so...
URBAN CANVAS
ARMED WITH SPRAY CANS AND AN EYE FOR DETAIL, STEPHEN JONES IS SET ON CHANGING THE IDEA OF GRAFFITI FOR THE BETTER It may have a negative connotation usually associated to vandalism but, wall by wall, Lagoa resident Stephen Jones is slowly changing people’s perception of graffiti. “Graffiti isn’t just tags and scribbles,” says the 22-year-old artist, “and the only way for people to understand that...
THE ART OF HOSPITALITY
SHAPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROFESSIONALS: MEET THE HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM SCHOOL OF PORTIMÃO Tourism is without a doubt the backbone of the Algarve’s economy, sustained by luxury hotels and quality bars and restaurants that provide the finest standards of gastronomy and service. For that, in the most part, we can thank the much-acclaimed Hospitality and Tourism School in Portimão. Created in 1970 ...
SIGNATURE INSPIRATION
JEWELLER NUNO LOPES CREATES PIECES THAT ARE JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO WEAR THEM: ONE OF A KIND We first spotted Nuno Lopes at the Fatacil fair in Lagoa, working away on a piece of silver as a couple of children stood by, mesmerised. We later found out that some of these children return to his stand, year after year, to watch the jeweller at work, and often get a simple band as a reward for their curiosity. For Nuno, it’s...
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
RSR WANTS TO PROVE THE PORTIMÃO CIRCUIT IS A WORLD-CLASS RACETRACK THAT CAN BE USED ALL YEAR LONG Ron Simons is a happy Dutchman. After racing everything from single seaters to Group C cars, he thought it would be a good idea to teach others how to do it. First he served as expert instructor for Porsche and Ferrari during the Noughties, and then decided it was time for his own enterprise, opening Ron Simons Racing in 2002....
DOM CRISTINA
THE ALGARVE’S BELOVED BRANDY AND HONEY LIQUEUR CHANGES ITS NAME, BUT NOT ITS TASTE Those who love their liqueurs and have visited or lived in the Algarve at one time or another will almost certainly know the name Brandymel. Made since 1955 in Portimão by the local Cristina family and winner of many international prizes, the brandy and honey tipple has recently seen a bureaucratic detail strip it of its name. Now...
CROSSFIT CRAZE
INSIDE CARVOEIRO WAS PUT THROUGH ITS PACES AT PORTIMÃO’S OWN CROSSFIT BOX Looking up at the clock, there are five more reps still to squeeze in. As our arms threaten to give way beneath us, we glance around the room. There’s a distinct feeling that the words ‘giving up’ aren’t in these people’s vocabulary. Some are even smiling. It’s 7.45pm and we’re in a CrossFit class, an...
CARVOEIRO, UNITED
THE PRIDE OF THE COMMUNITY: CARVOEIRO NOW HAS ITS VERY OWN FOOTBALL CLUB They may have only formed officially in August, but FC Carvoeiro United has already taken its place in the hearts of the community. “The name started as a bit of a joke, but it really represents us well. We’re a mixture of Portuguese and foreign players of various nationalities who have all come together to represent Carvoeiro,” said John...
ALGARVE ON THE TABLE
POPULAR WITH SEAFOOD-LOVERS EVERYWHERE, THE CATAPLANA IS A REGIONAL CULINARY CLASSIC Its appearance may be unusual, but the unique cataplana is a true symbol of the Algarve’s culinary tradition, and a delicious one at that. Named after the cookware in which it is prepared a clam-shaped dish that’s traditionally made of copper , the cataplana is a typical Portuguese seafood dish whose origin is inextricably linked to the...
PEDALS & PADDLES
ON LAND AND BY SEA, ONE NEW VENTURE IS SHOWING THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Whether it’s the heart of the Portuguese countryside or the rugged cliffs that line the coast, the Algarve has a wealth of charms beyond the traditional tourist spots that are just waiting to be discovered. Now, two companies have joined their two different modes of transportation to share the very best of both worlds, with the launch of the unique Pedals and...
SPRING RENEWAL
WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW SEASON, THERE WAS MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE SPRING CLEANING GOING ON AROUND CARVOEIRO They say that spring is a time of renewal, and no one took that more literally than the good people of Carvoeiro, as up and down the town, established businesses got complete face-lifts and new ones opened their doors. From new supermarkets and shops to totally revamped restaurants, and even a brand new boardwalk that runs...
PRINTS CHARMING
PORTUGUESE HERITAGE HAS NEVER BEEN SO STYLISH, THANKS TO PORTIMÃO-BASED LIPSCANI The day we met Mariana Pires, she was wearing one of her own designs. “I’m replacing my wardrobe, bit by bit,” explains the petite brunette. Although she doesn’t sell her clothes just yet, the 22-year-old designer is already making waves with her beautiful accessories, which have been gracing the pages of national magazines since the brand was...
TIME FOR CULTURE
THE TEMPO THEATRE IN PORTIMÃO PROVES THERE IS PLENTY OF CULTURE IN THE ALGARVE Here at Inside, we were surprised at the amount of people who hadn’t heard of TEMPO, and those who had still weren’t quite sure where or what it was. It is, in fact, one of the best cultural offerings in the region, housed in a beautiful 18th-century landmark in Portimão. TEMPO, or the Teatro Municipal de Portimão, opened in December 2008 as a...
RETAIL THERAPY
FORGET SHOPPING CENTRES: CARVOEIRO AND FERRAGUDO HAVE EVERYTHING FOR THE MOST DEMANDING CUSTOMER The former fishing village of Carvoeiro has become synonymous with dining out, but look beyond the numerous restaurants and you’ll find that the town is also home to plenty of shops selling everything from clothes and accessories to souvenirs and items for the home and garden. Inside went window-shopping to see what the local traders...
