Both our daughters have some allergies so it’s a key focus for our trips, but things have changed quite a bit in the past few years, and with a visit to 2-3 of these shops you should be able to solve any basic food allergy challenges, so here’s a quick guide…
Appolonia, Almancil As far as local supermarkets go, this shop has the best selection around for gluten free foods, soya milk, etc. It is more expensive, but has definitely reduced the amount of food we now pack in the suitcase. Map View Aldi, Almancil Just down the road from Appollonia, the Aldi has a good, but smaller range of goods, still well worth a visit. Map View The Food Co. Supermarket, Almancil If you re heading out of Almancil towards Faro, there is a big black sign high up, with a Tesco sign underneath. These guys have some sort of agreement and now stock ambient Tesco lines, plus some Iceland cold chain. There are some local products thrown in, but if you have fussy eaters who need some UK familiarity, this is a good start. They also have a couple of drops of Tesco “Free From” products. Map View Finally, whilst we haven’t visited it yet, this Tesco model seems to have been mirrored by another company to stock Morrisons products, but we haven’t visited it yet. In short, whilst we are big fans of getting our kids to always try the local cuisine, as any parent of a child with allergies will know, the back-up of some gluten free biscuits or pasta will help everyone relax and enjoy their holiday!
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Tasca do Ricky features regularly in Trip Advisors top 10 restaurants for Faro. Kayti visited one lunchtime in April 2022 to see what all the fuss was about. Ricky is the friendly, enthusiastic front of house and everyone is made to feel genuinely welcome. The menu is mainly traditional Portuguese fayre, with no frills but the combination of good simple food and great service always makes for a n enjoyable visit and the girls had a great time. The food is good and the favourite dishes were Pork and clams, grilled fish and the squid. +351 919 111 057 Rua do Forno n° 21, Faro 8000-299 Portugal Google maps here Trip advisor link here Thai Bistro Restaurant is easily missed if you are new to the area. It is located in Valverde, a quiet location just off the Quinta Shopping roundabout (if the roundabout is a clock, Quinta shopping is at 11, Thai Bistro is on the road at 3). Kayti visited in April 2022 and, as is often the case, the lunchtime menu offered incredibly good value food, whilst the evening was much more in line with Quinta prices. The restaurant gets good reviews regularly on Trip Advisor, where the words most commonly used are "relaxed. friendly, good authentic food" and the 3 chefs all worked in Thailand at restaurants in Pataya, Ko Samui and Bangkok, where they perfected their Thai cuisine before coming to Portugal. Apparently they are on Uber Eats as well now, but we haven't tried that....yet Trip Advisor page is here Google Maps here +351 289 391 347 https://thaibistroalgarve.wixsite.com/thai-bistro
Izzy's is in a cluster of restaurants between Val de lobo and Quinta - with Julia's, Eduardo's Paradise and Antonio's however Izzy's is always one of our favourite places to go.
Predominantly seafood but with plenty of choice and great views and a really relaxed vibe, we have always found the food and service significantly better than the other stables of Maria's, etc. We ate Saturday lunch at 2pm when there is music and a great atmosphere. Wine list includes whispering angel for those of you who fell in love with it at M&S, the sardines are amazing and the sole is fabulous. website https://izzysbeachrestaurant.com
You don't have (or need) to eat in expensive restaurants every night and we try and visit a variety of the Almancil restaurants.
Kayti visited here one autumn and "The Butterfly Restaurant" is a good example of decent food at reasonable prices. Whilst it feels like its on the main road, there is a courtyard out back Owned by a Dutch guy and British lady, its heavy on expats, light on decor but good food which is a combination of UK staples and local tapas. We went on a Friday evening and had fried chorizo, mini cod fillets and calamari tapas then two curries and sea bass with a pitcher of House Rose for about the same as a round of cocktails in a Quinta bar.
One of our new favourites! This is a great place to watch the sunset and with the new boardwalk, 20 mins from the house.
