PORTIMÃO...... (Portimao)

Member Name: vascovi

Product:	Portimao
Date:	05/07/06 (648 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: BEACH, FOOD, NIGHT LIVE

Disadvantages: TO MANY BUILDING ON THE CITY, ALWAYS ON CHANGE

This is my birthcity, its bad to speak bad of them but as a review i have to show the good things and the bad things of this city.
This is the second biggest city of south Portugal, its a beach city, but it grow very fast and have to many buldings for my opniaon, but you still have a lot to visit and good beaches.
For staying you have to choice if you whant to rest or get crasy, why well Portimão have to beach zones, one is wild goes from the well know Praia da Rocha to Praia dos trés castelos and then you have the calm zone goes from praia da Prainha to Praia de Alvor.
Wild zone - its situated on Praia da rocha, it have a main street full of bars, disco, shops, street sellers, restaurants, good night life, goes all night! to enter the beach you just take the stairs and there it is, the main zone of praia da rocha beach have been renewed so you have a big sidewalk for ride a bike, jogging etc. You have also a lighthouse and a Marina, were there is some bars and nightlive, i recomend for dancing Capicua Bar, Katedral disco.
Calm zone- around 3km from the center, you have prainha a spa apartements, were you can go to a small beach, used by locals, then 3 irmãos.....to Alvor, alvor beach is the biggest beach you have no stairs because there is no rocks, you even have easy access to person with movement problems, and because the beach is so big you have a nude zone at the end of the beach. THis beach is located on the side of a small village, very nice to stay also, with a nightlive street, so i you whant to dring something just go there, i recommend bollan or buzzed.
For eating you have a lot of restaurants, the most expensive are the hotels, i recomend to eat fish near the river, our main dish is sardinhas assadas (small fish on the grill very good).
The commerce is very strong you have a main street called rua das lojas were you can find and major international and national makes.
This city is also very good for sports, you have a bmx/skate park were the bmx worlds of 1998 were hold, you have the river were there is formula 1 boat competition,you have horses competition, kite surf competition etc. I recomend ria de alvor to practice kitesurf and Parque da Juventude for riding BMX( there is a big section of ramps, a flatland zone and a bmx track with dirt jump).
The best time to visit if you what to get burn on the sun is jun/july/agost and setember.
The access to this city are good also, you have train, bus, highway, small plane airport and a marina to put your boat.

Summary: Please visit once......you will come twice