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Portugal : Faro - November 2009

Country Code: Dial 1 for Portugal

As temperatures cool off this month, the action heats up at the Algarve’s motor-racing track, with a series of highspeed events as well as participation days for boy (and girl) racers. Paul Rouse steps on the gas

Getting around

Faro International Airport

Bus: Eva Bus connects the airport with the city centre. Services run every 30 minutes from 7.05am to 9.15pm. The journey takes 20 minutes and a return ticket costs €4 while a single ticket costs €1,55.
Train: A single journey from the airport to Faro for up to four passengers costs around €15 and takes 15 minutes.
Tourist information: The main tourist office is at 8-11 Rua da Misericordia (tel. , visitportugal.com).

FARO & THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE

November in Faro offers perfect golfing weather – not too hot but with the sun still on your back. Combine the cultural attractions of the city with a round on one of the Algarve’s legendary courses.

Sleep soundly – Opened this year, the Tivoli Victoria (Vilamoura, tel. , tivolihotels.com, rooms from €165) is the Algarve’s newest five-star hotel, overlooking the Arnold Palmerdesigned Victoria Golf Course. Come here for gourmet dining, modern, minimalist rooms, a Banyan Tree spa and butler service. The five-star Vila Sol Renaissance Spa & Golf Resort (Vilamoura, tel. , renaissancealgarve.com, rooms from €159) is perfect for golfers and families – as well as its own 27-hole championship golf course, it has selfcatering apartments, a kids’ club, a spa and a shopping centre.

Culture vultures – The historic centre of Faro has some superb churches, including the Sé (Largo da Sé), the central cathedral inside the old fortress walls, Igreja de São Francisco (Largo de São Francisco), with its traditional tiles, gilded work and religious figures, and the Baroque-style Igreja do Carmo (Largo do Carmo), which houses some astonishing gilded artwork.

Must eat – Close to the railway station, Adega Nova (Rua Francisco Barreto, Faro, tel. ) specialises in regional food that’s hard to find elsewhere, including pasta with razor clams, bean stew with sea snails, and cuttlefish with sweet potatoes. Down on the beach, O Costa (Praia do Faro, tel. ) serves charcoal-grilled grouper, sea bass and sole, as well as stuffed squid with rice and bacalhau com migas (salt cod with bread).

FURTHER AFIELD – THE INTERIOR

There is another Algarve away from the coast, with quiet mountain villages and scenic countryside to explore – a contrast to the highoctane thrills at the Formula 1- approved motor-racing track.

Sleep soundly – Each of the 11 bedrooms at Quinta das Barradas (Odiáxere, tel. , quintadasbarradas.com, rooms from €108) has been individually furnished to provide a cosy, rustic ambience, with balcony or terrace views overlooking the gardens, a natural pool and the surrounding countryside.

Culture vultures – Improve your driving skills or just enjoy a thrilling racing experience – behind the wheel of a Porsche or Ferrari – at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve racing school, inland from Portimão, from €299 (autodromodoalgarve. com). Take your seat there at events like the GT and Touring Car Championships (6-8 November). Or opt for an open-top 4 x 4 tour of the mountains with Jeep safari specialists GeoExplorer (tel. ).

Must eat – J da Praca (Aldeia Ruiva, Messines, tel. ) is off the tourist trail but popular with locals. Expect enormous steaks, fresh crab and lobster, an excellent wine selection and friendly service. Moiras Encantadas (Rua Miguel Bombarda, Paderne, tel. ) does dishes like mother used to make (if she was Portuguese). Good, solid, countryside food in huge portions. But leave room for the home-made desserts.

Dance the night away – Don’t expect fashionable nightclubs away from the beach. But swing, bebop, flamenco, fado and Brazilian jazz all feature on the playlist at São Brás Museum (São Brás de Alportel), whose jazz club convenes on the third Sunday evening of every month. The Lounge Bar (Boliqueime). meanwhile, hosts a jazz jam session every Friday evening, with new artists encouraged to join in.

Shop til you drop – With a look somewhere between boho-chic and a glossy interiors magazine, Côrte-Real (Paderne, closed Monday-Wednesday) is an old house-turned-gallery, offering a superb range of original paintings, ceramics, lighting and gifts. Affordable and very different, it’s well worth the drive. There’s also a café.

Compiled by Paul Rouse

Previous issues for Faro

Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy,
please confirm event/venue details in advance.

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