One of the things that we love about Sams is that its 80% Portuguese, with the other 20% being people from absolutely anywhere, so its very different to The Shack, which often feels 100% British (though we still love it there too!). Officially called 3moco Bar, "Sam's" plays chilled music, serves beer, cocktails at 11 Euros (He's got more staff now so these are worth trying and dont take forever.) Whispering Angel Rose (bit pricey but lovely) and cocktails. Link to Google Maps below Borges is a restaurant which you're probably passed many times on the way up to Loule. I visited when I took my mum out to Quinta for a few days.
Borges has now moved across the road and apparently is receiving great reviews on trip advisor - top 3 repeatedly now. website is here https://www.borgescervejaria.com Trip Advisor reviews here which are consistently high. Previously ..... "I had the Tiger prawns and my mum had the Bitoque (Portuguese style steak). The Bitoque was excellent and amazing value at 8 Euros, however the Tiger Prawns were 25 Euros for 3 (albeit very large) tiger prawns. They were well cooked and there was nothing to fault them, I just couldn't help thinking it was about 8 euros too expensive for the dish, especially when Sea Bass was on the menu for 12 euros. The wine was excellent and good value, so the rule for Borges is simply to stick to the mainstream dishes that offer excellent value. We'll be back to try more dishes as this restaurant gets regularly good reviews on Trip Advisor. NB - They gave us a loyalty card which gives you a discount at Borges and several other places they own from Pizza to Piri-Piri so feel free to use them, they're in the blue folder." Since 2017 The Campus has gone from strength to strength, so time for a quick update on how to get the most out of it on a trip to Quinta.
The Campus has state-of-the-art facilities and is already attracting world-class teams in many sports - several Premiership teams, Marseille and The Irish Rugby team have all used the facility for pre-season training.. Weekly Membership: A little-known fact is that you can buy weekly membership for your stay. Our friends paid €90 for a week which gave them unlimited access to the facilities. Put simply, that means access to the gym, all the classes such as spin, body-pump, etc. It also includes the pool and the tennis mix-ins which are great fun. So whilst you need to be active, its actually quite easy to get your money's worth - and prices work out cheaper for 2 weeks or a month if you are staying longer. Tennis: Is now very popular as you would expect. My key recommendation is to book well in advance if you want tennis lessons, the heat means only the youths play between 12 and 5! Camps: Brian O'Driscoll, Rio Ferdinand and Judy Murray all run sports camps in the half-term and summer weeks. They are not cheap (I believe appx £500 for 2 hours a day for 5 days) but if your child wants an experience of a lifetime, these camps are very professionally run. Club cycle rides: Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8-8.30 (an hour later off-season) Meet at The Bike Shed (on the campus), pay 10€ which gets you a drink and a guided ride for appx 3 hours. The standard is a good club level, and average pace is appx 25kph. Bike hire is available so you can literally turn up with shoes and get out into some of the most amazing roads in Europe. Dano's: Its not all about gym sessions! Dano's has great food, all the major sporting events and a great atmosphere - see the full blog and the Music blog for more info. This is a fabulous event for families with smaller children.
Movies started down by roundabout 6 on Avenue Jordan, now the event takes place at The Campus. Bring a picnic, or buy a pizza, beer and wine from the stalls, put down a blanket and enjoy. One of our family favourites and a good space to spot celebrities enjoying a night with the family like everyone else. Check the website for dates and movie listings Music has most definitely arrived at Quinta!
