Ah, Village Life... (Carvoeiro)

Member Name: beckstrous

Product:	Carvoeiro
Date:	11/09/02 (2999 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great restaurants, beautiful coastline, the mountains

Disadvantages: Mosquitoes and ants

Tucked away in a side street, halfway up a hill, there is a poky, smoky bar in which a middle-aged Yorkshireman bravely struggles his way through a (solo) cover version of Bohemian Rhapsody (it's terrible, but the crowd love him, and are only too happy to help). The smell of barbecued sardines creeps around the corner as a chef cooks in the open air, and down towards the square there is a pipe band playing as people sit around with their evening drinks, looking out to sea. The place is packed tonight because it's the weekend of the "blessing of the sea": local traders line the streets selling all sorts of tat, children wander around eating enormous ice-creams and tourists mill around with the locals waiting for the firework display at midnight. Welcome to Carvoeiro.

Carvoeiro is a pretty little fishing village in the Algarve, and unlike some of the larger resorts nearby it has resisted the temptation to expand upwards. You'll not see a single scyscraper or tower block here, and the cars are almost as slow as the pedestrians. The place has a truly international flavour without being overly tacky, and Dutch, English and Italian ex-pats (amongst others) have set up shop (or bar, or restaurant) alongside the Portuguese to create an enthusiastic welcome for any visitor that choses to come to this bustling, friendly resort. I stayed in Carvoeiro for two weeks this summer (my second visit so far), and was amazed to find that nobody had written about it yet. So here goes - it's a bit long, but I wanted it to be comprehensive. You don't have to read it all!

ACCOMODATION

Most visitors to Carvoeiro stay in a villa of some sort. You can book accomodation through various well-known tour operators, but if you're feeling a bit more adventurous then I can wholeheartedly recommend you try Algarve Independent Holidays (http://www.algarveholidays.co.uk/). They are a small tour operator based in Pembrokeshire and they special
ise in the Carvoeiro area. They don't charge commission, and they'll organise your flights, car hire and insurance as well. Don't be put off if you've not heard of them before: they've been going for nine years now and most of their business comes from recommendations like this.

We stayed in Quinta Nossa, which is a fabulous villa in three acres of gardens, which have orange, fig, tangerine, lemon and almond trees. It's a three bedroom villa (there were six of us) and it's so enormous that everyone can find a bit of privacy if they need it. There's a pool and a fridge outside, and Sky TV inside. It's nice and isolated without being too far away from the town, and the only noise you'll get in the evenings is from the sprinklers that water the garden. If your party is of a similar size I would really recommend Quinta Nossa, especially as (like all the other villas let out by this company) it is privately owned, and very well looked-after.

Aside from private villas there is also a hotel called the Solferias Gold Club and further afield, little resort called Monte Carvoeiro. This was established in 1985 and is set on top of the hill overlooking Carvoeiro village. There's probably not quite as much privacy here, but it is slightly cheaper than a private villa (prices start at £125 per week in the low season and go up to £560 per week in the high season, whereas the cost of our holiday was almost £4,000 once all the flights had been added to the price!).

RESTAURANTS

There are countless places to eat in Carvoeiro and all of them are very reasonably priced. The best restaurant we went to is most definitely l'Orange, which is a little out of town (fifteen minutes' walk up the hill from the beach - Tel. 282 357 297) and serves outstanding, imaginative food at extraordinarly cheap prices (around £15-£20 a head for three courses and a lot of wine). I would recommend the pork with tarragon sa
uce and the goat cheese with onion marmalade - absolutely divine. The house wine is so lovely that when we found it in the local supermarket we were compelled to buy several bottles of it. (Well you would, wouldn't you?)

In town, Lanterna Velho is halfway up the so-called "Restaurant Hill" (Estrada do Farol) and has a typically Portuguese menu, large portions and friendly service. It's also very busy, particularly in the outside terrace. It's owned by a Dutch family: it used to be called Antonio's and was run by two brothers, but they fell out and one of them took the Antonio's name to a larger restaurant further up the hill, where neither the food nor the service is as good. Here, I would recommend the cataplana, a traditional Portuguese fish stew served in a large tin pot (you won't finish it all), and the piri piri shrimp starter is lovely if you like food with a bit of a kick (piri piri is a traditional portuguese sauce often served with chicken, and similar to tabasco).

