november-2010

†PER COUNTRY PER CAPITA
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PORTUGAL Population 10,735,765 Currency Euro GDP
FARO
† €15,645 Dialling code +351
Airport code FAO Flight frequency Twice weekly Average temp (Nov) 15°C
Winters are mild in the
Algarve, and with the
crowds gone, this is the
perfect opportunity to
appreciate what Faro and
its surrounds have to off er
outside of sun, sand and
sangria. Off -season is
also the best-value time
of year to explore. Paul
Rouse is our city guide
VILAMOURA
November offers perfect weather
for golfers, and you’ll be able to
visit Vilamoura without wall-towall
tourists for window shopping,
leisurely lunches and culture.
SLEEP The Crowne Plaza Vilamoura (Rua
do Oceano Atlantico, tel. 289 381600,
crowneplaza.com, rooms from €95)
opened this summer, overlooking the
beach and offering spacious rooms,
a spa and indoor and outdoor pools.
The Vila Sol Spa & Golf Resort
(Morgadinhos, tel. 289 300500, vilasol.
pt, rooms from €109) is great for golfers
and families – as well as its own 27-hole
championship golf course, it includes
self-catering apartments, a kids club,
a spa and a shopping centre.
CULTURE The Ten Monumental British
Sculptures exhibition in the grounds of
the Roman villa at Cerro da Vila (Avenida
Cerro da Vila, Until September 2011)
showcases giant works by modern artists
past and present, including Henry Moore
and Turner Prize-winners Richard Deacon
and Tony Cragg.
EAT For fresh fish and seafood, plus an
array of traditional Portuguese cuisine,
kick off your shoes at Buzios (Praia
da Vilamoura, tel. 289 314762), the
laid-back beach restaurant of the nearby
Dom Pedro Marina Hotel. Or people
watch from the terrace of Akvavit
(Marina de Vilamoura, tel. 289 380712),
where the fish and seafood comes with
a Scandinavian twist.
INFO
Faro International
Airport is 7km from
the city centre.
Taxi To Faro is
roughly €10;
to Olhão €18,
Vilamoura €25,
Albufeira and
Tavira €40.
Bus Airport buses
go to Faro and
shared shuttle
buses serve
selected resorts.
Eva buses (eva-bus.
com) go to various
destinations.
Train The nearest
train station is
Faro. Trains go to
various Algarve
destinations
and Lisbon.
Car hire is the
best way to explore
the interior. All the
major companies
have desks at
the airport, but
booking is
recommended.
Tourist offi ce
Faro Tourist
Information Centre
is at 8-12 Rua da
Misericordia, open
9.30am-5.30pm
(tel. 289 803604,
visitalgarve.pt)
The resort of Vilamoura
is all the more enjoyable
without the tourist crowds
LATER An lounge-bar mixing Asian and
Middle Eastern influences, Insense
(Avenida Tivoli) is the epitome of eclectic
interior design, with a menu that ranges
from aromatic teas to exotic drinks and
sheesha pipes.
MUCH LATER Finish off a night of
dining, gambling, and live music at Casino
Vilamoura (Avenida Tivoli) in its disco
Black Jack’s – one of the Algarve’s
liveliest and longest-running joints.
FURTHER AFIELD –
MONCHIQUE
Inland a little from the coast there’s
another, non-commercialised
Algarve of quiet mountain villages,
spas, scenic countryside and the
historic towns of Monchique and
Caldas de Monchique.
SLEEP The new Longevity Wellness
Resort (Lugar do Montinho, Monchique,
tel. 282 240110, longevitywellness
resort.com, rooms from €160) adds
stunning mountain views to its health
and medical spa facilities, swimming
pools, internet café, library and cinema.
Celebrated Lisbon chef Olivier serves
‘healthy gourmet’ cuisine at the resort’s
scenic terrace restaurant. The tasting
menu includes eight starters, such as foie
gras with red onion and fig compote, plus
a main course – try the stone bass with
clams or linguini with truffle sauce.
CULTURE The Casinos do Algarve Rally
(13-14 November), races through the
hills between Portimão and Monchique
(clubeautomovelalgarve.pt). Or for
a more peaceful experience, see the
Algarve on foot, bike or horseback on
the Via Algarviana’s extensive pathways,
which stretch for 240km and pass
through the Monchique mountains
en route (viaalgarviana.org).
EAT Work up an appetite with the climb
up the steep cobbled streets of the old
town in Monchique to reach A Charette
(30-34 Rua Dr Samora Gil, tel. 282
912142), specialising in hearty rustic
cuisine including lamb stews, grilled pork,
stuffed sausages and chick peas with
chorizo and black pudding. Porca Preta
(Estrada Monchique-Alferce, tel. 282
912384) is another find – a mountainvalley
artists’ village with beautiful
gardens, an art gallery/artisan shop and
a restaurant serving great food with
influences from Alsace to Lebanon.
SHOP Tiny Arte Natura (Caldas de
Monchique, tel. 282 912994) is worth
seeking out. Austrian artist Monika Pable
produces much of its gifts and art
herself, and runs art workshops.
TIP Drop the kids at one of Arte
Natura’s art workshops for youngsters
and enjoy an hour or two of shopping or
a treatment in the nearby thermal spa.
LATER There are several good watering
holes in the main square of the tiny spa
town of Caldas de Monchique, including
O Tasco (tel. 282 910910), which doubles
as a bar-café and an art gallery, and 1692
(tel. 282 910910), where you can sit
under ancient elm trees to enjoy a light
meal, caffeine fix or ice cream.
€119 *
FROM JUST
RETURN ALL-IN
Fly to Faro from
just €119* return all-in.
brusselsairlines.com
Brussels Airlines b.there! magazine November 2010 113