Once only a bastion of The Shack on Thursdays and Sundays, now you can almost find a bar playing live music nearly every night. With an influx of good new places to go, its perhaps not surprising that restaurants and bars are looking for ways to increase visits and dwell time. The best place to keep track of what's going on where is now the Quinta App and check in advance as days change across the season (see separate blog), but below is our view, based on a recent visit. The Shack: Thursdays and Sundays are as busy as ever. Music starts at appx 4, we turned up about 4.15 and were 20th on the list for a table! Music goes on until appx 7ish and is a very mainstream mix of singalong hits, with inevitably a few people dancing after one too many! We got a table at 6.30 and stayed until 7, so next time will get there for 2.30 and plan to be there until appx 6. Casa do Lago: Just a few yards from The Shack, the up-end restaurant now has Sunday afternoon music 6-10.30. The atmosphere is a lot more relaxed than The Shack, both in terms of numbers and music. There is a bar area so you don't need to eat, in fact we just sat and had a bottle of Rose which was very pleasant. The band varies but on the day we went it was chilled jazz early on, with a few more mainstream singalongs later. If you're booking a special meal, and wanted a quiet afternoon, probably best to avoid this slot as the band is in front of the outdoor dining area. Dano's: Kayti had been to Dano's off season on a Friday night and it was buzzing, and Dano's aims to do music every Monday Wednesday and Saturday from 9pm, however when we went it on the Wednesday it was dead. The 9pm start time mid-week didn't seem to be working and it felt a bit like the tail end of a dodgy wedding. Still worth a try on a Saturday I reckon.... Bold Octopus: Now doing music on the rooftop Saturdays and Sundays from 2-6 and 7-9. We turned up just at they finished as we didn't know it was on, but i would imagine 4-6 is fantastic, with the amazing views and the sun starting to set. Music was a simple 3 piece band with a nice vibe, but can't say more as we weren't there long enough. There is also Music at Maria's and Izzy's restaurants. Portugal has an amazing cycling heritage and there is a huge range of route options, from the Granfondo route made famous in the Vuelta d'Algarve professional road race to the sandy beach trails along the Ria Formosa.
The arrival of The Campus has brought world-class facilities to our doorstep and its new bike rental shop - The Bike Shed brings with it a great selection of bikes to hire along with a World-Class cyclist who runs it. Mark Rohan is one of the nicest guys you will ever have the pleasure to meet and he's set up the shop accordingly. A former Paralympic hand cyclist, who won 2 Paralympic Golds at London 2012, Mark knows his way around any bike - he has selected Holdsworth road bikes with Planet X electronic etape gears, and the mountain bikes aren't bad either. But if the proximity and the quality weren't enough, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday The Campus organise a social cycle which I can highly recommend, it sets off from The campus at a very social circa 8 - 9.30 start time, depending on time of year. It is fair to say the Bike Shed is very much geared to cater for the keen-but-amateur cyclists who might do a sportive or just wants to enjoy the amazing countryside by road or mountain bike. The standard is a fair club standard, but everyone is very friendly. One thing you'll notice is the road quality is very high and when you mix climate, road quality and the abundance of long hills and fabulous scenery you have all the ingredients for a great cycling location. For rental prices and Social cycle dates click here but also check out my blog on Megasport rental ****2023 Update**** Mark has now sadly left the Campus, but is still active in Algarve cycling. Mark has been cycling here since 2010 and his knowledge of the area is amazing, he helped me design 2 loops, a brutal one based on the Granfondo - a 125km loop with 2.5km of climbing and another which is a 90km ride through Silves and up to Monchique which is 80km flat and a nice climb at the end which we finish with a long lunch and a taxi home. Needless to say, Mark arranged the taxi, recommended a restaurant, advised on the route and even called to check all was going OK. Mark recently did an interview for The Spokesmen - the first 20 minutes gives a great insight into The Campus, from 24 minutes, it is about the remarkable life story of a truly amazing guy - if you are going to listen to 2 minutes, start at 24 - but I don't think you'll stop!) Get in touch with Mark at https://www.instagram.com/markredrohan/ Just say Sean sent you! This is now one of our new favourite evening cocktail locations.
Another 10 minute walk down the road from the Shack, over towards Dos Pasos, Bold Octopus is a seafood restaurant with an amazing rooftop bar with stunning views - it was baking up there last summer during the day, but in the evening it will offer spectacular sunsets. They now do music Saturday and Sundays on the roof and Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby are major fans and often spotted here. Our friends ate there and said it was much improved vs previous owners - one to try! Chez Jorge is right around the corner from the house and it is the latest restaurant in the Quinta portfolio.