If you've got children or want something a bit more familiar then the same street has a nice Italian pizza and pasta place. Strangely, it's called "California", but the chef is actually Italian. It's great value (six of us had a two-course dinner with two drinks and coffee for under £10 each). There is also a Chinese over the road; I can't remember the name but it's massive and you can't miss it!

BARS

The middle-aged muso from Yorkshire I mentioned earlier is Bobby Stardust and he owns a bar called the Jailhouse. This is a Carvoeiro institution, and Bobby sings live every night. He's an affable fellow and is quite happy to chat to the customers in between songs - and he tells terrible jokes too. If you happen to be from Goole (which I'm not) and tell him where you come from, he'll treat you to a free drink. This is also a good place to watch football as it has a large projector scr
een downstairs and a couple of televisions upstais, although not all of the matches are screened.

Smilers is just off the main square and serves a decent all-day breakfast. It's also run by English people but don't worry about a yob culture - it's not that sort of place, and neither is Carvoeiro. It has a nice open terrace and is very popular with families. It shows pretty much every Premier League match that Sky is screening, so if you're a fan you won't miss out.

Mungo's is another British bar that also shows football and has quiz nights, live entertainment (of varying quality) and, again, all-day breakfasts.

If you fancy something a little bit more low-key then try Hemingway's, a friendly little bar on Rua dos Pescadores. As with most bars in the area, it serves freshly-squeezed orange juice, which is lovely.

There are no real nightclubs in Carvoeiro (although there is a small disco) but if clubbing is your thing, then I don't think this will be your sort of destination anyway (Albufeira is better for that, I think).


THINGS TO DO

The weather in the Algarve is sunny almost every day so lounging around by the pool is a great way to relax - but Carvoeiro also has a little, unspoilt beach as well. It's very clean, but it's also quite rocky. The area is made up of little coves and cliffs and if you were to drive along the coast for a while, you'd find a deserted beach all to yourself if you wanted.

Excursions can be booked in various little shops in the village and I would recommend the Coastal Cave Trips (various boats will take you there, including a local fisherman from Carvoeiro beach or if you prefer, several larger boats from neaby Portimao). The coastline is quite rugged, and the caves are really beautiful. Our trip lasted half a day and cost around £15, but you can go for a whole day if you want, and have a barbecue on a beach.

There are als
o several "jeep safari" companies offering to take you into the mountains: we went up there with Zebra Safari for just under £30 (including a very tasty all-you-can-eat three course lunch). The trip lasts a day and the mountains are breathtaking, with an astounding variety of plants and wildlife. It's great fun off-roading and standing up in the jeep and the guides, who are all local and very proud of their country, speak flawless English.

DAY TRIPS FURTHER AFIELD

A visit to the working town of Portimao (about 25 minutes in the car) is a must. It's not a particularly attractive place and neither is it a holiday resort, but on the harbour front you can eat the freshest sardines you are ever likely to taste. For around £5 at any one of the numerous restaurants along the port you can have a lunch of bread, sardines and fruit, with a drink thrown in. The sardines are barbecued almost as soon as they're out of the sea and the smell as you walk down the marina is delicious.

For a different side of the Algarve, visit Monchique in the Algarvian mountains (45 minutes' drive). This is a lovely little town that seems a million miles away from the benign hubbub of Carvoeiro - it's cooler in the mountains, and life seems to run at a slower pace. There are usually exhibitions from local artists in the town and some shops where you can buy the honey and eucalypus oil that is produced locally. For lunch, visit the Rouxinol (Nightingale) restaurant, which is run by Danes and caters for all tastes, including vegetarian. I had the local shrimp soup, vegetable pie and a Danish dessert called "Hot Love", which is almost as legendary as the restaurant's hot raspberry pie (it has quite a reputation with the locals).

THE BAD BITS

Mosquitos and ants.

IN SUMMARY

Crikey - you made it to the end? Well done. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Carvoeiro as a holiday destination; it'
s great for families, it's friendly, the food is superb and you'll have a lot of fun exploring the local area too. And make sure you don't miss Bobby Stardust!

Relevant links:
www.carvoeiro.com

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