At this time, all is doom and gloom but cheer yourself up by planning a holiday in the sunshine for next year, even if it is only in your head! Value for money is the name of the game and Algarve Retreats has a new home page that makes it easier to look for those value for money holidays. Make use of the invitation to “Click Here” and search on www.algarvevillasdirect2you.co.uk for over 700 villas and apartments along the length of the Algarve, all at owner's prices. Click on “Travel Extras” for everything else, from flights with the “No Frills” airlines such as Easyjet, to car hire with Holidays Autos. For example, we have just looked at Apartment Dom Jose, a lovely, modern, air conditioned apartment on Lagos
Marina, car hire with Holiday Autos and flights from Gatwick with Monarch, total price for two people is £675 for a week in June. That is good value! Cheer yourself up!
Want to return to the Marina Club in Lagos? It's the featured resort on the www.algarve-retreats.co.uk home page this month so just click on the links to get next year's prices.
Now it is the turn of Dom Jose I to hand over the trappings of power - this time it is to the Marques de Pombal. The earthquake of 1755 devastated Lisbon and Pombal spent vast sums rebuilding the city. Predictably he fell from favour when the king died and was banished. It was a time of upheaval and unrest and the usual players were in the midst of it. Things were happening in America, Gibraltar had to be defended, the French Revolution started and Nelson and Napoleon sail into the picture - read all it in the latest installment of Portugal's history.
You'll find Café Correia almost next door to the post office and across the road from the yellow & white church. Everything is cooked from fresh so be prepared for your main course to take an hour to get to the table but if you like traditional Portuguese food, Café Correia is well worth a visit. On the day we ate there, there was no fish on the menu because there was no fresh fish available that day so we ate chicken, octopus and prawns instead!
October's dog walk was huge fun! There were about 20 people and 12 dogs and everyone got on very well - even the people! The next walk with dogs is on 23rd November possibly from Raposeira but keep an eye on local press for final details. Walks this month start from Odiaxere, from Benafim, from Monte Seco for a walk above the River Algibre, from the Barragem around Bravura Lake from Amorosa to Monte Boi and from the Burgau Sports Centre for the Budens Wetlands & cliff tops. As usual, everyone is welcome - just turn up at the appointed time and place - full details are in the Let's walk in the Algarve November programme.
New Iberian Lynx reproduction centre at Herdade das Santinhas in Silves is on target to be completed by January 2009. The Iberian Lynx is on the world's top 100 list of endangered species (www.iucn.org). Spain is donating 16 lynxes from their breeding centre to start the Portuguese programme off.
The FIA has approved the new race track between Lagos & Portimao and the McLaren-Mercedes team will be winter testing down here on the Algarve.
Lagos Camara has a website giving lots of information about the area and what's happening www.cm-lagos.pt only in Portuguese.
Next public holiday in the Algarve is 1st December.
