Carvoeiro the village
From quintessential fishing village to flourishing resort town Standing on the cliff top above Carvoeiro beach, it’s surprisingly difficult to pinpoint the changes that have taken place over the last three decades. The white houses that dot the hillsides still look the same – but there are more of them. The view of the beach below me has changed even less, except for the disappearance of the old fishing boats and the addition of the...
Makeover for Tivoli Almansor Hotel
Makeover for Tivoli Almansor Hotel The Tivoli Almansor hotel is undergoing major refurbishment this winter and aims to be open at the beginning of April 2017. Having been open for 25 years, the four-star hotel was showing signs of aging when the new owners, Minor International, closed its doors in November 2016. The new and improved plans will no doubt boost the hotel’s status to five stars, which are certainly more fitting to its...
Facelift for Ferragudo
The picture postcard village of Ferragudo is becoming increasingly popular and their forward thinking local council have unveiled some very ambitious plans that will breathe a new lease of life into the traditional village. A multi-million euro plan includes the renovation of the main northern entrance to the village, as well as the construction of a three-storey car park (with a capacity for 120 vehicles) that will also boast a...
Stronger together
Following last summer’s devastating forest fires, a group of around 40 volunteers gathered in Silves in November to plant nearly 6000 new trees as part of a reforestation initiative entitled Operação Montanha Verde, promoted and funded by Zoomarine and Silves council. The young trees were planted in Herdade do São Bom Homem and should go some way to replenishing the area. With special thanks going to the volunteers who included...
Winter Entertainment-Carvoeiro
Portimão has announced a new entertainment programme to keep the town buzzing throughout winter to May 2017. It includes three initiatives, one linking the “artistic and gastronomic aspects of fish” and the others bringing top-notch dancers and musicians to the town. The agenda is part of the wider Algarve 365 programme, designed to promote the region as a “year-round” desti- nation with over 1,000 events taking place in the Algarve...
The new Bond boat
Recreating the Riva in the Docks of Portimão David Pearce is a well-known artist, restaurateur and boat builder in the quaint fishing village of Ferragudo. He has lived in the area since the mid 1980s, following a 10-year stint of sailing around the world, exploring his two passions: sailing and painting. Originally from Sussex, where his father was a partner in a shipyard and would thrust sandpaper into his young hands every day...
Art Attack
Exploring the vast array of art in Ferragudo Just a few years ago, you’d be hard pushed to find much in the way of an art scene in Ferragudo. Now we’re spoilt for choice with a variety of venues to choose from. The first and by far the largest is Galerio, in the Arade Congress Centre, overlooking Portimão’s old bridge. The building is semi-industrial in appearance and has a slightly unfinished feel that lends itself very well as the...
Macdonald Monchique
Inside visited the new Macdonald Monchique Resort & Spa, a luxury haven away from the busy coastline Anyone hoping to escape the scorching Algarve heat and its bustling beaches can now enjoy a luxurious holiday in the foothills of the beautiful Monchique Mountains. The former Longevity Wellness Resort, which had been closed for several months, has been taken over by leading UK hotel group MacDonald Hotels & Resorts and...
It’s all about the beer
Liquid gold is probably the most important thing at Oktoberfest, but there’s much more to it than that. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, they live for Carnival, in Munich, Germany, for the Oktoberfest. When one is over, it’s time to look forward to the next. But what exactly is the Oktoberfest? The Oktoberfest tradition started in 1810, to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese....
EXPLOSIVE SPIRIT
FROM VOLCANIC PEAKS TO THE END OF THE WORLD  The Algarve is a wonderful melting pot of nationalities and very often a new-found home for free spirits from all over the globe. This motto can easily be extended to both the latest super premium vodka to be launched on the market, VOLCANIC, and its front man in Portugal, Arni Elliot. Inside magazine met up with Ferragudo resident and Icelander Arni, to discover the connection between...
A BLAST FROM THE PAST
CONTEMPORARY ARTIST BRINGS HISTORY BACK TO LIFE Artist Rosário O’Neill was born in Portimão and has now returned to her hometown, where she has since opened an atelier, interior design studio and shop, in the heart of the city centre shopping area, with good friend and colleague, Maurícia Patrício. Having gained a degree in economics and entered the professional world, Rosário began to find a little spare time and was able to join a...
