The Holiday Season is everyone's favorite time of year -- it's when friends and family get together to share in the joys of the season. It's a time to look back at events of the old year and look forward to the new one that's just ahead. It's also a time to start planning next year's vacation. Whether it's to be a winter sunshine break, or the main holiday of the year, this is an opportunity to agree upon the perfect destination to please everyone - but finding that special place can be a daunting challenge.
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Many who set out on the mission with the very best of intentions, determined to find somewhere different and special, give up in frustration. After searching through innumerable travel brochures and websites, looking for brilliant ideas from travel agents and friends, find no inspiration at all and eventually return to the same, familiar places where they have spent vacations in the past.
Most of us travel to discover new places and savor new experiences and that's something you are not going to find if you keep returning to the same old familiar ground. It's time to be a little more adventurous and try someplace different. It's time to think just a little bit outside of the box and these days Europe might be the most tempting of all. If you think you already know Europe, chances are you may not be familiar with one of the most charming corners of the entire continent -- Portugal, Europe's best kept vacation secret.
Go to this tiny country's most southerly coastline, a region known as The Algarve, and you will discover the best climate in all of Europe, basking in 340 days of sunshine a year. With idyllic year-round temperatures, some of the world's most beautiful beaches and an enviable collection of world-class golf courses, it's a vacation heaven for everyone, golfers included.
Only adding to the enticements, Portugal has always offered one of the very best travel values, but with our US Dollar at its strongest in many a moon, The Algarve has become a real bargain. It's a chance to enjoy the very best of everything - from hotels to restaurants, shopping, green fees and everything else imaginable - all at a fraction of the prices you would probably be paying at your usual vacation spot. The promise of luxury for a lot less and with no compromises, might be The Algarve's biggest inducement of all.
It's the quality of golf that entices informed aficionados of the game to Portugal's sunny Algarve coast -- an abundant supply of top quality courses and the weather to enjoy them twelve months of the year is an irresistible combination for most. But The Algarve is filled with many temptations, both on the courses and off and the opportunity to experience at least some of the off-course delights shouldn't be missed. This after all is a vacation you have worked hard for, so you deserve all the enjoyment you can get and the laid back, relaxed life-style of The Algarve and the local's zest for life makes this handsome coast perfectly suited to such things.
Good food is an essential element of Algarvean life and as a result, the region brims over with wonderful restaurants. Practically every national cuisine is represented, but for a special dining experience, try the less pretentious, Portuguese restaurants that focus on local dishes, typical of the region. The quality of the food is outstanding and they are always reasonably priced, so be adventurous and eat where the locals eat.
Seafood, fresh from the Atlantic predominates and the tuna and sardines here are unrivalled, but every type of seafood from cod to clams is excellent. Look for a dish called Caldeirada, a very tasty, bouillabaisse-like stew made from a variety of fish layered with potatoes. A feature of Algarvean cooking is the cataplana, a tightly sealed cooking pot resembling a wok, in which the food steams in its own juices, with mouthwatering results. Whether Porco a Alantejana, a delicious, if curious combination of pork and clams, or Ensopado de Borrego, a baby lamb stew, any cataplana dish is guaranteed to delight the taste-buds. But for the best local food treat, don't miss the charcoaled sardines; you've never tasted anything quite this good.
Good food demands good wine and Portugal produces outstanding wines. Many of the most delectable reds come from the regions of Douro, Dao and Alentejo, while excellent white wine or Vinho Verde, comes from the Minho and Estremadura regions. Less known in the USA than they deserve, take this opportunity to sample as many as you are able and when you return home, demand your local wine merchant carries more.
If you are looking for evening entertainment, The Algarve will keep you up all night long. Each of the resort towns scattered along these 90 miles of picture postcard coastline, offer a nightlife that could make you miss tomorrow's tee-time, so be warned. There are more than enough bars, discos and nightclubs to keep even the most energetic night-owl, drinking and dancing until the wee small hours. For those who prefer to dance with lady luck, the international casinos at Portimao, Vilamoura and Monte Gardo, complete with elaborate cabaret shows, provide every chance to win (or lose) with roulette, dice, poker and for the more timid gamblers, slot machines. Enjoy the nightlife to the fullest, but take advantage of your off-course, daylight hours to gain a real appreciation for this sun-blessed corner of Portugal.
The Algarve has a rich history stretching back more than 3,000 years and has been occupied by Phoenicians, Romans and from the 8th until mid-13th centuries, the Moors. It was in the small town of Sagres, located at the westerly edge of The Algarve where in the 15th century, Henry the Navigator established his school of exploration and maritime research that would launch Portugal into it's most impressive era as the discoverers of the new world. This is your chance to explore The Algarve and discover some of its intriguing past for yourself.
If golf is occupying most of your daylight hours and time only permits one excursion, make it a side trip to the town of Tavira, located approximately 45 minutes east of Vilamoura. Straddling the River Gilao and fronted by the Atlantic Ocean, Tavira, a town of historic churches, palaces and fine mansions, is probably the most beautiful along the entire coastline. Wander the streets of the old town and soak up the centuries old architecture and history. Then while away an hour or two over lunch or a coffee at an outdoor café, just watching Tavira's world go by. After all this is The Algarve where everything should be enjoyed at a leisurely pace and savored to the fullest.
Quality golf in an idyllic, year round climate is only the beginning of all Portugal's Algarve region offers visitors. Excellent food and wines, 3,000 years of history, spectacular scenery, fascinating sightseeing and a bustling nightlife, make this one of Europe's best-kept vacation secrets. Make the most of your trip and enjoy as many of The Algarve's plentiful temptations, as time will permit.
For more ideas and suggestions on how to discover The Algarve's many pleasures, both on the golf course and off, click here.
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