To be really honest, this location has had an identity crisis for several years and this is the 4th owner in 6 years (former iterations include The Cafe, a Chinese restaurant (that wasn't) and recently D-Lounge) which is a shame, as we really want it to succeed. However, the new iteration is Chez Jorge and it has had some really decent reviews in last few weeks. If you visit before we do, please et us know and we'll update the blog. For the meantime here are the details and reviews. Website www.chezjorgequintadolago.com Address: Av. Ayrton Senna da Silva 77-79, 8135-162 Almancil, Portugal Google Maps here The Shack is Quinta's laid back, good vibe bar. We like it so much we ended up in their social media ad! (that's us in the first image on the left).
Open all day until 10pm, The Shack serves decent cocktails as well as bar snacks and live music. An open air kind of place, The Shack has that great relaxed, holiday feel - one drink here usually turns into several, and with us it normally starts at Mojito o'clock! Set right on the edge of Quinta do Lago lake, the deck of The Shack has fab views of the lake and the Ria Formosa. What we love to do is head down around 5pm, hire the kids a SUP for 30 minutes, then watch them from this great spot before the kids come in for a coke and we contemplate a second drink before the walk home. There are also beach loungers so its great to pop in for a drink or a snack during the day, stop by for something cool in the afternoon, or some cocktails as the sun sets. There is live music here during the summer months, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as parties for special dates such as The now famous Full Moon Party, St. Patricks Day and Halloween. These days are very busy but there is a second bar area and lots of people just sit on the beach and enjoy the music and the vibe. The Shack normally closes at the end of October for the winter. On our recent winter visit we tried O Tanque for lunch.
Situated half way between Quinta and Val de lobo just off the top road, we've had a theory for a while that the lunches often somehow prove better value, and this was definitely the case this visit. First tip is don't order a starter off the menu, the waiters bring round a huge tray with 5 or 6 starters of the day. This really confused us as we had ordered starters, but I think they saw we were first-timers, brought the platter then cancelled our previous order! The tray had an excellent mackerel pate, warm, delicious pan-fried chorizo, breads, olives, garlic breads. We chose 3 and then had a main each. I had calamari and my guest had a Portuguese favourite of pork and clams. The starters were very filling, the mains excellent (the pork and clams much better than slightly average Calamari) Wine again was very reasonable and all in all, we'll definitely go back. Interestingly it was a Friday lunch time and most people were local workers, always a good sign, as was the fact the Matriarch was still running the service! Things can always change, so the latest Trip Advisor reviews can be found here
A good friend and I wanted to get out and explore some of the area by road bike this August so we took the recommendation from a friend and hired 2 bikes from Megasport.
I emailed the shop the Friday before we arrived and everything was organised by email. I actually booked 2 aluminium bikes for a day and we wanted to depart early to get most of the trip done before the heat got too much. One of the selling points for Megasport is that they deliver to your house, and in this scenario, they were happy to deliver at 5pm the day before and collect the next day at the same time. When the guy turned up, he had our 2 aluminium framed bikes but he also had 2 carbon bikes - a good sales ploy, the aluminium bikes were 25 euros each, but he offered us a discount for the carbon bikes - 50 euros down to 40 euros each, which we went for. The bikes come with a lock, puncture repair kit and a spare inner which you pay for only if you use it - word of warning: I would suggest getting one spare inner for each bike which you need to order before as the van carries no spares. You can order the bike with any type of pedal make or just a plain pedal, with or without straps. Helmets are 2 euros a day, well worth the investment and the prices of bikes come down significantly if you hire for more days, for example the aluminium was 25 euros for 1 day, or 45 euros for 3. Megasport do mountain bikes also, which I haven't checked yet against the ones for rent from The Campus, but my gut tells me Megasport will be cheaper. All in all, well worth using, we will definitely be hiring from them again this autumn. If you hire, mention 479 Lakeside and the blog and I'm sure they will offer you a deal. Contact details below; Tel.+351289393044 Mob. +351969034711 www.megasportravel.com cristina.dias@megasport.pt | rentabike@megasport.pt | booking@megasportravel.com www.facebook.com/megasport.portugal One showery day this winter we decided to take a run up to Silves.