JUMPING FOR JOY
– July 6, 2016 | Text Mia Wallace Algar Seco cliff jumpers are making a big splash Cliff jumping may seem like a crazy new adrenaline activity, but it’s actually been around for a very long time. It was first documented in 1770, when Kahek- ili II, king of Maui, engaged in a practice called “lele kawa”, which in English means to leap into the ocean, feet first, without splashing. The king’s warriors were challenged to participate,...
LAGOA’S GOLDEN COAST
JOURNALIST ANABELA GASPAR TAKES US ON A GUIDED WALK ALONG ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR STRETCHES OF COASTLINE IN THE AREA Awalk along Lagoa’s coastline is a thrill, no matter how many times you do it. For this issue, we discovered the stretch between Praia do Paraíso and Praia do Vale da Lapa – an un-signposted section. No matter how many times I walk above Lagoa’s cliffs, I am always left speechless by its stunning scenery. The...
AN EVERGREEN WORLD
THE LITTLE PICTURESQUE SPA TOWN OF CALDAS DE MONCHIQUE IS THE ANTITHESIS OF THE ALGARVE’S SEASIDE RESORTS In Caldas de Monchique, it is easy to think that you are in a different region of Portugal, or even in another country. It is hard to believe that the beach and the sea are a mere 30 kilometres away. Thanks to the humid and mild, sub- tropical maritime mountain climate, the fertile granite soil and the many springs and...
CANINE LUXURY
OPENED IN 2011 AND EXPANDED IN 2016, HOTEL DO CÃO IS SETTING TAILS WAGGING Browsing the Facebook page of Hotel do Cão, a pet hotel nestled in the countryside in Vale da Rainha, on the road from Portimão to Monchique, we find hundred of pho- tographs of happy pooches of all breeds and sizes playfully stretching their paws in an idyllic fenced area. Looking at the sheer number of photo albums, it’s no surprise that 48-year- old...
CULTURAL HERITAGE
FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO LISTEN TO THE YEARNING SOUND OF FADO, THERE IS A NEW LOCALE IN LAGOA Lagoa de Fado is the brainchild of Ondina Santos and Carlos Tapadinhas. Ondina worked as an art teacher and is known for her poetry books and music CDs for children, as well as for her voice. Carlos studied business management in Coimbra, where he discovered the Portuguese guitar, but the 45-year-old only started accompanying Fado singers five...
Sítio das Fontes
The Sítio das Fontes is the perfect setting for some fine-weather exercise, to lose unwanted pounds, or simply for a relaxing walk. The Sítio das Fontes Muncipal Park, 1.5 km outside Estômbar, in the municipality of Lagoa, covers an area of 18 hectares, at the start and along the banks of a creek on the left bank of the River Arade. It owes its name, translating to “Place of the Springs”, to the presence of many springs that bubble up...
Under the Spotlight
Dutch entrepreneur Erik de Vlieger talks about his real estate ventures. Famous back in his native Holland for being the number one radio chat show host and television personality, 56 year old Erik de Vlieger is set to become one of the Algarve’s biggest entrepreneurs. His lively, energetic and inquisitive nature, not only make him a great entrepreneur, but also the ideal candidate to inject some much-needed innovation into...
Prized berry
The strawberry tree is the star of two new projects being developed in the Western Algarve. An iconic calling card for Monchique, medronho brandy is known far beyond the hills that witness its distillation. Medronho is made from the fuzzy, yellowish-red berries of the strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, which, despite the name, is actually a bush, indigenous to Portugal and commonly found in the centre of the country, as well as in the...
An insider’s tour around the taverns of Portimão
Tasty Taverns Portimão was once a vibrant city, full of energy and the hustle and bustle that you’d expect from a town with a fishing port. Thankfully, with the hard work and foresight of a few, there are definitely signs that things are heading back in that direction. A new wave of taverns is popping up all over Portimão city centre and luckily all within walking distance of each other. Although based on the old-style taverns of days...
