lorri

I have been reading everything about the Algarve. I just can't figure out, which are the lovely towns, with the lovely accommodations, within walking distance of the lovely beaches. After Lisbon I want to relax and eat well. Lovely restaurants within walking distance a plus. <BR>

Cheryl Z.

<BR>Lorri - we just came home from there. We much preferred the Estoril coast just minutes from Lisbon over the Algarve. Cascais is a wonderful village to stay in, walk around,shop, lots to see, lots of little restaurants to choose from. Sintra (a must !) is near by. You could do these as day trips from Lisbon too, or vice versa. That whole coastal area is beautiful. I'd go back to that area again. It was much cleaner too, and the architecture is interesting. Our 4-star hotel, the Village Cascais, had wonderful view of the ocean, and there's lots of historical things to see. We also loved Lisbon.

lorri

Cheryl- <BR> <BR>Thanks for the informative answer. I just have to know though, what didn't you like about the Algarve. More crowded, dirtier, too touristy? What made the estoril so much nicer? I am just nosy about those things. Did either have those pastel colored homes on hillsides you see in pictures of Portugal? Lorri <BR> <BR>

Cheryl Z.

<BR>The part of the Algarve we saw and stayed in two nights just didn't live up to our expectations of that area. Altho, as I said we enjoyed the marina, and found many good restaurants (cheap!) But granted, we only saw a part, Villamoura and Quarteira, so I can't speak for the entire Algarve. No, there weren't the colorful houses in this part. There's not much beach, or scenic coastline in this particular part. Our hotel was nice, reasonably priced. But the area was more run down and dirtier than what we expected. So when we arrived in Cascais (after just reading about it while driving and looking for our next stop on the way to Porto) we were pleasantly surprised, and immediately knew this was for us. Just not run down, and cleaner, quaint, charming. To get there, we went up towards Setubal, decided to by pass that. Then the area before you get to the river with Lisbon on the other side is kind of run down too. I wasn't prepared for so much litter. (but parts of Spain were the same&gt Cascais is pronounced like Kashkysh. We were saying "Kahsais". And it took me a few tries to say "obrigada" instead of "gracias", coming from Spain. We stayed there 4 nights, took a day trip to Sintra, drove up the coast to Cabo de Roca and Guincho beach. The Atlantic was beautiful with huge powerful waves pounding the shoreline, that area reminded me of some coastal areas here in Wash, and Ore., and No. Calif. We loved it. We had to be up in Porto for a specific event for a few days so didn't get to see much up there, but friends who met us there and stayed longer went up the coast above Porto and said it was beautiful and loved it. gosh, I'm getting hungry writing this - the food (the bread!!) was sooooo good. Any other questions just let me kn

Denny

Lorri: We spent 5 wonderful days in March on the Algarve and didn't want to leave. We stayed much further west than Cheryl did, in Alvor, an area that is quiter and not as built up. We could look out from our hotel balcony and not see another highrise, just a long stretch of beach to the right and beautiful rock formations to the left. I would suggest you look at the western end of the Algarve, say from Carvoeiro. Do not know what your budget is which makes a big difference. The Algarve was the "splurge" part of our trip after visiting Madrid and Seville. Here are some web sites you may wish to check: <BR>www.algavre.com <BR>www.algarvio.com <BR>www.carvoeiro.com <BR>www.rtalgarve.pt <BR>www.ccr-alg.pt <BR>www.portugal-info.net <BR>www.portugal.org <BR>www.tntmag.co.uk <BR>From these, there are usually more links to follow. Where ever you end up, do not miss driving to Cabo Sao Vincente, and finding several secluded beaches in the area. I should tell you, that we were not looking for a wild nightlife. We much prefer buying our own wine with picnic-type eats and watching the sunset. Have a wonderful time!

Beverly

Cheryl, I am visiting the Algarve later this year and am interested to know what town you stayed in. Were you near Albufeira which I have been told is very touristy? Did you visit nearby towns in the Algarve and been disappointed with them also? Also, how easy/long was it to drive up the coast to Lisbon? I look forward to your advice. Thanks. <BR>

Cheryl Z.

<BR>Beverly, we only were around Villamoura and Quarteira which is just East of Albufeira. If we'd had more time, we would have gone further West as Denny above has suggested. I think he hit the nail on the head - from what I noticed on postcards etc once I got there, it's prettier there, and that's where the more colorful architecture and prettier beaches are . Where I was (and also on the Costa Del Sol) there were too many high rises. The drive up to Lisbon only took about 4 hours, but we were more inland, didn't want to take the time to drive up the coast. However, my husband drives like them too! Makes me nuts! The toll was rather expensive (seems to me around $l4.00) but that was one of the only two toll roads we took in either Spain or Portugal. But everything else is so cheap, it wasn't a big deal. If you find yourself in an area you don't care for and have some flexibility and time, you can always just continue further along the Algarve til you see something that meets your criteria. The little villages are close together and it's not difficult to find hotels - tho it'll depend on the time of year too. It gets so hot inland in both Portugal and Spain that the coasts are crowded with locals. We were told, and also noticed this - this area as well as the Costa Del Sol is very popular with the Germans and English. They, and the Portuguese and Spanish, seemed to outnumber any Americans. Our two week trip involved Easter and that's probably why it was busy tho we didn't have problems finding hotels. By the way, the vacationing Portuguese and Spanish were wearing lots of jeans! And heavy, clunky shoes as well as dark tight flared pants and leather jackets even when it was hot.