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134 | DESTINATION GUIDES<br />
Faro<br />
Portugal<br />
DIALLING CODE +351<br />
CURRENCY €<br />
FLY FROM<br />
Belfast (BFS),<br />
Bristol, Geneva, Glasgow,<br />
Liverpool, London (LGW,<br />
LTN, STN), Newcastle,<br />
Paris (ORY)<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
TAXI<br />
Pre-book your taxi<br />
at easyJet.com.<br />
The fare to Faro is €10,<br />
Vilamoura €25, and<br />
Albufeira and Tavira €40.<br />
Eva buses<br />
go to various<br />
destinations.<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk for special<br />
easyJet rates.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15 Taberna<br />
da Maré (9 Travessa da<br />
Barca, Portimão, tel: 282<br />
414 614) Tucked away<br />
in the backstreets near<br />
the harbour, this cosy<br />
eatery is hard to fi nd,<br />
but worth it for tasty<br />
Algarvean home cooking<br />
at its best. Especially<br />
recommended are the<br />
bacalhau (cod) dishes<br />
and grilled sardines.<br />
Delightfully, it has<br />
hardly changed in 20<br />
years – there’s still no<br />
English menu.<br />
UP TO €30 Mussiene<br />
(Monte São José,<br />
Messines, tel: 282 339<br />
357) Get off the tourist<br />
trail to discover this<br />
hidden gem: a very<br />
modern take – with<br />
décor to match – on<br />
traditional Portuguese<br />
rustic cuisine, with<br />
highlights including<br />
black pig cheeks with<br />
mountain cheese,<br />
forest mushroom<br />
risotto and stewed<br />
partridge with polenta.<br />
Save space for<br />
the drunken pears<br />
for a delicious dessert.<br />
UP TO €50<br />
La Terrazza (Praça<br />
Vale do Lobo, tel: 289<br />
356 019) You’ll fi nd<br />
great pizza and pastas,<br />
a superb atmosphere<br />
and good old-fashioned<br />
Italian gusto in this<br />
family environment. Try<br />
the steak in brandy or<br />
red snapper with garlic<br />
for something with<br />
a kick. There’s also<br />
a good wine list.<br />
Zu Yi (Vilamoura<br />
Marina, tel: 289 302<br />
531) Great Chinese<br />
restaurants are hard<br />
to fi nd in the Algarve,<br />
but look no further<br />
than Zu Yi. Modern<br />
décor, harbour views,<br />
and a wide selection<br />
of favourites, from dim<br />
sum to crispy duck<br />
make this place<br />
a winner.<br />
EXCLUSIVE Fine<br />
Dining In Style<br />
(Estrada Vale do Lobo,<br />
Almancil, tel: 289 355<br />
534) Book a gourmet<br />
private dinner for 12<br />
at this upmarket<br />
catering specialists’<br />
own dining facility, or<br />
impress your guests by<br />
getting the Michelintrained<br />
chefs to cook<br />
up a treat for a dinner<br />
party in your holiday<br />
villa. They bring in the<br />
food and wine, prepare<br />
and serve, and even do<br />
the washing up.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY Casa Azul<br />
(Cacela Velha, Tavira)<br />
A rooftop patio café<br />
with comfy chairs<br />
and a roaring log fi re<br />
– the perfect winter<br />
hideaway in which<br />
to enjoy homemade<br />
desserts and fresh<br />
coff ee or a warming<br />
aperitif before<br />
a stroll to dinner.<br />
LIVE MUSIC<br />
Phoenix Nites (Rua<br />
des Goncalo, Lagos)<br />
Popular old-style<br />
nightspot with an<br />
eclectic choice of<br />
music, from live DJs<br />
and hip hop to rock<br />
and indie. The crowd<br />
is friendly and the<br />
party keeps going<br />
into the early hours.<br />
LATE & LIVELY Casa<br />
do Cerro (Cerro da<br />
Piedade, Albufeira) An<br />
exotic-themed club<br />
with a dramatic hilltop<br />
setting, bustling bar<br />
and pulsating music.<br />
Chill out with a sheesha<br />
pipe or cool off away<br />
from the crowds on<br />
one of the terraces –<br />
Algarve springtime<br />
should make the nights<br />
a little warmer by now.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP There’s a wide<br />
choice of holiday gift<br />
