Southern Portugal over Christmas
Jul 12th, 2012, 07:36 PM
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Southern Portugal over Christmas
We plan to go to Southern Portugal 12/24 through 12/27. We are a family of 6 (mixed ages). We are coming from Lisbon and then heading to Southern Spain. We would love suggestions on which is the best base: Faro, Lagos, or somewhere else. We also want to know if we should rent a minivan/suv to tour around or just take public transportation. We would like suggested highlights. Do the sights, stores, restaurants stay open on 12/24 and is anything open on 12/25? Any suggestions for boat trips along the shore this time of year? Any special things to do with kids (besides walk on the beach)? Thanks so much!
Jul 13th, 2012, 12:38 AM
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I am not a fan of Faro as a base as imo, the west coast is much nicer. Lagos a great little city. However, at this time of year, it will be much colder in the west than in the central Algarve. So, I would recommend a base between Carvoeiro and Vilamoura. Do not stay near Albufeira. There are generally some restaurants open and the boat trip is a good idea. I do want to warn you, though, that it is low season and some could find it boring. We spend most Christmases in the Algarve but we have a house here, so can provide our own entertainment. We always spend Christmas at a specific beach, but it is sweatshirt weather, for sure. You may get lucky and it be t-shirt weather. Many places will be open on the 24th and most will be closed on the 25th.
Other things to do at that time of year: golf, tour the cities, and the boat ride. Lagos, Cabo San Vincente (which is wild this time of year), Silves, Monchique and Tavira are all quite nice. The cities will be decorated.
You should rent a car. Public transportation is a pita here, even in high season.
Other things to do at that time of year: golf, tour the cities, and the boat ride. Lagos, Cabo San Vincente (which is wild this time of year), Silves, Monchique and Tavira are all quite nice. The cities will be decorated.
You should rent a car. Public transportation is a pita here, even in high season.
Jul 13th, 2012, 12:40 AM
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One more thing, where are you staying? For a break like you are talking about, I would suggest a full service resort hotel (ie Vila Vita Parc in Porches etc) as they can organize activities for you.
Jul 13th, 2012, 07:37 AM
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Thanks so much SloJan2. Very very helpful! We did see that there is a really nice Hilton in Vilamoura. Is that a good choice? Is it close to the beack? We are into seeing nature but not into golf or spas. Thanks so much for your thougts.
Dec 19th, 2016, 05:28 AM
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If you sum up all your spendings, you'll count and see that renting a van is much cheaper. We rented a van for 7 of us in Faro https://rental24h.com/portugal/faro-airport and it was quite a budget variant. BTW we visited Faro, Porto and Lisbon and I can recommend you Faro for sure. We appreciated it so much!
Dec 20th, 2016, 01:40 PM
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Vehicle rental is definitely the way to go. It is super-off season, and the roads will be pretty empty. The resorts too! Vilamoura in particular is way built up as a resort area, and might seem more than a little soul-less. SloJan2 said to avoid Albufeira but we go there every March for a couple weeks and it makes a great base - - and the shops (Lidl & Continente) are super handy there, and it does have a bit of life and charm in the off-season; rates in the off-season are also very good; from that area there are daytrips all the way to Ayamonte across the river in Spain & Castro Marim fortress & the lovely town of Tavira & the tiny jewel over the ocean of Castela Velha; the Saturday market in Loule is a don't miss; the tiny town of Alte northwest of Loule' is a little gem too; then you can go west to Lagos, the castle in Silves, Henry The Navigator's base in Sagres, and the tip of Europe at Cabo Sao Vicente.
Dec 20th, 2016, 01:53 PM
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One more thing. I always rent vehicles through a German wholesaler: www.billiger-mietwagen.de and the rates are vastly cheaper than booking through U.S. sites. I give them my American address and American credit card, and have no problem (and nothing in the fine print says there's an issue). It is a 'metasearch' site, with a huge array of options, from Avis & Hertz & AutoEurope to smaller wholesalers - - but when I book there and get Avis or Hertz, it is massively cheaper than when I pull up rates at the car company websites themselves. You prepay on most of the bookings, but it is fully refundable (and fast and reliable) if you cancel. Off-season vehicle rental rates in the Algarve are miniscule with this - - and I always go with the 'major' agency (e.g., Avis/Budget/Hertz) as opposed to the super discounted options.
