Alvor Holidays
Alvor Holidays - Between the river and the sea
A holiday in Alvor has two faces, and both of them delightful. One face looks to the Atlantic, with its beach, the Praia de Alvor, forming a natural bay of the finest soft white sand. The other looks to the Ria Alvor estuary, a delightful setting where you can watch the fishing boats come and go along the newly restored riverfront before sampling their catch on one of the open air terraces at the excellent restaurants beside the lifeboat station.
You can take a boat trip on Portugal’s first solar-powered boat from the small marina, or follow the river walkway to the mudflats and marshland, which are a favourite with nature lovers, particularly bird watchers. If you feel the need to explore big city life, Lagos is just across the water, with its historic town centre surrounded by medieval walls and a fort at the harbour entrance. Despite it being one of the region’s most popular resorts, Alvor, with its warren of winding cobbled streets, still retains its fishing village charm.
When to go to Alvor
Peace and quiet have no fixed dates, so you will always find something to enjoy in Alvor at any time of the year, although if you are a beach person you may want to avoid the winter months when the winds pick up. From a windsurfer’s point of view this is the ideal time to go, with winds of 15 to 30 knots giving some hair-raising rides. At any time of year the lagoon at Alvor is an ideal place to learn the sport.
If you don’t have fixed holiday dates and want to enjoy a certain amount of activity other than just flopping on the beach, try the end of May or through June. The weather will be wonderful in comparison to that in the UK, and everything will still feel fresh from Spring.
The weather in Alvor
You wouldn’t expect anything other than lots of long sunny days during the summer from the Algarve, and that’s exactly what you will get in Alvor. Temperatures of 30º plus are fine if you simply want to lounge around the pool or splash in the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean, but if you are the type of person who needs activity to fill your days, Spring or Autumnal temperatures in the high teens will be more comfortable for those walks in the countryside. In the early months of the year the small amount of winter rains will have brought a wonderful display of blooms and blossoms. Sporadic winds in the winter month may keep you indoors – unless you are a kitesurfer!
Getting the best deal in Alvor
When anyone talks about getting ‘deals’ the usual reaction is to think of out-of-season rates for hotels and low-cost airlines anxious to fill their beds/seat. While this is usually the case there are other ways to stretch the holiday pound, even if your holiday dates are restricted to school holidays or other high season periods.
All inclusive hotels can often prove far more economical than trying the find the cheapest flight and room, particularly for family holidays. The savings on food and drinks alone can be hefty, but take into account that many of the hotels that offer all inclusive deals will also have kids clubs, spas, sports facilities, entertainment every evening, and a menu of tantalising ‘free’ services, and you could well find that you are able to enjoy an economical holiday even at the height of the season.
Check our late deals offers or check below to get the best deals in Alvor.
Airport and transport need to know
Unless you book a flight-inclusive holiday package, low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, easyJet and bmibaby will usually be your transport to the Algarve. These days so many flights connect regional and London airports with Faro, the Algarve’s only international airport, that you most likely live no more than a couple of hours from lift-off to your holiday in Alvor. You can fly from Cardiff, Blackpool, Doncaster, Luton and sixteen other airports in the UK and Ireland, including Gatwick and Stanstead, with most of the low-cost airlines. Charter airlines Monarch, Thomson Flight and Aerlingus also offer flights to the Algarve. Even Air Berlin see the value of a route to southern Portugal and have introduced flights from Luton airport to Faro.
Keep your transfer costs low for the 67km trip from Faro airport to Alvor by sharing a shuttle car or bus, which can be booked online, especially if you are travelling in a large family group. Otherwise a taxi will cost between 80-110€ (£57-£90) one-way, depending on the size and time of arrival. (Between 9pm and 6am weekdays, plus weekend and bank holidays carries a 20% surcharge.)
The best beaches in Alvor
While the quality of the beaches may be a deciding factor for your holiday in other resorts in the Algarve, it is only part of the decision in Alvor. The beaches are superb, which is hardly surprising, given that the Algarve is recognised as having some of the most sublime beaches in the world. But this lovely, peaceful fishing village offers you the choice of basking your days away on soft golden sands or meandering through nature reserves and paddling your canoe up through the waters of the Alvor river. Shouldn’t life always be made up of such difficult decisions!
At the western end of Alvor’s long sandy beach is Praia de Alvor, with rolling sand dunes that back onto the lagoon of the Ria Alvor. If you want to hurl yourself about with beach ball games there is so much space that you won’t step on anyone’s toes, and if simply stretching out with a big holiday book is your delight without anyone being within a football’s pitch length, then this is the place for you. If you can raise the energy to windsurf or try your hand at sailing, there is plenty on offer.
For a long walk splashing your toes in the waves, Meia Praia is the beach to head for – 4.5kms of gorgeous sand. But you won’t have to go hungry or thirsty because there are plenty of beach bars and restaurants open until the evening hours for you to take a rest and watch the fading day. At the eastern end naturists acquire an all-over tan away from prying eyes.
Useful links
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-487836-alvor_portugal_vacations-i
www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Alvor
