# Final Countdown: Vilamoura/Algarve, Lisbon, Madeira - - Favorites Wanted!



## Conan (Jun 27, 2009)

It seems only yesterday (18 months ago), I booked July weeks at Four Seasons Vilamoura in the Algarve, Pestana (Madeira) Beach Club, and three hotel nights in Lisbon in between.

We'll have a rental car when we land in Lisbon, drive to the Algarve, and return to Lisbon when the first week is up (actually we're staying 6 nights apiece in Vilamoura and Madeira).  No car in Madeira (as of now).  

How cold is the water in the Algarve and Madeira in July- - do we need to bring our swim vests? (I think ours are 3mm).

From what I've found on the Internet, it looks like the best Algarve beaches for a non-surfer are east of Vilamoura/Quarteira, around Faro/Tavera/Monte Gordo.

This is our first trip to Portugal, so we'll be doing a lot of driving.  Suggestions for beaches, restaurants and sights all along the south coast are welcome!!  It would be good to know where the water is calmer and the air less windy, and where the food is authentic.

Lisbon will be a three-night whirlwind so we're limited to must-see suggestions.

Madeira I understand is the place to hike.  Is arranging taxi pickups practical?  Can we follow a trail on our own or do we need to hire on with a group (something we normally wouldn't do). Favorite restaurants in Funchal and elsewhere??

Thanks!!


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## Laurie (Jun 27, 2009)

rklein001 said:


> Madeira I understand is the place to hike.  Is arranging taxi pickups practical?  Can we follow a trail on our own or do we need to hire on with a group (something we normally wouldn't do).


It's been awhile - I had to read over my review of Madeira Beach Club to see on which walk we did the group thing (it was 25 Fontes, I recommend it! - in that case, the guide was a good idea) and which ones on our own. Looks like we did 5 walks. You can follow many trails on your own, levadas are self-evident because they run along the irrigation ditches - but occasionally it wasn't immediately apparent to us how far to walk to find the levada. Not sure about taxi pickups, because how would you predict time of arrival? We used the bus. 

Anyway, here's what I wrote: 

Many people travel to Madeira to walk the levadas, or near-level hiking paths along the old irrigation channels, and that's why we went. We have never seen such mountainous, spectacular country, so green and lush and steep (with some impossible terracing) on foot so easily and pleasantly -- you can walk for hours without a huff or a puff. 

We did take one all-day guided walk to some waterfalls which was wonderful (at Rabacal - 25 Fontes, or 25 Springs) - there are many of these tours which are done in small groups - ours consisted of us, 2 Scottish couples and a Swedish couple plus the guide. We never would have done this particular walk on our own, especially since it included an 800-metre walk through a tunnel with just flashlights. 

But for the most part, if you study your maps and guidebooks, and talk to other travellers, you can soon figure out your way around the island to various levadas, by using cheap public transportation. You take a bus to a location near a levada, find and walk along your chosen levada to suit your difficulty level, comfort (height) and distance desire, and take a different bus back to Funchal. The buses are numbered and color-coded - there are 2 lines, in-town and out-of-town, with different terminals - some of them conveniently stopped right around the corner from Madeira Beach Club.

The walks we enjoyed doing on our own were: Vale Paraiso (Paradise Valley) along Levada da Serra, all the way into Camacha... Nuns Valley, where we took a bus to the miradouro (look-out), and walked a zigzag path with its supposed 52 hairpin bends down the mountain to the village below (walking sticks advised, and shoes with some good treads because it was slick in the drizzle), then caught a bus home... and 2 different walks along the Levada dos Tornos: once from Monte, the other was a Tea House walk: we ate lunch at Hortensia Gardens Tea House, and then a few hours later, dinner at Jasmine Tea House - huge servings for a few Euros and one of the best meals we had!


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## Cotswolder (Jun 28, 2009)

rklein001 said:


> How cold is the water in the Algarve and Madeira in July- - do we need to bring our swim vests? (I think ours are 3mm).



From what I know of US swimmers you will need a vest !!! 
Not quite sure about Madeira but the Canary Islands have an average water temp of 19 C. Plenty warm enough for us in the UK but................


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## Carolinian (Jun 28, 2009)

While you are in Lisbon, I would take a day trip out to three royal palaces that are close to each other around Sintra.  It is a rather short train ride from Lisbon.


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## Conan (Jun 28, 2009)

Cotswolder said:


> From what I know of US swimmers you will need a vest !!!
> Not quite sure about Madeira but the Canary Islands have an average water temp of 19 C. Plenty warm enough for us in the UK but................



Hey, I resemble that remark!


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## beejaybeeohio (Jun 28, 2009)

*Vilamoura*

We were at Four Seasons Vilamoura last month-
Favorites: 

a day trip out to the Cabo St. Vincente lighthouse, stopping at pottery shops and Lagos (don't do this on a Monday as the primo church is closed that day).

Alte- a short drive away, or a tour is offered by the resort.  This is a great white village with handicraft shops, a pretty church, and a "waterfall" with a charming restaurant with Portuguese and other menu items which overlooks the little river and falls.

