"Old fishing village" a Alvor Travel Page by ChrisnJan

This was our first destination in The Algarve and it has remained our favourite. We came here in February and the weather was quite mild, we even sat on the beach one day. The beaches are superb and a walk along the coast will reward you with some fantastic scenery. As well as Alvor beach itself, there are some lovely golden stretches of sand towards Portimao, most notably the small cove of Praia dos Tres Irmaos with its magnificent red cliffs. Further east are the deserted caves and grottoes at Joao de Areus and the quiet, secluded beach of Praia do Vau nearby. Nearby.

The village itself is a maze of cobbled streets and shadey little squares with lots of lovely bars and cafe's. The originally 16th Century Parish Church was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755 and still has a good example in its main doorway of the craftsmanship of the Manueline era of architecture. The small village of Abidaca, situated on a slope to the east of Alvor, has traces of a Roman settlement. There are quite a few british ex-pats here but that does not seem to have an affect on the village.

The restaurants here are excellent; the quality of the food is way above anywhere else in The Algarve. Make sure you sample the fresh fish, especially the sardines. We ate in a different restaurant every night and were not disappointed once, weather it's the food, the impeccable service or just the decor and restaurant itself, I cannot a think of a single thing to grumble about. Unfortunately our visit here was back in the days before I started to take notice of details so I can't actually remember the names of any restaurants that we visited.