ideas at the upscale<br />
complex Vale do Lobo<br />
Shopping, including<br />
designer sportswear<br />
from Gant and Henry<br />
www.ipayfx.com<br />
Cotton, wine and<br />
gourmet food from<br />
Soares, and golfi ng<br />
accessories from<br />
Nevada Bob’s. Ladies<br />
can even get a new<br />
hairstyle and makeover<br />
at the beauty salon<br />
(tel: 289 353 000).<br />
SEE The week-long<br />
carnival festivities<br />
in the historic town<br />
of Loulé culminate<br />
in parades, street<br />
entertainment, fancy<br />
dress and all-night<br />
parties on Shrove<br />
Tuesday (8 March).<br />
GO Six of the Algarve’s<br />
36 top golf courses are<br />
in Vilamoura, making<br />
it an ideal destination<br />
for an off -peak golfi ng<br />
break. If you can tear<br />
yourself away from the<br />
greens, book a boat<br />
trip, shop for designer<br />
fashion or gifts, or stop<br />
for a sundowner and<br />
admire the fl oating gin<br />
palaces in the marina.<br />
ESCAPE Odeceixe<br />
on the Alentejo border,<br />
90 minutes away by<br />
car, is the Algarve’s<br />
furthest-fl ung outpost<br />
and one of its prettiest<br />
towns. Eat, shop and<br />
take photos, then<br />
blow away the cobwebs<br />
with a bracing walk<br />
on one of the two<br />
spectacular beaches.<br />
NO WAY!<br />
Portugal currently<br />
operates on GMT,<br />
but used Central<br />
European Time<br />
from 1966–76 and<br />
1992–96 in attempts<br />
to synchronise with<br />
neighbouring Spain.<br />
Paul Rouse/<br />
inspirationsalgarve.com<br />
Fez<br />
Morocco<br />
DIALLING CODE +212<br />
CURRENCY MAD<br />
FLY FROM<br />
Paris (CDG)<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
TAXI<br />
Pre-book your taxi<br />
at easyJet.com. A<br />
local taxi costs 120MAD.<br />
Buses run to<br />
the train station<br />
in the New City.<br />
Tickets: 20MAD.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €30 Najmat<br />
Souafi ne (9 Oued<br />
Souafi ne) Dine on the<br />
roof terrace or under<br />
the arches of the old mill<br />
at this fusion restaurant<br />
that serves the freshest<br />
food with a light touch.<br />
RAMADA<br />
HOTEL<br />
★ ★ ★ ★ ★<br />
An elegant, modern<br />
hotel in the centre<br />
of the old city with<br />
four restaurants<br />
and a superb spa.<br />
Breakfast Included,<br />
from €87, book at<br />
hotels.easyJet.com.<br />
EXCLUSIVE Dar<br />
Anebar (15 Derb<br />
el-Miter, Zenjfour) This<br />
infi nitely romantic riad<br />
restaurant will win<br />
your heart with its<br />
take on traditional<br />
Moroccan dishes.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY Hôtel Les<br />
Mérinides (Borj Nord,<br />
tel: 0535 645 226) Head<br />
for the hotel terrace for<br />
a drink just as the sun<br />
sets. The views across<br />
the medina will have you<br />
spellbound as the call<br />
to prayer sounds out.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Consul Bar, Batha<br />
Hotel (Place de<br />
l’Independence, Batha,<br />
tel: 0535 634 860) Once<br />
upon a time this was the<br />
British consulate in Fez,<br />
but it’s now a great place<br />
to unwind with a beer.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP Made in M is<br />
a stylish shop with a<br />
wide range of Moroccan<br />
goodies, including handembroidered<br />
cushions,<br />
tadelakt candleholders,<br />
argan oil, and the most<br />
delectable patisserie<br />
(Tala’a Kebira).<br />
GO Try a traditional<br />
hammam like the locals:<br />
get smothered in brown<br />
goo, scrubbed with a<br />
rough glove until you’re<br />
shiny, then massaged<br />
into a state of bliss.<br />
NO WAY!<br />
The Water Clock near<br />
Bouanania Medersa<br />
once told the time with<br />
metal balls that were<br />
released from 12 little<br />
doors into brass bowls.<br />
Helen Ranger<br />
Online international payments.<br />
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