Martin Symington's report on the Algarve - Best For
Posted On
20.03.07
Families The beaches, the sports and the nightlife add up to teenage heaven. For younger ones, the Algarve has two large, state-of-the-art water parks with chutes, slides and oceanic pools. There are speedboat-towed ‘banana’ rides at several beaches.
Sporty types The Algarve has the finest golf links in Europe. The 31 courses include the notorious Pine Cliffs where you drive over a 200-metre ravine, and the acclaimed championship Penina designed by Sir Henry Cotton. The Penina has a superb world-class golf clinic. There are also two renowned tennis academies at Vale do Lobo and Praia da Luz each offering individual and group courses for all levels.
Nature Lovers When you are done with the birdies on the golf greens, swap your clubs for binoculars and make for the ornithological magnificence of the Ria Formosa nature reserve. There are hides around the perimeter for spotting spoonbills, waders, egrets and flamingoes, as well as rarities such as purple gallinules and marbled teal.
Sightseers The aura of the Moors lives on in Silves as you will discover if you take a walk around the romantic, restored castle walls. Faro was another important Moorish town before being captured by the Christians in the dying days of Arab rule in Portugal. It remains a beguiling walled town. Prince Henry the Navigator who masterminded Portugal’s Golden Age of Discoveries, did so from the Fortaleza (fortress), imperiously set on the cliff top at Sagres.
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