Useful Information and Links to Local Attractions

Algarve Tourist Information

Almancil This village west of Faro consists mainly of bars and restaurants offering local specialities and international cuisine and serving the surrounding private developments of Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo. The nearby church of São Lourenço is well worth a visit with its interior covered with rococo gildings and astonishing 18th century azulejos ceramic tiles.

Estói The small and ancient village of Estói is a typical Algarvian village with a parish church built on the site of a medieval chapel and dating from the 16th century which is well worth the visit.  Every second Sunday of the month Estói holds a world famous horse market and the village is full of hidden surprises and unique charm. At the end of the main street are the wrought iron gates of the 18th century palace of Estói built by the Counts of Carvalhal in neo-baroque and rococo styles. The palace is partially covered with intricate 19th century azulejo-tiles bearing luxurious floral designs or depicting scenes from classical mythology. The gardens contain lakes, flights of steps, statues and a temple containing the statue of The Three Graces, a faithful copy of the original work sculpted by Italian artist, Antonio Canova.

Faro The old part of the city is surrounded by Roman walls dating to the 9th century.  Inside in a spacious open square, once the site of the Roman Forum, is a 13th Century Cathedral and an 18th Century Episcopal palace.  The nearby 16th Century former Convent of Nossa Senhora ad Assumpção is now an archaeological museum housing a third-century Roman mosaic of Neptune and the four winds. Faro has both Arab and Roman ruins - the Moors occupied the town from the 8th to 13th Century and developed it into a trading port called Ossónoba.  An interesting piece of history - The Earl of Essex sacked the town in 1596 with his fellow crusaders on their journey to the Holy Land and brought home the collection of books from the palace of the Bishop of Faro which became an important part of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England. The city has a range of attractive shops, a theatre and Faro is the home of the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over 17.000 hectares with hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods.

Loulé Loulé is an important rural administrative town around 5 mls from Casa Alto and like most other towns in the Algarve, the earthquake of 1755 destroyed most of the historic buildings, leaving just a few remains of the ancient town. The Arab castle dating back to the 12th Century has some walls still standing that are now surrounded by modern buildings and the 13th Century Church of São Clemente with its Gothic arches and 16th Century side chapels has also survived. With the initiation of a fair in 1291, Loulé became one of the major focal points for trade in the Algarve in medieval times and the Saturday fair still attracts visitors from all along the Algarve to the weekly market.  The annual Carnival in February is considered one of the best in Portugal. Loulé has many other attractions to offer any day of the week, in particular the morning market where you can buy the freshest organic fruit, vegetables, bunches of herbs, fruit and nuts not to mention home made piri piri.

The Ruins of Milreu Lying about 5 mls from Faro, the Ruins of Milreu are the remains of a small Roman farming centre that includes a Roman villa and thermal baths from the 1st century A.D. Several beautiful mosaics, depicting geometric patterns and fish, are still visible on some of the floors and surrounding walls.  In Roman times Milreu was a summer residence for well to do families from Faro, then known as Ossonoba and Milreu is still sometimes called by this name.

Olhão Olhão grew with the local sardine and tuna fishing industry and was granted the status of a town in 1808 when 17 fishermen crossed the Atlantic Ocean without charts to announce to the exiled King of Portugal that the French invading armies had been defeated. The architecture of the older quarter of Olhão shows a Moorish flavour and each morning the lively and noisy fish market on the waterfront offers an impressive variety of fresh fish and seafood. Regular boat trips are available to the nearby small islands of Ilha da Culatra and Ilha da Armona, where there are inviting and unspoilt sandy beaches.

Quinta do Lago One of the most exclusive resort developments in the Algarve with fine shops, first class restaurants, a beach, golf, tennis, riding, squash and watersports. Quinta do Lago is also home to the Ria Formosa Nature Reserve and has a bridge which you can walk across to the beach.

São Brás de Alportel The famous Moorish poet Ibn Ammar was born here in the 12th Century and due to its mild climate São Brás de Alportel became the summer residence of the Bishops of the Algarve from the 17th Century onwards. In a fertile inland region, the town was known as a centre for cork production in the Algarve and is an excellent place for shopping and coffee. With narrow streets, rustic houses and richer ones with painted ceramic tiles and balustrades decorated with artistic wrought iron, the town is well worth a visit. North of here the road climbs up into the Serra Do Caldeirao and the vegetation becomes lusher and more abundant.

Vale do Lobo The name Vale do Lobo means valley of the wolf and it is Portugal's biggest luxury golf and beach resort set in a lovely pine clad valley which runs down to the sea. Embraced by two national parks of outstanding natural beauty on the Algarve coastline, Vale do Lobo is flanked by a 3 mile long golden sandy beach and majestic red sandstone cliffs.

United Kingdom Tourist Information

Forest of Dean, UK For holidays back in the UK, rent our converted and refurbished ancient cottage in the historic and tranquil village of Newland.