Basically a large percentage of bars in Alvor are Irish themed (some owned by portugese some irish owned). Most have some live music (in season anyway)

There is too many to remember which one is which to be honest - but I thought the best is the one on the left at the top of the hill looking down toward the fishermans hut

not sure about that area but if you get as far as old town albueria theres the breffni irish bar good food in the day show all irish sport live music some nights good all round bar

Why not try Dublin? (GRIN)

We're just back and I can confirm that there are lots in Alvor and yes some have live music on (they'll have signs outside). Pick up the free Alvor map and guide once you get here so you can pinpoint where they are.
I'm sorry I can't tell you what they are like though as we never went in any.

I guess Alvor has changed a lot since I was last there - must be over 10 years ago now! I can't recall seeing a single Irish pub then and this news rather puts me off the thought of a return visit - this is a trend I just don't get :-)

Seriously, my mother is quite keen on a return visit to the Algarve because she has such fond memories of an AOA we did together some 15 years ago were we ended up happily at Alvor - so much so that I re-visited it with a pal a few years later - but I think she'd very disappointed if we were to return there now. So if there's anybody out there who knew Alvor in the early 90s, what would you suggest as the 'new' Alvor for us to look at? In other words, somewhere that is small and relatively quiet, still has a very strong Portugese atmosphere, good local fish restaurants with SC accommodation within easy walking distance of the centre, a beach with a few refreshment shacks on it and reasonable public transport access?

To give you an idea of what we don't want, even then Portimao was our idea of hell, Praia de Rocha was also definitely not our cup of tea, Albufeira even 10 yrs ago was getting too developed for our taste and we did think that perhaps somewhere like Sliema or Burgau might have suited us even better than Alvor even back then. For those of you who know the Canaries, we've just returned from our annual visit to Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera and came to the conclusion this time that perhaps we only had a few years left before it too became a bit too developed and touristy, especially now that there are rumours of direct flights from the UK.

I realise that we all look for different things on holiday so I hope that nobody who does like the busier, more tourist orientated resorts in the Algarve is offended. It's just that I know that they're not for us and I don't want to take my mother back to somewhere that from the sound of it has changed beyind all recognition for the same reasons that I've discouraged her from thinking about ever returning to that little place on Rhodes that she enjoyed visiting 30 years ago called Faliraki!

SM

I guess Alvor has changed a lot since I was last there - must be over 10 years ago now! I can't recall seeing a single Irish pub then and this news rather puts me off the thought of a return visit - this is a trend I just don't get

Me neither SMa, thats why we avoided them (no offence to anyone who likes them, it's just not our cup of tea) and seriously, it's easy enough to do.

Obviously this was our first visit and so I can't comment on was how it would compare to when you went 10 years ago, but let me reassure you there are loads of traditional places to eat and drink in Alvor. We studiously avoid anything 'English' when we are on holiday, preferring to sample the local cuisine of where we are visiting and we had several "feasts" whilst there. The freshly caught fish was particularly fantastic - the fishermen would be cleaning it and the locals would be there, waiting to buy it.
Here's a link to my trip report so you can see the kind of places we ate in during our week's stay - http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=108576 - with the hope it eases your mind slightly

I'm afraid that some compromise will be needed here.Unfortunately, wherever the transport infrastructure makes it possible, the resorts have unavoidably grown and,inevitably, English and Irish bars have crept in ( although it has to be said that many of them are Portuguese-owned and that the names of the premises are merely a marketing ploy.)
Unfortunately, in Alvor, most of the bars and restaurants are concentrated in one small area, so it is difficult to avoid the 'Anglicisation'.
You could consider Lagos - a larger resort where,although there is one Irish bar ( which you're unlikely to stumble upon ) and a few English ones,there still remains a distinct Portuguese character.Most of the modern urbanisation is restricted to two areas -the residential part of town to the North (away from most of the tourist area)and the area to the East of the Marina which,in September, resembled a crane drivers' convention !!
If you need unspoilt authenticity then,to the West, you need to look at villages such as Burgau and Salema, but these are not well-served by the transport network, and you'll have to be prepared to make concessions as regards ameneties such as large supermarkets and a huge choice of restaurants and shops.
Hope this has helped a little and maybe Pat42 will have some suggestions for the Eastern Algarve.

Hi Sagres,

Of course! It was Salema, not Sliema, that I meant. We really wouldn't need to make concessions re large supermarkets and lots of shops or a huge choice of restaurants because we don't really need either. It helps to have a source of decent bread close to hand but we tend to eat out each evening and the most food shopping we'd be doing would be for bread, marmalada and fruit for breakfasr supplemented by some salad stuff for the occasional snack lunch.

Nor would we necessarily be looking for a big choice of bars and restaurants as long as there were enough to ring the changes. In Valle Gran Rey we essentially worked our way through the menus of just 3! A fish restaurant specialising in whatever was the catch of the day, a s;ightly more up-market one with a bit more sophisitcated menu and the fishermen's bar on the harbour for tapas and bocadillos when we just wanted something basic and light.

We liked Lagos to visit - and to buy fish at the wonderful market but would really like to base ourselves somewhere much smaller. Burgau or Salema took my fancy and when there it was possible at that time to use the bus to travel the length of the coast from Faro right up to Sagres - we took a taxi from there to Cap St Vincent (?) Do you know if this service is still running? Took ages to get anywhere but then we were never in a hurry and wouldn't be if we go back.

SM

I would suggest Praia da Luz. There are a couple of Brit. bars, but mostly it is quiet and peaceful. The prices are a little bit higher than Lagos but it is worth the extra.

SMa,
Try http://www.algarvebus.info (courtesy of member 'cubsur') for transport details, and http://www.burgau.co.uk/ for more details of Burgau.

Sagres....you're giving our secrets away!
Ahemmm... I think the Lagos to which Sages refers is the one in Nigeria... try that.. great place.....they speak English...lots of Irish bars...:D