Silves is a village/town that has played a key role in Portuguese history. Between 700-1200 AD it was the Capital and defensive stronghold of the entire region when the Moors were in control and later, in the 11th century it was the Capital of the Algarve and according to some authors surpassed Lisbon in size and importance. It is believed that Phoenicans, Greeks and Carthaginians all occupied Silves at one time, but that around 201 B.C. the Romans conquered Silves, transforming it into a citadel of their occupation, and commercial center that prospered for the next five centuries. Around 716, the citadel was conquered by the Moors who reinforced the existing fortifications with a new series of walls. This new period resulted in a great period of development, under the Moorish occupiers, that included the extensive walls in the west. In 1160, it was conquered by Ferdinand I of León and Castile, but remained only for a short time in the hand of the Christians: it was quickly recaptured by the Moors. King Sancho I of Portugal, supported by the powerful Crusader army, conquered the city, after a prolonged encirclement in 1189. But, a grand Moorish army retook the city in 1911. The buildings of the Taifa kingdoms of the 11th century, which includes the Palace of Balconies progressed in the 11th century. The walls and towers that today represent the Castle of Silves came from these campaigns and public works by Almoravides and Almohads in the 12th and 13th centuries. The castles internal water catchment, and large rain fed underground cistern were used to provide freshwater for the surrounding dwellings (to as late as the 1920s). It would only be in the 13th century, during the reign of Afonso III of Portugal, that forces under the command of D. Paio Peres Correia, would definitively take the fortress. We visited between rain showers and entry to the castle was really reasonable, (3 or 4 euros each) - well worth a visit! Portugal is filled with great places to make family memories, whilst enjoying amazing dishes and desserts. A popular place where we like to go is Val de Lobo, a large, but pretty development near the oceans side.
Last time we visited we dined at La Terrazza. This restaurant sits alongside several others, which together form a circle, with an open space in the middle called La Praca, which is usually occupied by a band that plays music in the evenings. Recently, Val de Lobo has had so work to La Praca, removing an administration building so there is more room for the band and people to dance. This has also resulted in a nicer view of the beach. When waiting for their food, many people like to join the band and dance to their tunes, earlier in the evening this is very much focused at younger children, but it gets more adult-focused as the evening progresses. Another good feature of Val de lobo is it is only a 10 minutes journey from the townhouse in Quinta do Lago. The restaurant La Terrazza serves a wide range of Italian food, which we found tasty, but not spectacular. Service was good and all dishes arrived in reasonable time. Most starters range from 5€ - 10€, whether you fancy the soup of the day or calamari. Main meals range between 15€ - 25€ depending on which style you would like. For example, they have many different menus, some serving fish and meats, others serving pizzas, pastas and rice dishes. The desserts are to die for as they serve ice creams to crème boule, also ranging from 5€ - 9€. At the end of the meal, the beach here is also a stunning place to walk down. In summary, we would definitely recommend an evening in Val de Lobo – its fabulous. If you want good, fresh comfort food, or have young children who want familiar dishes La Terrazza fits the bill well. We would definitely visit La Terrazza again, we will probably try Amore Pizza & Pasta restaurant across La Praca as a comparison first. Website: https://laterrazza-algarve.com Tel +351 289 356 019 or +351 289 353 435 Open daily from 18.30h We are getting lots of people recommending the juice bar on the Golf Course at the top of Ayrton Senna Drive.
Whilst not cheap, the location looks lovely and the juices are supposedly excellent - we didn't think the breakfast menu looked bad either and we would be keen on any feedback versus The Caffe on the condominium complex. The website is here Contact details are as follows; Location: Quinta do Lago Real Estate Centre Enquiries: +351 289 390 708 Email: pure@quintadolago.com Update: Kayti visited this August, there are a number of different juices, most around 6.50 euros. Kayti had the beetroot one! We recently received this email from the Lakeside Condominium company....
