Monte Gordo Holidays
Monte Gordo Holidays – Flat white sand as far as the eye can see.
A holiday in Monte Gordo is a real family affair, but it is equally as popular with couples and groups of all ages, including disabled people. Almost everywhere in the resort is easily accessible by pushchairs and wheelchairs, because it is very flat. The town is separated from the beach by the main road, which is lined with shops, cafes and restaurants, and is just a short stroll if you forget something while you are on the sands.
As popular with the Portuguese as it is with foreign visitors, Monte Gordo has a more cosmopolitan feel to it than some Algarve resorts, and there is a plentiful supply of restaurants where you can sample top quality Portuguese cuisine.
Kite and wind-surfing are available if you want a break from relaxing on the beach, but with the area being so flat cycling is one of the favourite pastimes and there are plenty of places to hire them. The town sits at the mouth of the river Guadiana, so you can take a leisurely ride up the river or join a jeep safari to the inland lakes. For a ritzy night out, the luxurious Casino Monte Gordo has two floors of modern and traditional casino games, over three hundred games machines and a nightly floorshow. You can dine in the elegant Ocean Salon, with views over the beautiful beach. And, as ever in the Algarve, you are never far from a golf course.
When to go
More Mediterranean than Atlantic, Monte Gordo, like much of the eastern Algarve, is just that couple of degrees warmer than the central and western regions. This makes it a perfect destination for spring and autumn, as well as an ideal spot for a relaxing winter break. (Although most rainfall in the area is between November and February, so you may need to take a light coat.) Mainly a beach-orientated resort, if you want a quite holiday you would be best to choose a time outside the main school holidays during July and August, (always bearing in mind that the Algarve is very popular with visitors from throughout Europe, where some school holidays begin in June), and at Easter.
The weather in Monte Gordo
Temperatures peak in August, with around 30º during daylight hours (and there are fourteen of them, mostly sunny with bright blue skies), and a balmy 19º at night. Most of the other summer months will creep up from 26º in June, dropping to around the same in September. You will probably still be in shorts in October and early November, as you will towards the end of April and into May, but from December to March it’s worth taking a warm sweater for colder evenings. The weather can be variable during those months, from bright and sunny to grey and drizzly, but the rainy days don’t last long.
Getting the best deal
Very good deals can be had on rooms and flights if you can travel outside high season and Easter, becoming absolute bargains if you are looking for somewhere during winter and early spring. As Faro is the only international airport serving the Algarve you are limited to airlines serving this destination, although if you live in the south of England it might be worth looking at Ryanair’s flights from London Stansted to Jerez de la Frontera, as Monte Gordo is only a few kilometres from the Spanish border. To get the best late deals, have a look below, and keep checking our late deal offers.
Airport and need to know
Your hotel in Monte Gordo is just over an hour from Faro airport, and is served by both the Portuguese rail service, Comboios de Portugal, which is fast and reliable, (www.cp.pt. – the site is available in English), and the regional bus service, Eva Transportes costing 4 and 5€ (£3.20/4) respectively, although you will have to get a bus or taxi from the airport into the town centre.
If you want to make sure you have transport waiting then you can book it on-line, which you can usually either pay for when you book or pay the driver. They say they are cheaper than a metered cab, (which will be around 56€ (£44) for four people), but that isn’t always the case, although the few euros extra you pay might be worth the convenience of knowing someone is there waiting for you. Privately-owned shuttle buses run from the airport, at around 22€ (£18) per person, but need to be booked.
During high season, to hire an economy car, Ford Fiesta or similar, will cost between 160-220€ (£129-177) per week.
The best beaches in Monte Gordo
Monte Gordo is practically all beach, as it has one of the largest beaches of white sand with the warmest waters in the Algarve, itself known world-wide for the quality of its glorious beaches.
The Mediterranean climate that is part of the attraction of the eastern Algarve makes the beach at Monte Gordo a big favourite with families and disabled people. It is designated as an ‘accessible beach’, which indicates that there are ramps and walkways leading to the sands, it is supervised during the summer season, and there are amphibious wheelchairs and other equipment to enable disabled people to thoroughly enjoy themselves splashing about in the Med. You will be very close to plenty of shops cafes and restaurants, so there is no need to take anything to the beach other than yourselves and your bathing kit.
If you are looking for somewhere to sunbathe away from the crowds, Praia Verde, a couple of kilometres from Monte Gordo going west, hasn’t been over-developed and has yet to be discovered by anyone but locals. If you like to swim but don’t like the taste of salt water, there is a restaurant with its own pool overlooking the beach. You can hire sun beds at the café-bar on the beach.
For the ‘Robinson Crusoe’ effect, try Praia de Cacela Velha, which is a sand spit separated from the shore by a lagoon. You can walk across from Manta Rota or take a boat from Sítio da Fábrica, although they are not official ferry services. You will need to take everything you need for the day with you, as there are no bars or places to eat – just tranquillity.
