Old vines, new wines
Red, white, rosé… and yellow… a wine tour with a twist With the summer months a distant memory, Inside Magazine joined forces with Vasco Chaveca, jumped into his bright yellow, electric Tuk Tuk and headed off into the countryside between Lagoa and Silves on a leisurely wine tour, tailored-made for us. Vasco will often customise a tour, taking in to account time constraints or a interest in a par- ticular producer for...
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...
Connecting People
Connecting People This autumn we saw a welcome addition of a fleet of Mercedes Benz minibuses (20 seats) whizzing around with Rota das Falesias adorning the side. The buses are the first of their kind in the Carvoeiro area and offer a transportation link between Carvoeiro, Lagoa, and Ferragudo with convenient stops at points of interest in between. The “hop on-hop off ” service offers users the flexibility to, say, catch the morning...
A Portuguese Hideaway
River House meets river retreat, a holiday haven for foodies and nature lovers Heading inland from Silves, you might get the impression that you’re venturing into no man’s land but that is far from the case. There are many rural retreats hidden in wonderfully peaceful and stunningly beautiful locations dotted around the Algarve, so Inside Magazine took a drive out to meet Cheryl and Graham Smith and find out what makes their place...
Stand Up Portugal
Honuhele SUP boards, bringing manufacturing back to Portugal indsurfer Guilherme Martins welcomed Inside Magazine to his surf shop, overlooking the sprawling beach of Praia da Rocha, to find out more about his stand up paddle- boards business. Born in northern Portugal, Guilherme came back to his parents’ hometown, Portimão, and began to search for a beach concession where he could rent Stand Up Paddle- boards (SUP). In 2012 he found...
Unique felt pieces
Water, soap and the pressure of Maria Custódio’s hands compress the wool to felt. A simple, ancient technique that, coupled with Maria’s imagination, allows for an infinite number of design possibilities. Unlike in Germany or France, the art of felting is not well known in Portugal where only a handful of artisans practise the art of wet or dry felt. Maria Custódio is one of these artists. Although she lived for the first...
Lady in red – New and exciting beginnings for the art gallery in Lagoa
A new multi-functional events venue is rising from the shadows of the old Adega building in Lagoa. The massive venue, spanning about 3000sqm on top of the bottling and warehouse space of the wine cellar, and complemented by a huge parking area that’s ripe for development, has now been taken over by Liz and Peter Roberts who have injected a new lease of life into the previously underused space and also created some distinguished...
The life of the song thrush – A regular winter guest to the Algarve
A Regular winter guest to the Algarve The male, which apart from the singing, can hardly be distinguished from the female, helps with feeding the young with insects, worms, caterpillars and smashed snails. The song thrush (Turdus philomelos or Tordo pinto in Portuguese) is closely related to the common black- bird, but it is a bit smaller. With its striking and beautiful, flute-like song in the spring, the song thrush is familiar to...
Endangered Feline
ON THE TRAIL OF THE IBERIAN LYNX The national breeding station of the Iberian lynx at the Herdade das Santinhas, close to Vale Fuzeiros near Silves, was set up in May 2009, as a compen- satory measure for damages to the environment during the construction of the Odelouca dam. Eighty five lynxes have been born there since then; 62 have survived. 44 cats were successfully released into the wild, most of them in Spain, but also in the...
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...
Just Coasting
Rediscover life’s natural pleasures by exploring the heady high roads and cool coastal routes of the algarve on two wheels Portugal is perfectly placed to meet the needs of a fair-weather cyclist. The Algarve’s long, rolling roads satisfy a hunger for adventure and discovery; the terrain is an undulating rollercoaster that challenges the most experienced of cyclists, with its deep dips and steep climbs laid out in an open,...
From the life of the Flamingo
Next to the bee-eater and hoopoe, the flamingo, also referred to as the greater flamingo, is one of the exotic birds visitors to the Algarve would most like to see Until the 1980s, there were hardly any flamingos in the western part of the Algarve. Nowadays, this somewhat grotesque, but also elegant-looking large bird, can be observed at various locations. Since this species prefers brackish water or salt water, larger groups...
Southern delights in Ferragudo
O Canto in Ferragudo opened just before Easter this year and is a welcome new addition to the Ferragudo restaurant scene. A joint collaboration between Jimmy Cruz (formally the head chef at Taste, in Carvoeiro) and Tony Laginha (a local restaurateur), O Canto has put together a small and balanced menu that incorporates rustic Mediterranean flavours and specialties including delicious tapas, fresh fish and Argentinean ribeye steaks....
Local photographer exhibits in Lisbon
Well-known Aljezur photographer João Mariano, whose work often depicts the Algarve’s ancient traditions and livelihoods, is exhibiting his work in Lisbon until April 16. The exhibition, entitled O Conhecido Desconhecido (The Known Unknown), is dedicated to Lagoa’s beautiful coastline. The photographic works of João Mariano, who has also published books about Alvor’s shellfish catchers and Monchique’s...
A dream come true
The recently-renovated mezzanine extension of A Vela provides a fitting venue for a magnificent baby grand piano. The piano has long been a dream of owner Antónia Cobrinha, who is thrilled to finally be able to turn her dream into reality. A pianist will perform several times a week throughout the season, accompanied by a saxophonist on Wednesdays and a singer on Friday evenings, to elevate the dining experience. The plan is to have a...
Moving in the right direction
Algarve Removals has been successfully relocating its clients’ belongings and online shopping orders with its weekly service between the UK and the Algarve for 15 years. Increase in demand has seen some major expansion developments. In addition to the present Alcantarilha warehouse, where you can arrange pick-ups and long-term storage, two convenient new collection points have opened in Almancil and Tavira, to serve the Eastern...
New outside catering service
Galo d’Ouro branches out. Near the beginning of the “in road” of Carvoeiro, Ricardo Teodoro has run his very popular take away food shop for 15 years. Specialising in succulent chargrilled chicken along with a large selection of meat, fish, vegetarian and side dishes, Galo d’Ouro also offer a delivery service for larger orders and can deliver wine or other beverages with your take away. Having worked in catering for too many...
Eco Triumph
When Vasco and Filipa Chaveca started their electric Tuk Tuk business in 2013, the future was uncertain, given the negative response they felt in Portimão. They made the wise move of crossing the bridge and adapting their original plan to incorporate unique private tours, while forging great partnerships with local vineyards and businesses. We are proud to have supported them from the outset and to share the wonderful news that they...
