The
Alvor is a very delightful seaside town in the western Algarve, Portugal. This traditional fishing village is also a popular resort town. Located in the municipality of Portimão, within the Faro district it was founded in 436 by General Anibal Barca. Later it was occupied by the Celts and the Romans. The Moors arrived in 716. This was followed by a rich
history of Portuguese activity in the area, starting in 1189. Although most of the original Moor village was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake today there are civil, religious and military architecture worthy of exploring. What I discovered during our stay is that Alvor is just perfect for beach walks and explorations in the off-season.
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| Alvor Marina at Praia de Alvor © Spaswinefood |
Discovering Alvor's Best Kept Secrets
We had come to Alvor in December to discover some of the true feel of this small seaside town. Early every morning we walked the beach near the marina and explored the historic village. While not much was happening during the last week of December we did notice a few fishermen mending their nets in the marina area. Occasionally a fishing boat would leave port, or we would meet someone during our morning walks. Basically we had the beach and village almost all to ourselves.
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Alvor Beach © Spaswinefood
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Marina at Alvor Beach © Spaswinefood
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Retinga Ria, Alvor Beach Marina © Spaswinefood
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The historic village of Alvor, with its cobblestone streets is more fun to explore when it is not filled with tourists. It was just us and the local people who were preoccupied with getting ready for seasonal celebrations.
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Alvor Beachside © Spaswinefood
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Cobblestone Street, Alvor © Spaswinefood
The Same Alvor Street © Spaswinefood
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While most of the restaurants were not open a few were. In the village we have enjoyed visiting the Albar Snack Bar and Restaurant for a morning coffee.
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Albar Snack Bar and Restaurant, Alvor © Spaswinefood
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We dropped by this cafe a number of times during our stay. We were tempted once to try their breakfast menu.
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| Albar Snack Bar and Restaurant, Alvor © Spaswinefood |
We ordered an English Breakfast, a typical breakfast menu offered at many restaurants in the Algarve.
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| English Breakfast at Albar, Alvor © Spaswinefood |
Given that most restaurants were closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we decided to have our Christmas dinner at the Cotton's Restaurant at the Alto Country Club.
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Christmas at Cotton's Restaurant, Alvor © Spaswinefood
Dining at the Cotton's Restaurant, Alvor © Spaswinefood
Cotton's Restaurant on Christmas Day, Alvor © Spaswinefood
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Our Christmas diner began with a selection of starter dishes. This included a choice of baked scallops or salad, followed by soup.
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| Baked Scallops, Cotton's Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Asparagus Salad, Cotton's Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Soup, Cotton's Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
Our wine choice that evening was a Casa de Santar, Dão DOC 2010.
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Casa De Santar, DÃO DOC 2010 © Spaswinefood
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The main course was a Turkey Dinner. I requested a vegetarian plate instead.
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| Turkey Diner, Cotton's Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Baked Vegetable Dish, Cotton's Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
The last course was a traditional Christmas dessert, mincemeat pie.
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| Mincemeat Pie, Cotton's Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
Of course on our way out I could not help but notice the Cardeal Reserva, Dão DOC 1983.
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| Cardeal Reserva, Dão DOC 1983 © Spaswinefood |
During our week in Alvor we checked out a few of the local restaurants. We dropped by the Ababuja Restaurant for lunch one day. We began with some starters.
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| Appetizer, Ababuja Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
The main courses we selected were a seafood stew and a vegetarian curry. Yes, the seafood and curries are great in Portugal.
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| Seafood Stew, Ababuja Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Vegetarian Curry, Ababuja © Spaswinefood |
Often during our travels in Portugal we just lucked out and had great conversations about wine with someone. In this case it was the waiter. For a wine he recommended that we try a local Algarve wine, an Alvor Colheita Seleccionada 2011.
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| Quinta Do Morgado Da Torre, Alvor Colheita Seleccionada, Algarve 2011 © Spaswinefood |
Later we discussed some Portuguese rosé wines that I might try.
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| Principal Rosé Tête de Cuvée, Bairrada DOC 2010 © Spaswinefood |
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| Quinta do Monte D'Oiro, Lybra Rosé © Spaswinefood |
Now for dessert we ordered two tasty chocolate ones.
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| Chocolate Pudding © Spaswinefood |
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| Dessert Time, Alvor © Spaswinefood |
Yes, the chocolate goddess is hard at work in Portugal. At least she is in the Algarve. In fact I think the wine and chocolate goddesses love hanging out in the Algarve. Yes, Alvor is a great place for wine conversations and of course chocolate discoveries. It was good that amid all the dining we did many beach walks.
Discovering Alvor Beaches
Our Alvor days were just perfect for early morning walks along the main beach, Praia de Alvor. Near the main beach you will find the marina and restaurants.
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| Praia de Alvor (Alvor Beach) © Spaswinefood |
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| Alvor Beach Looking Eastward at Sunrise © Spaswinefood |
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| Alvor Beach Looking Westward © Spaswinefood |
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| Alvor Beach in December © Spaswinefood |
Sometimes we met a few folks walking their dog, or fisherman digging for clams.
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| Digging for Clams at Alvor Beach © Spaswinefood |
We would always walk by the marina area on our return. Sometimes, we would also walk through the village, passing the Instituto Socorros a Naufragos (Portuguese Lifesaving Insititute) along the way.
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| Instituto Socorros a Naufragos, Alvor © Spaswinefood |
The morning before we left Alvor we had breakfast at Annie's Bar & Cafe. We had walked by the restaurant a number of times during our stay. During our last morning in town it was open and so we gave it a try.
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| Annies Bar & Café, Alvor © Spaswinefood |
The Annie's is owned by British couple and so we thought we would give the English Breakfast another try.
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| English Breakfast at Annie's © Spaswinefood |
While in Alvor we stayed at the Alto Country Club. I would definitely highly recommend this place. You can also check out other Alvor accommodations. During our Alvor stay we did a day trip to the most Southwesterly point on the mainland of Europe, Cabo de Sao Vicente (Cape St. Vincent). It is well worth a day trip from Alvor.
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Cabo de Sao Vicente, Portugal © Spaswinefood
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If you would like to explore beaches and small Algarve towns then put Alvor on your must visit list. We were fortunate to spend a relaxing week there at a very quiet time of the year. During our month in southern Portugal we enjoyed trying different wines from the Algarve. We did also manage to sample other good Portuguese wines. I invite you to join me in my travels in Portugal and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.
Sharon
December 2013
Alvor, Algarve
Portugal
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