Alvor, Portugal - travel experience, post, guide, blog and photos

Portugal: Alvor, Cascais, Faro, Lisbon, Sintra

Alvor, Portugal: Always a warm welcome
by Prakash Bang, Editor in Chief

Thanks to its warm climate and beaches, Alvor town is a very popular holiday location. It's very rare for travellers to give this town a miss when holidaying in Portugal. In the area are a number of holiday resorts from which the tourists enjoy visiting it and its attractions. The village is well located facing a natural lagoon opening onto the sea. There is a choice of a long open sandy beach or a number of small coves tucked under the cliffs.

For our drive from Lisbon to Alvor we had booked a private van. Since we were four of us, it made more sense to do so. Thankfully, at our disposal was a very comfortable Mercedes van with seats facing each other... that added to the pleasure of the 3-hour drive. We left Lisbon at 11 am and were at the doors of Pestana Alvor Praia, a fabulous resort on the beach at about 2 in the afternoon. We were lucky to be upgraded to a suite on the 6th floor overlooking the sandy beach, the cliffs and the ocean beyond.

That afternoon, we walked the beach. Had the opportunity to be at close range to the 'picture-postcard’ rocks and coves. We were on the beach till sunset. The view was awesome, to say the least. For dinner, we ate at one of the many restaurants on the beach. It's a good idea to reserve a seat, especially the ones with a good look-out.

After a leisurely breakfast the next morning, we took a cab to town. Actually, one can easily walk, but with the sun up, the decision to hire a cab was more prudent.

The town's enclosed narrow streets have kept development to a minimum. Many of these streets now boast bars with live music and different types of restaurants, however leading off from these there are still memories of the older fishing village. The originally 16th Century Parish Church was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755 and still has a prime example in its main doorway of the great craftsmanship of the Manueline era of architecture. It was the only building that more or less survived the earthquake.

Our lunch that afternoon was at one of the many colourful restaurants. We were back at our hotel ready to explore the soft sands all over again. And of course, a lovely dinner overlooking the setting sun.

The next morning we would leave for Seville and enroute explore Faro - another pretty town.

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