Where are they all? That’s what I keep asking myself during a break to the Algarve in high season, when, one is led to believe, half of Britain decamps to this sunny, reasonably affordable, friendly, spectacular coast.
But on Gale Beach, a long, sandy stretch, west of heaving Albufeira, about 45 minutes from Faro, our fellow sun worshippers are mainly Portuguese, with a few Dutch and Germans thrown in. Either the British aren’t here or they’re keeping unusually quiet.
It’s a similar situation when, on our second day, we (ten adults and six children, all aged five or under) go on a day-long BBQ on the beach excursion, which involves taking a boat laden with around 100 passengers to explore some of the caves along the coast in the direction of Lagros, before anchoring and then either swimming or boarding a small boat to the shore.
Again, hard to say for sure, but I think we could be the only Britons on this particular outing. Which makes me think that cliched impressions of the Algarve are not completely sound.
We’re staying just up the road from Gale Beach in two, four bedroom villas next to each other, rented through Solmar Villas, a family-run company (founded 1994), which prides itself on offering a personal service and, from my experience, delivers just that.
Making an impression: Mark Palmer enjoys the delights of Portugal’s Algarve where he visits Praia do Castelo (above)
The higher spec villa, Casa das Tilias, comes with its own tennis court and sits in a mature garden, with flowering hibiscus, a Norfolk pine (native to South Africa), palms, banana plants. We – and especially the children – love the large swimming pool, more the size of one you see in some hotels. And the outdoor snooker table attracts a lot of action, too.
Villa Charlota is less fancy but perfectly comfortable, with a ping pong table, proper built-in BBQ and room for two cars.
First stop – and then something of a daily pilgrimage – is the local supermarket, which is always a good way of assessing the locals. Here, they are unfailingly friendly. The young woman at the checkout even offers to help pack our groceries. Mind you, the receipt for our first main shop splutters out of the machine for what seems like an age.
Mark stays at Casa das Tilias (pictured), a four-bedroom villa that he rented through Solmar Villas
Casa das Tilias comes with its own tennis court and sits in a ‘mature’ garden, Mark reveals
There’s no hostility to tourists here; no firing of water pistols while enjoying a quiet coffee. And it’s worth remembering that Portugal has long had strong ties to Britain, going back to the Treaty of Windsor in 1386, which cemented relations. They’ve never been broken (although Cristiano Ronaldo’s gleeful wink when Wayne Rooney got sent off in the 2006 World Cup came close).
It’s the unique backdrop to the Algarve’s beaches that make them so impressive, with the Miocene limestone and sandstone cliffs rising vertically into the sky – and best seen from the sea.
Whereas Gale Beach is sprawling, Praia do Castelo, a three minute drive or 30 minute walk from our villas, is enclosed by giant boulders. We take our hired cars and notice how there’s no ‘pay and display’ rules. You just find a space and fill it.
Mark visits Gale Beach (seen above), a long, sandy stretch, west of ‘heaving’ Albufeira
Two lifeguards are on duty but they’re more concerned about people making camp close to the cliffs in case crumbling stones fall on them. Best of all, there’s a white-washed restaurant shack at one end of the beach and, miraculously, we manage to book a table and enjoy a stellar lunch.
This sort of setting in the South of France would be financial ruin, but here the local wine comes in at less than £15 a bottle. A single glass would cost you that elsewhere in the Med.
One day, we visit Guia and have lunch at Ramires, which specialises in the local, piri-piri chicken. The restaurant is in a fine old building. Ordering is simple: either go for spicy or not so spicy and, yet again, the clientele is made up almost entirely of locals.
Above is the town of Silves, famous for its red-stone castle, which witnessed the slaughter of 6,000 Moors in 1189. Mark’s holiday occurs at the same time as a festival in the town
Our week coincides with the annual Medieval Festival in the town of Silves, about 30 minutes inland. We were always planning to visit, not least to see the famous red-stone castle which witnessed the slaughter of 6,000 Moors in 1189. Silves was once the capital of the Algarve – and still remains the stand-out town in the area. We eat spectacularly well in the shade of trees at Cafe Ingles just along from the 13th century cathedral, with the kitchens built into the city walls.
Pick your spot wisely in the Algarve and you won’t go wrong. Sun and sea in summer is guaranteed and the warmth continues well into October, perfect for half term.
And I promise no one will aim a water pistol at you.