On this page you can find information on the Algarve , the south part of Portugal :
I am working on the translation of this page, sorry for the inconvenience !
For now you can already read some parts and click on the pictures and the maps.
Here you find Lagos ^
The total distance from the west coast to the Spanish border in the east is approx. 175 km.
Lagos is situated on the south coast 26 km. from the west coast and 80 km. from Faro and + 150 km. from the Spanish border.
Location :
The Algarve is the most southern part of Portugal. In the east the Algarve is bordered by the river Rio Guadiana, which also is the natural frontier between Spain (Andalucia) and Portugal. In the north the Algarve borders on the province Alentejo and at south and west side there is the Atlantic Ocean. There is much variation in the landscape. The south and the west coast have beautiful beaches between colored rock formations. This is part of the legendary beauty of the region. East of Faro the coastline is made up by many islands that form a kind of sandbank with lagunes in between. Less conveniant for swimmers and fishermen, but an unspoiled natural reserve parc. In the inland the landscape is undulating with some hills / low mountains. Foia is the highest eastern point and the Monchique form an even higher western point with almost 1000 m. above sealevel. Standing on top you have a breathtaking view over the Algarve. Monchique is only 25 minutes drive away from Casa da Palmeira in Lagos.
The Algarve covers a total of 6500 square km. There is 170 km. coast. From south to north Algarve is maximum 40 km.
Most important cities are: Faro, Portimao, Albufeira and Lagos.
From the heart of London you fly to Faro in approx. 2 1/2 hours.
So.... you can be here very fast.......?!
This picture shows a detailed map of the Algarve with all the towns, roads and small villages. Casa da Palmeira is also pointed out. To enlarge the map; first open it and than press on the 4 arrows in the right-hand corner below.
Left below on this map you see Sagres, witch is the most south-western point of all Europe. This point is 25 minutes drive away from Casa da Palmeira in Lagos.
Climat :
The Portuguese Algarve is well known for its wonderful mediteranian climat (soft winters and warm sommers !); the sun is shining every day of the year. More than 3000 hours of sun are measured yearly and that makes the Algarve the "sunniest" place in all of Europe ! 9 of the 12 months it is nice and warm. During the 3 wintermonths temperature is hardly coming below 15 degrees C. in the daytime. There are over 300 days without rain. In summer there is always a small cool breese from the sea which makes the high temperatures very agreeable. You don't swet that much as you would in Britain (if the weather is that warm anyway...!).
Population :
Portuguese people are very friendly and hospitable and take their time to do things. No stress, no hazard, no traffic jams. Most of them speak English so you can get along well in your mother tongue.
Coast / beaches :
The coastline and many beaches are of high beauty and many colors. Clean and romantic. The sea on the southcoast has a more gentle sea while the westcoast has more rough water with higher waves and more wind. Ideal for surfers.
Food
& drinks :
Restaurants are on every corner in every street. Look for the typical Portuguese local restaurants were you have good food, a nice atmosphere and reasonable prices. If you go out of the cities and in the mainland into the very small villages you can sit among the typical old Portuguese men and women and eat plenty for very little money.
Traffic & roads :
The roads in Portugal are very good. Especially now the A22 highway is ready since 2003 you can travel through the Algarve in a convenient, easy and fast way. Also the local roads are renewed in the last couple of years and all of the cities have new streets and squares with a lot of roundabouts and hardly any traffic lights. It's not busy on the roads like in Britain or Holland.
If you want to come by car to Lagos we are happy to give you a good map with the right way to drive. From Calais (France) it is approx. 2000 km drive to Casa da Palmeira.
Money :
Portugal is part of the European Union and uses the Euro for all payments. There are very much ATM bank machines "to take money out of the wall". You can pay with creditcards all over the place.
Lisbon :
Lisbon is a beautiful city to visit although it is + 275 km. north. We can provide you a good map and a list of nice places-to-go. All the road from Lagos to Lisbon is highway (2,5 hours drive) but you can also take the scenery route. Along the westcoast up north you will find many georgeous spots and beautiful nature, where you want to stay forever and time seems to be standing still.
Night-life :
In de Algarve kun je heel veel doen op het gebied van uitgaan. Zo kun je
bijvoorbeeld naar verschillende aquaparken gaan, een avontuurlijke Jeeptocht
meemaken door het ongrepte binnenland van de Algarve, uit eten in verschillende
restaurants, een boottochtje nemen langs de adembenemende kust of gewoon lekker
genieten van het nachtleven ! Naast al deze mogelijkheden, is er ook een
mogelijkheid om verschillende sportactiviteiten te gaan doen; zoals golf, tennis
en watersporten !
Parcs :
Zoo Lagos is een dierentuin even buiten Lagos met alles erop en eraan, zie jij de apen ? oeoe ahahah.......
ZooMarina vlakbij Albufeira is een park met waterdieren, zoals dolfijnen, met een leuke show , te vergelijken met "ons" Dolfinarium; Kom op "Flipper !"
Er zijn enkele waterparken met allerlei soorten glijbanen, je vindt ze in Logoa (Slide en Splash) en bij Péra (Aqualand).
Ook is er nog "Krazy World" in Algoz en in Quarteira vindt je een heel gezellig water-/glijbanenpark met ontzettend veel papagaaien, een roofvogelshow en een golfslagbad met grote banden.
Horse riding :
Je kunt in de omgeving van Lagos op diverse lokaties paardrijden.
Curiosities :
Eigenlijk zijn er ontzettend veel bezienswaardigheden in de Algarve, want bijna alle dorpjes hebben een heerlijke sfeer, met een pleintje en dorpcafé's, waar ze met munten in kleine gaten proberen te gooien, of jeu-de-boule spelen (jaja, niet alleen in Frankrijk hoor) en een biertje 0,80 eurocent kost. Natuurlijk is de hele Monchique met haar bossen een schitterend gebied, al is er vorig jaar wel een flink deel afgebrand (aangestoken...... erg hé).Er zijn forten, grotten, mooie rotspartijen en je hebt Sagres; het uiterste zuid-westelijk punt van Europa.
Golf resorts :
If there is one thing that the Algarve is famous for, it is for the tremendous amount of high quality golf coarses. Although the Algarve is not so big, there are almost 30 places where you can play golf. All very well maintained and their own lay outs. In fact this coming November 2005 the World Golf Tournament is being held in one of the golfcourses in Vilamoura.
Here are some links to websites with a lot of information about the Algarve.
http://viajar.clix.pt/com/fotos.php?r=6&d=0&c=0&lg=en all kind of pictures from around the Algarve
maps from all the towns and cities in the Algarve you can find here: http://viajar.clix.pt/pt/dst1006.php
http://www.algarve-gids.com/uk/index.html
This picture is taken on one of the beaches at the west coast, about 25 minute drive from Casa da Palmeira. Here many times you find a rough sea with high waves (2-3-4 meters!) . Perfectly suited for surfers, wave surfing and surfboards. And of coarse for swimming in "cool" waves. The temperature here though is a few degrees less than in Lagos. We like to go when it is 35 or more degrees in the summer season ......cool man !!.......
