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Some general questions Albufeira/Algarve
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jameswhufc View Drop Down
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    Posted: 01/February/2018 at 15:22
Have been to Albufeira more than a dozen times usually in April / October.

However i will be in Madrid in August and am planning to drive down to the Algarve as i havent been for a few years so would like to catch up with old friends and visit the seaside.

So for the first time we will have a car so i can explore further afield, so my first question is any really nice beach recommendations driveable from Albufeira?

Haven't booked anywhere to stay yet so open to staying in different locations, i guess i'll just see whats available on Air BNB.

Also any good historical landmarks to visit around there? My girlfriend likes them kind of things (We are going to Granada in April to view the sites there).

Open to any suggestions really on things that can be done with a car that are worth doing once maybe - we will probably stay for 3/4 nights.
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Big Col View Drop Down
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Firstly I don't know where you have been before nor what your likes and dislikes are when it comes to beaches. You are spoilt for choice really.

Our personal favourites by car range from Falesia and those off the Ria Formosa national park to the East. Gale/Saldagos, Senhora da Rocha and beyond to the West.

For a full day excursion we love the surfing beaches on the West coast from Carrapateira through Bordeira towards Arrifana and Aljezur.

I'm sure others will also have their favourites too.
Colin
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cubsur View Drop Down
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"---any really nice beach recommendations driveable from Albufeira?"

Masses, but you will be here at the most expensive time of year. Anything below top price will almost certainly have been booked long ago. Driveable? How far?? 10 minutes from Albufeira centre could be 6 miles away. And i am sure you understand that parking in town during August is well nigh impossible.

"Also any good historical landmarks to visit around there?"

A few, like Silves Castle and Cathedral, Faro old city inside the walls and its Cathedral. Lagos town, Cerro da Vila Roman site near Vilamoura marina, another Roman era site and museum at Estoi, north of Faro then there's the two castles at Castro Marim across the river from Spain, the fortress at Sagres and its museum to Henry the Navigator etc etc.
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jameswhufc View Drop Down
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With regards to the beach just wanted somewhere with just pure sand (rather than the sand at the old town with the shells etc) - just really something different. Yes im sure parking will be a nightmare but don't mind driving (i mean driving from Madrid is going to take 6 hours, although we plan to stop somewhere for the night on the way down). I'll have a search for those you mentioned Col.

Thanks cubsur for those. I'll have a look at them.
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For 'pure' sand. Try the Fálesia area to the east. That beach wasn't rebuilt like those in town. I know there are airbnb rentals available over there as a friend of mine was doing a price comparison exercise for one he is renting out. (No joy for you, as it is in the town centre with no parking.)

There's also Galé and Salgados beaches to the west of town, but parking there is hideous in summer with all manner of crooks demanding money to 'guard' your car and others breaking into them anyway.
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“There's also Galé and Salgados beaches to the west of town, but parking there is hideous in summer with all manner of crooks demanding money to 'guard' your car and others breaking into them anyway.”

Mmm, have to beg to differ, Salgados and Gale beaches are fantastic, pure sand, loads of parking in several locations and in ten years, with I’d say an average 20 to 30 visits to those beaches each year, we have never once been asked for money or seen a vehicle that has been broken into.

Superb beaches, highly recommended.

Places to visit? Put Alte and Monchique on your list.
Andrew
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tonisdad View Drop Down
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Originally posted by jameswhufc jameswhufc wrote:


However i will be in Madrid in August and am planning to drive down to the Algarve as i havent been for a few years so would like to catch up with old friends and visit the seaside.
Open to any suggestions really on things that can be done with a car that are worth doing once maybe - we will probably stay for 3/4 nights.

Hello James long time since you have popped up.
First of all congratulations to West Ham for managing to get £6.5 million off us for that Ashley Fletcher...you lot must be laughing your heads off Clap.
If I was you James I would stay in Madrid in August and enjoy it there. Albuferia is completely different in August to the time of year you are used to.
The roads are bedlam people seeing who can make the most dangerous moves especially on roundabouts.
You can`t get sat in bars for Portuguese/Spanish sat there all day or night nursing a bottle of water or cup of coffee...or nothing.
Take into account your cost of getting to Madrid and back petrol/tolls. Extortionate hotel prices and you would most likely be no worse off having a quick jaunt over from UK in September/October when it has eased off a bit and enjoying your August in Madrid.
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Originally posted by cubsur cubsur wrote:

For 'pure' sand. Try the Fálesia area to the east. That beach wasn't rebuilt like those in town. I know there are airbnb rentals available over there as a friend of mine was doing a price comparison exercise for one he is renting out

I beg to differ too. Falesia was rebuilt last year (as I reported on here - http://albufeira.com/forum/albufeiras-beaches-today_topic2711_post102226.html#102226) from Golfinhos to a good way past Pine cliffs plus further along near Alfamar. Some areas are shell free but others are not. Even so,  you don't have to walk very far to find a nice stretch of fine sand.