"We are excited to announce that the ever popular Picnics in the Park returns to Quinta do Lago this Summer! Join us in giving back by participating in our 'Picnics in the Park' event, which will take place every Friday evening from July 7th to August 25th at the Clubhouse, Tee 1, South Course. Get involved by ordering your picnic basket from one of four tempting options available. There's nothing better than having fun, while helping others at the same time - and giving is the greatest feeling in the world! To participate in the event order your basket here: www.quintadolago.com/picnics-in-the-park. Quinta do Lago will donate €5 of every purchase of a picnic basket to a local charity in the Algarve." It looks like there are 4 hampers to chose from, each provided by a local restaurant. Let us know what you think of the event if you go.
This is actually a recommendation from a friend of a friend. Duncan visits Lakeside regularly and has a mate who lives here all year round. Its his friends recommendation but he said "Its a great modern Italian on the main road (heading out of Almancil) down past Aldi on the right - girls will like it.
Update: we visited in February and loved it, great authentic pizzas and stylish, cool atmosphere - only suggestion is book in advance in peak! TripAdvisor customers seems to agree, awarding it an excellence certificate for 2016 See the reviews here CasaVostra Reviews . The menu is obviously big on Pizza, most being around 12 Euros, there are also alternatives, the menu can be found here. I've also downloaded a Google map for you below Please let us know what you think if you visit.
This is the normal loop I run early morning, you can combine it with the Ria Formosa Loop and I reckon it will come out just over 10km. I've added this as a guest, Paul is about to go (and probably kill my times!) enjoy.
We have been watching with interest as the creation of a new sports centre further up Ayrton Senna Drive has been progressing. After what appeared to be a slow start, the tennis opened for Summer 2017 with Bike Hire and when we were out April 2018 the pace was frenetic.
The Campus is the latest addition to Quinta do Lago. Their goal is to provide professional level training and coaching for all residents and guests. They are aiming to build a team of world class athletes who have competed at the top and will now train us mere mortals at The Campus and pricing is geared towards pay as you go. The original plans have changed a lot, so here is the latest we know; 1. Tennis: Now in their second season, tennis is growing at the campus, run by a lovely guy called Ze. Lessons are 65€ an hour with a top coach for up to 2 people and 75€ up to 3. There is a 5% discount for 5 sessions and 10% for 10. There is also group coaching at 20€ persuasion. They also have friendly competitions you can enter at 12€ for round robin or 15€ for a tournament. For all of lessons, especially times outside the hot times of day during the summer months the advice is book early (even before you travel). 2. Football: Rio Ferdinand is running spring and summer football camps; April, May and 2 weeks in August. The venture is a collaboration between The Campus and Football Escapes. The pitches are amazing and UEFA licences coaches are joined by professional players. 3. Bike Hire: Now fully up and running and led by a lovely guy called Mark Rohan, The Bike Shed is offering bikes at about 40€ a day, mountain or road, and with discounts for more days. Mark also organises rides that you can join, or he can actually arrange bespoke trips (They have an amazing 4 day package planned which includes wine tasting and an overnight in Monchique). E-mail is bikeshed@the-campus.pt 4. Pool & Gym: When we were there, the work was full on trying to get a 25m pool and state of the art gym ready for June (might be a challenge with the rain!) You can pay as you go for these. 5. Restaurant & Bar: News is there will be a 200 seat restaurant, plus a relaxed bar - again target opening is June! The complex is owned by Quinta so they are throwing lots of money and resource at this, which is a great addition to the area. Given the easy travel times from the UK and the proximity to Faro, the football facilities will also include sports rehab and a separate pro gym for teams training - football clubs from Norway and Sweden are already booked for this year and there is lots of work to try and attract some National and International Football and Rugby teams, when they go on their warm weather short breaks (Gareth Southgate was here playing paddle tennis the week we visited.....) The website is still fairly basic, but the facilities and options are detailed on www.quintadolago.com/the-campus There is also a Weekly Schedule on the site which is well managed and worth checking. Please feel free to drop us a line with your thoughts and we'll happily post for other guests - the same for any places/restaurants you'd recommend. |
KaytiWe'll share our discoveries and will soon ask friends to contribute their best tips also. Archives
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