Algarve, Portugal--Been there?
 

We are trying to decide between going to the Algarve or a Greek island in September. We have been to Greece many times and love it, but want to try something new and have not been able to get a feel for the beach areas of the Algarve. Congested? Lots of skinheads? Picturesque? Good food? Many 3-4 star places to stay? Friendly locals? Easy to get around? Etc., etc. <BR><BR>Any help would be appreciated.

Spent the entire month of March on the Algarve...wonderful!! The weather is a great relief from the rain and damp here in Seattle, and most everyone speaks English, prices are still reasonable, and the coast and small villages are extremely worthwhile. We stayed in a apartment near the ocean in Villamoura (can't remember the name of it just now but log on to a Portugal thread) and the entire TRIP, including air fare and transfers from Lisbon was a little over $1,000.!! We had a two bedroom apartment too. I think you would love it, and it is a nice change from Greece, where, incidentally, Ihave been too.

We just returned from a 10 day stay in the Algarve. We did one week just West of Lagos and then, 3 days in Tavira. We toured the area evry morning and visited a different beach each afternoon. We tried to stay away from the touristy areas ie Albufeira, which was so awful it gave me the shakes!. Because we were there in mid season, it was not congested at all. We had many beaches to ourselves. No skinheads, alot of Germans and Brits. The coutryside and beaches are absolutely beautiful with the cliffs plunging to the Atlantic. It would be a great place to hike and mountain bike with the possiblity of discovering hidden beaches!<BR><BR>We found the people wonderful and gracious, food was excellent and the driving was sane, which is not always the case in Portugal! We rented a house so I can't comment on the hotels. Villas are abundant down there and a great option.<BR><BR>The bottom line: It was a great, relaxing holiday.

If you decide to go to the Algarve, do rent a car and get some touring in. <BR>1. Visit Monchique, a charming small town. <BR>2.While I agree with the poster who shudders over the worst of Albufiera, do vist the adjoining town of Guia for the piri-piri chicken-well worth the trip and the entire town is like a shrine to this most piquant and traditional of Portuguese dishes. Check out Restaurant O Joao in nearby Algoz.<BR><BR>3. Go to see the fishermen brave death defying heights fishing from the cliffs along the coast esp at Sintra (sp?).<BR><BR>Enjoy!

Went to the Algarve for New Years. Prior to heading south, we spent a few nights in Sintra - I HIGHLY recommend a few nights there if you can make it (very easy drive from Lisbon if that's where you'll be flying in/out of). Sintra is one of my fave cities in Europe.<BR><BR>Our experience was a little different than other posters - while I love Portugal, we were in Alvor (which was pretty cute) and traveled to much too touristy places like Albufeira. I would definitely recommend you follow the other city recommendations in this thread.<BR><BR>Portugal is a beautiful country, and we found the Portugese to be extremely friendly! Added bonus is the exchange rate. Definitely rent a car to experience the most you can of Southern Portugal.