Regards AirB&B, there are 2 apartments (a 1 bed and a 2 bed, both of which are very nice) in our block in Acoteias that do that and several others in the adjoining 3 blocks that make up the area known collectively as Pinhal do Concelho.
In addition there are around 40 to 50 other rentals on AirB&B in or around Acoteias/Falesia

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Acoteias-Apartment--Albufeira--Portugal/homes?place_id=ChIJA6wmGinKGg0RpUZBILSMzoc&refinement_paths%5B%5D=%2Fhomes&allow_override%5B%5D=&s_tag=rHS82AG5
I hate how peopleï compare Frank Zappa to God. I mean, he's cool and great and nice and everything, but he's no Zappa.
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jameswhufc View Drop Down
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Thanks everyone for the comments.

Originally posted by tonisdad tonisdad wrote:


Hello James long time since you have popped up.
First of all congratulations to West Ham for managing to get £6.5 million off us for that Ashley Fletcher...you lot must be laughing your heads off Clap.
If I was you James I would stay in Madrid in August and enjoy it there. Albuferia is completely different in August to the time of year you are used to.
The roads are bedlam people seeing who can make the most dangerous moves especially on roundabouts.
You can`t get sat in bars for Portuguese/Spanish sat there all day or night nursing a bottle of water or cup of coffee...or nothing.
Take into account your cost of getting to Madrid and back petrol/tolls. Extortionate hotel prices and you would most likely be no worse off having a quick jaunt over from UK in September/October when it has eased off a bit and enjoying your August in Madrid.

I still lurk around here but i guess my lack of visits to Albufeira recently means i have less to contribute here. 
Yes i am utterly amazed we got that money for Fletcher, i had completely forgotten about him and have just seen he's gone Sunderland on loan.

My girlfriends parents live in Madrid which is the reason i will be there in the Summer - i am there for 16 days. We like to use it as an opportunity to go to the beach for a few days - last year we visited Valencia - any beach we drive to is a minimum 4 hours.

Perhaps we could look into going somewhere else entirely or I am not sure if its worth staying somewhere close but perhaps we could go to Albufeira for the day - i mainly just wanted to visit to come see a few people i have made friends with there.

All my holiday days are fully used this year otherwise i would look to fly out of season (also my girlfriend works in a school so we can only do school holidays).
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tonisdad View Drop Down
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James I think we loaned Fletcher to Sunderland in the hope he would help get them relegated LOL.
Maybe you might pick something up last minute in Albuferia or local.
We still bump into Nico who used to have the bar you drank in. He is working at Tres Coronas...Three Crowns...down the Old Town.
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My mistake about Falesia then , I didn't notice many shells at all.
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jameswhufc View Drop Down
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Yes Nico is one of the first person's i would go an see. It's an added bonus that Tres Coroas is a great restaurant to eat in too.
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Originally posted by tonisdad tonisdad wrote:

Originally posted by jameswhufc jameswhufc wrote:


However i will be in Madrid in August and am planning to drive down to the Algarve as i havent been for a few years so would like to catch up with old friends and visit the seaside.
Open to any suggestions really on things that can be done with a car that are worth doing once maybe - we will probably stay for 3/4 nights.

Hello James long time since you have popped up.
First of all congratulations to West Ham for managing to get £6.5 million off us for that Ashley Fletcher...you lot must be laughing your heads off Clap.
If I was you James I would stay in Madrid in August and enjoy it there. Albuferia is completely different in August to the time of year you are used to.
The roads are bedlam people seeing who can make the most dangerous moves especially on roundabouts.
You can`t get sat in bars for Portuguese/Spanish sat there all day or night nursing a bottle of water or cup of coffee...or nothing.
Take into account your cost of getting to Madrid and back petrol/tolls. Extortionate hotel prices and you would most likely be no worse off having a quick jaunt over from UK in September/October when it has eased off a bit and enjoying your August in Madrid.


Can't argue with that. Add the left turn lights half way up the hill to the dolphin roundabout, where idiots who have noticed the turn too late and just stop in the middle lane when the straight on light is already green... 
Go away Duchatalet
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Places we have liked and would recommend: 
As already been mentioned, Falesia beach - stunning cliffs lovely stretch of beach.  

Carrapateira, Bordeira - beautiful and sandy beaches. 

Lagos. Stunning rocks. 
http://www.lagosportugalguide.com/lagos-algarve/ponta-da-piedade-lagos.html 
Some history in Lagos too. 

Yes, Alte -  as someone has said- is worth a visit, a lovely little place. 
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Nico is opening a new bar this month at olhos de agua
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