Vilamoura- the marina and the Roman Ruins

We also overnited in Sintra after a trip up to Fatima.  I would agree with Carolinian to go there during your Lisbon stay.  We were only in Lisbon for a halfday and took the commercial tram tour which we enjoyed.

We ate at the Fantasia Bar closer to the Quarteria in on the beach in Vilamoura which was fine, but right near the Four Seasons is the Old Village with several restaurant choices.  We liked the Casa do Lago very much- eclectic food choices and delicious.


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## Blues (Jun 28, 2009)

There's a very nice beach in Vilamoura itself.  You access it via a road right by the Marina.  We also liked the beaches in Quartiera.  But really, we spent most of our time at the pools at Four Seasons.  Great pools, very relaxing.

As far as eating, there are loads of great restaurants right on the Marina.  Just go wander there just before dinner time and pick a new one each evening.  That's what we did.  We did find, though, that the ones a couple of blocks back had to try harder.  We liked one called (I think) La Pescador.  Went there a couple of times.

As far as touring the Algarve, our very favorite place was Lagos.  Wonderful little town, great for wandering among the shops.  While there, you *must* take a boat tour from Ponta da Piedade.  It's a little way from the town center (perhaps a mile) and easy to miss.  But the boat tours are wonderful!  Only 10 Euro per person, and going in and out of the grottos will remind you of Blue Grotto in Italy.  It's an informal affair.  It's mostly local fishermen who make a little extra money giving tours on the boat.  Our guide was bawdy and funny.  You can tour this same area via boat tours from Vilamoura, which are 4 times the cost and take all day to get there and back.  Or you can spend 45 minutes while you're there and see it all.  We loved it.

-Bob


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## beejaybeeohio (Jun 29, 2009)

*Lagos- heads up*

Right now parking is a problem in Lagos near the old town due to the construction of a new parking garage, so if Four Seasons offers a tour there, you might want to do that rather than drive.  Otherwise, it can be very frustrating looking for a spot.

Wish we had known about the boat ride, Blues......


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## nerodog (Jun 29, 2009)

*lovely  portugal*

YOu will love it ! It has become my favorite place ! Lisbon is a wonderful city and I would suggest the hop on hop off tour bus for such a short time... Belem area with the monastery and the tower are great and the architecture is just breathtaking. GO up to the castle and see the beautiful view of the city! We took a day trip to Obidos, Fatima and Nazare with Inside Lisbon tours. They can really take you around to see alot  for one day .. .look on line. With regard to the Algarve, we went on a day trip tour which took us to Monchique mountain area. gorgeous and around the rock formations near Lagos... Went to to the lighthouse and the whole coast  is just beautiful...I would suggest driving or taking a day tour to see alot for the first time. You will love the four seasons, its clean and well located. Not far from the beach either , a trolley also runs from the resort if you choose not to drive. We found the food at the resort esp. the special theme meals and the lunches to be excellent in quality and authenticity for Portuguese food.Portugal is a lovely country with the friendliest people I have ever met travelling. When in Lisbon, just wander around the little streets and shops of Chiado and the Barrio Alto areas....go to a FADO show at night. Have fun !!!!


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## Conan (Aug 31, 2009)

We're back from our Portugal trip. It was great! Our reviews of Four Seasons Vilamoura and (Carlton) Madeira Beach Club are posted in the Reviews section.

Let me answer my own questions in this thread:



rklein001 said:


> How cold is the water in the Algarve and Madeira in July.


Very cold!! The Algarve was super clean and super cold - - at least as cold as Cape Cod National Seashore for comparison - - 20 minutes and your legs go numb. The ocean in Madeira was warmer but still cold, about like Jones Beach in Long Island, NY.



> From what I've found on the Internet, it looks like the best Algarve beaches for a non-surfer are east of Vilamoura/Quarteira, around Faro/Tavera/Monte Gordo.


The air was calm everywhere, so we were wrong to worry about being non-surfers. There are lovely beaches all along the south coast of Portugal. Falesia near Vilamoura was wonderful (even the Vilamoura town beach is great). We also enjoyed the beach at Praia do Barril near Tavaira that you access by a 1 euro tram. And the beaches near Sagres and Lagos but they have the coldest water.



> This is our first trip to Portugal, so we'll be doing a lot of driving. Suggestions for ... restaurants and sights all along the south coast are welcome!! It would be good to know ... where the food is authentic.


No problem finding authentic food - - just look for "cataplana" of various types (fish or shellfish with sauce and potato; similar paella but no rice) or monkfish + rice. We had our best meals at Restaurant A Tasca at the Marina Vila do Bispo next to Sagres
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...928452&spn=0.006203,0.009538&t=h&z=17&iwloc=A
and best of all in Quarteira near to Vilamoura, no view but fantastic food at O Jacinto 
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...103238&spn=0.003099,0.004769&t=h&z=18&iwloc=A

We also did the boat excursion from Lagos mentioned in this thread. It's easy to find the tables where they offer tickets - - look for the swinging bridge and walk over, away from downtown towards the marina. You can also find streetside car parking near the marina, since it's the downtown side where all the construction is going on.



> Madeira I understand is the place to hike. Can we follow a trail on our own or do we need to hire on with a group


We did both. Details in my review of Maderia Beach Club.


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