UPDATED - Albufeira - a very "moorish" place (Albufeira)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Albufeira
Date:	05/07/01 (1688 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Attractive, Lively, Cheap

Disadvantages: Check for improvements in Ferreiras first

Albufeira was a last minute choice, an apartment found for us by our travel agent at a very reasonable price and cheap flights to Faro. Sounded ideal; we just needed to chill-out; food, drink, sun, sea, sand, and...

We were not actually staying in Albufeira but in a small "village" about 4 kms inland called Ferreiras, at the Solcosta Apartments but more of that later.

Albufeira is in the Algarve and has had a long history, dating back to Roman times. It was the last town on the Iberian Peninsula freed from the Moors and its current name is derived from its Moorish name.

The town fell on hard times after earthquakes in the 16th and 18th centuries and it has really only been the tourist boom of modern times that has raised the level of prosperity it now enjoys.

Albufeira really divides into the old town and the new. The old town covers a broad stretch of clean sandy beaches and backs up about half a kilometre from the sea. Beyond this is all the new development, though mainly to the east and north of the old town. It is mostly low-rise apartments and hotel complexes.

The old town is delightful, full of narrow streets and alleys. Much has been pedestrianised, especially on the seaward side of the main town square and the square itself. Everywhere you find shops, bars and restaurants. During the day it was relatively quite, at least, it was when we were there in June.

In the evening the place comes alive. The square is full of entertainers and artists. The bars are full although most customers sit out in the street, especially along Candido dos Reis, where there is wall-to-wall music and live entertainers.

It is quieter as you move beyond this area and there can easily be found restaurants where you can relax and enjoy your meal in relative peace. We found several such.

In the new town area, all nightlife centres on The Strip. Although we didn't ourselves visit it, another
couple in the apartments did several time and reported it to be excellent though probably more oriented towards the younger element.

The beaches are well looked after and are divided up by rocky prominences. Our favourite was the one we called the "Tunnel Beach". As its name implies it is reached through a tunnel from just off of the square, down stone steps to beach level. Here the beach is quite narrow although it deepens to the right to about 100 metres. If you decide to rent a sun bed and shade at the foot of the steps, be sure to check the times of the tides. When the tide is really high it comes right to the foot of the steps. We had great fun watching the unwary nearly being washed away as we retreated to enjoy lunch.

We had lunch at several restaurants. The one referred to above was the Sunset Terrace, just to the left of the tunnel exit and a part of the Hotel Sol e Mar which is mostly sited on the cliff above. The food was good and reasonably priced considering the enjoyable view from the terrace.

The best lunch and, indeed, the best restaurant in town in my opinion, was A Ruina. This is on the beach to the left of the Tunnel Beach, reached either by walking along the sand or through a tunnel dug through the headland. Their terrace is literally on the beach, a large paved area laid directly on the sand. The building seems almost to be set into the cliff and rises many floors, to include indoor eating areas and a roof-top terrace as well.

Generally service in all the restaurants is, how shall we say, relaxed! Don't be in a hurry because the Portuguese don't know the meaning of the word, except when they are driving. The exception is A Ruina, where service is attentive and friendly. But then, so it should be as they are definitely the most expensive.

Their food is all fresh from the sea and magnificently prepared and served. You make your choice directly from the cold cabinet, ther
e is no menu.

Our next favourite was Tres Coroas (Three Crowns), right on top of the cliffs above the Tunnel Terrace. An outdoor terrace with live entertainment. If you want a view of the sea however, get there early as, it is set back a little and there are only three tables with a good view. There we had the traditional Cataplana, both a style and also the dish in which it is served.

Also recommended, A Tasca do Viegas, right next door to A Ruina.

The only one that disappointed was Cave Vinho do Porto, tables on an alley just off the main square and also indoor tables. The air-conditioning wasn't working, service was average and a number of things we wanted weren't available although advertised on their menu.

Credit Cards are not generally accepted, except in restaurants and hotels. Be prepared to take cash. There are many ATMs and also Bureau de Change so it isn't difficult to get your hands on real money.

Portugese wine is very good but not significantly cheaper than the price of equivalent wines in the UK so you won't save much by taking it home with you.

If you are going to use local transport, all buses to the town terminate at the main bus station which is situated at the edge of the town. You either have to take the local town shuttle bus from there or walk, about 25 minutes to the beaches.

Taxis are variable. You either have to phone for one or go and wait at one of the taxi ranks. The best taxi rank is just inland from the town square, about a 5 minute walk. Taxis are, however, cheap although the locals don't seem to think so. A taxi to or from Ferreiras where we were staying was 1000 escudos, about £3. We thought that was good value.

The train station for Albufeira is actually in Ferreiras. There are trains to most large towns along the coast from the Spanish border to the Atlantic coast. Trains run about every two hours. It's a single track l
ine with passing points at stations. Fares are very cheap. We took a day trip to Portimao, about a one hour journey, which cost about £4 return. The carriages were clean and in many cases the trains were all first class carriages, although we only had to pay a second class fare.

The Solcosta Apartments where we stayed were excellent. The complex was built around a pool. It was all very clean and well maintained.

UPDATE – January 2005
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The following observations were made in 2001, over 3 years ago and so should be read with that in mind. The recently added comment by a more recent visitor to Ferreiras indicates that things seem to have changed. I cannot comment on that as we haven’t been back there since the visit the subject of this review. I suggest that you treat it with an open mind and make further enquiries before rejecting a visit out-of-hand.

Cont...

Sadly, however, Ferreiras itself was anything but. The whole village was in complete chaos with almost all of the roads into the village un-surfaced and the pavements unusable. Everywhere the roads are up for various services, water, drainage, electricity... A permanent cloud of dust hangs over the area. We understand it has been like this for two years. An election was due whilst we were there. One day road layers turned up to surface the main road into the village. It took them two days and then they vanished, never to be seen again. Can't imagine that won the councillors any votes.

So, would we go back again? To Albufeira? Definitely. To Ferreiras? Only if the whole area has indeed returned to some sort of normality.

Summary: